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How is marijuana good and bad? Marijuana use increases rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and schizophrenia. High doses of marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction. Marijuana increases heart rate by 20 -100 percent shortly after smoking. It can last up to 3 hours. It was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8 fold increase in the risk of heart attack, in the first hour of smoking the drug, this may be due to the increased heart rate as well as effects of marijuana on heart rhythms causing palpitations and arrythmias. Marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increases the lungs exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production ,more frequently acute chest illness, and a high risk of lung infections. Heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities of social life. Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individuals heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. In a study conducted by the national highway traffic safety administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance, however the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone. Marijuana use has been shown to increase users’ difficulty to quit smoking tobacco. A statistical analysis of the data suggested that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of cancer to the head or neck. Marijuana impinges on the central nervous system by attaching to the brain neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons. These neurues respond by altering their initial behavior. For example, if a nerve is supposed to assist one in retrieving short – term memory, cannabinoid receptors make them do the opposite, so if one had to remember what he or she did five minutes ago after smoking a high dose of marijuana he or she has trouble. Marijuana plant has contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannibinoids, which are psychoactive compounds that are produced inside the body after cannabis is metabolized or is extorted from the cannabis plant, cannabis is an active ingredient in marijuana. Marijuana also impairs emotions. When smoking marijuana the user may have uncontrollable laughter one minute and paranoia the next. This instant change in emotions has to do with the way that THC affects the brains limbic system.

//Nida infofacts: marijuana//. (2008). Retrieved from www.drugabuse.gov EJELONU, akudo. (2004). How does Marijuana affect the brain?. Retrieved from serendip.brynmawr.edu