Heavy Marijuana Smokers Face Numerous Health Risks

The issue of legalizing marijuana will be passionately debated for a long time to come. People on both sides of the issue are well versed in their facts, figures and statistics. However, from a medical perspective, the problems arising from consistent use of marijuana are considerable.

There is a general consensus that marijuana does not have the devastating medical effects of heroin, cocaine or excess alcohol use. Yet, it is still not harmless. For regular marijuana users face increased risk of cancer of the lungs and other respiratory ailments common to cigarette smokers.

In fact, marijuana contains 5o to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than cigarettes. Since marijuana smoking requires users to hold the smoke inside their lungs longer than a cigarette smoker does, common sense indicates an elevated risk to the lungs of marijuana users.

Marijuana has also been proven to inhibit the ability of key immune cells in our body. This means we become more prone to contracting bacterial infections or other ailments.

And a frightening side effect of marijuana use is its impact on specific nerve cells in our brains which influence pleasure, memory, concentration, coordination, sensory and time perception. It seems marijuana has a negative impact on these cells. Repeated studies among people who use marijuana on a near daily routine found that critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired. Additionally, the studies repeatedly show these impairments continued for days or weeks after the subjects had ceased smoking marijuana.

As with other drugs, marijuana is linked to behavioral and mental defects to unborn children whose mother’s smoke marijuana while pregnant.

Research repeatedly has determined that consistent marijuana use is associated with depression, anxiety, paranoia and personality disorders. As a rule, these same studies show that marijuana has a tendency to make those troubles people are escaping from only worse.