Marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa, the hemp plant. The main active chemical present in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Apart from this it contains around 400 other dangerous chemicals.
Most users smoke marijuana with the help of hand-rolled cigarettes, some use pipes or water pipes called bongs. Special marijuana cigars called as blunts are very popular. Marijuana is also used to brew tea and is sometimes mixed into foods.
What are the short-term dangers of smoking marijuana?
- Impaired memory and inability to learn
- Difficulties in thinking and problem solving
- Distorted Perception
- Anxiety attacks or feelings of paranoia
- Impaired muscle coordination and judgment
- Increased susceptibility to infections
- Burning and stinging of mouth and throat
- Impairment in driving skills
- Increases the heart rate in normal people and worsens heart rate in with heart disease or high blood pressure.
What are the long-term dangers of smoking marijuana?
- Studies shows that the potential chemical –THC, present in marijuana adversely affect human brain and mental health.
- Regular use of marijuana shows the same respiratory problems as cigarette smoking. Persistent coughing, symptoms of bronchitis and more frequent chest colds are possible symptoms.
- Studies shows that long-term use of marijuana suppresses the production of hormones that help regulate the reproductive system both in men and women.
- Highly increases the risk of heart attack in regular users.
- Smoking marijuana on regular basis increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck.
- It has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because of the various carcinogens present in it.
- It may badly affect the immune system’s ability to fight disease.
- Chronic marijuana use causes high levels of depression, anxiety.
- Adversely affects the power of memory and learning.
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March 17th, 2008 at 6:36 am
My brother smokes cannibis and i am worried for his mental, physical and emotional health. I don’t know how to approach him. He is generally an agressive person, who resorts to violence in frustrating circumstances. I want to help him but i don’t know how. My family is unaware of this. Maybe you know of some sites that could be of assistance to me?
April 4th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
What About Weight Loss Does Smoking Alot Of Marijuana Cause Weight Loss?…
April 15th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Hiyar,
ive been smoking weed .. since befor christmas and i smoke it at least once a week + more if other people have it … but atm i keep thinking that everyone hates me and out to get me and saying things about me & i wanna know how i can stop this .. i have tryed to quite but im 2 a addicated to it .. :/
Thank You x
Your sincly
lizzie x
April 19th, 2008 at 2:08 am
Have you really, actually done your research on this lately? Was your source taken from “Reefer madness”? Scientists are discovering new ways, every single day, that Cannabis helps everyone. Not only is it medically more effective than pharma drugs, but the government is loosing over $1 billion dollars a year in a cash crop known as HEMP, because they are too paranoid to legalize it. Sounds like they must be stoned to me! Hemp can be used to make almost anything, is totally biodegradeable, recycles much better than paper, not to mention saving the tree’s! It almost seems like a monopoly to keep control on the American population’s mind. Gee, I wonder what this planet would be like if everyone was happy, relaxed, getting along and pain and pill free?
Vaporizing is much safer than smoking, eliminating the carcinogens to near zero. I did not see that in your thesis, either.
Marijuana is the safest and most effective plant known to man. To keep it under so many layers of lies is such a shame to our economy, and our humanity.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
IS MARIJUANA DANGEROUS OR NOT??????
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
to lizzie your not addicted to marijuana you barely ever smoke it i smoke a quarter ounce a day minimum for over 2 years and i have no problem quitting. the reason you think everyone is out to get you isn’t marijuana your just using it as an excuse to cover up how you are i bet you were the same way before you took that first hit. it isn’t physically addicting in any way only mentally. people who say stuff like what you said are the people who keep weed illegal. if you cant say anything nice about marijuana don’t talk about it it already has a bad enough impression without posers who wanna look cool smoking it like you bad mouthing it. done.
August 21st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
marijuana is not a drug, but a flower ceated by God, what gives the government the right to say God is wrong
September 5th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
i totally agree with john,, u can’t get addicted to it properly,, its all in your mind
September 25th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
hmm… i don’t know… i don’t think marijuana itself is all too dangerous, but i’ve been smoking chronically for 5 years, almost six. about a blunt or more a day. i love blunts… i think it’s the nicotene maybe. i don’t smoke cigs. i did for like a year and quit because it affected me more than weed. however, i must say that i’ve been having the doggy bark cough and such and it’s not pretty. and i’m pretty sure its the combo of weed and white owls. more likely the whiteowls… but if there was no weed, there would be no need. its not the herbs fault, its the user. i blame me for over using, over abusing, and using those damn lung killers. i’m a singer… so this sucks. anybody else have this problem… the bark cough…
October 6th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I think the goverment should ligelize marijuana like cigretts and sell them like cigretts. thats my opion.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
hiya been smokin for ova the last 3 yrs every day bout a 8th a day recently quit due to chest pains an feeling of heart attacks all the time has there eva actually been a chase of death due to smokin ganja plz email me back thnx xxxxxxxxxx
November 24th, 2008 at 6:51 am
[…] You would be surprised to know that people do follow typical ways to smoke the marijuana weed. Smoking etiquette for marijuana however differs from country to country and is also majorly influenced by some typical local customs. […]
November 24th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Marijuana is a flower created by a God, a God of demons - one of four great Devils.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:55 am
So Samantha, you really want to sell marijuana like cigarettes? First of all stop smoking and learn how to spell. Second, America abuses alcohol, cigarettes, food… what makes you think we as a country are ready for marijuana to be legal?? I am all for a joint here and there… but to make it legal like cigs or alcohol would be horrible for our future generations… there are to many idiots and losers in America for that big of a step. Grow up and get realistic. That’s my opinion.
Clarence, don’t talk about God like you know Him. If you did know God, you would know that the body is His temple and He says not to mess with it… marijuana messes up your brain.. not to mention your heart and lungs. God also says to follow the laws of the land. If you care about God and what He wants done with His creation, don’t be a hypocrite, at least move to where it is legal. Take a few health classes and read the bible a little.
Natalyn, where did you get your information? I totally agree that Hemp is very useful. But just to let you know, not everyone that smokes marijuana is “happy, relaxed, getting along and pain and pill free…” take some psychology classes. Do you smoke? In my experience the high only lasts a few hours. That’s not long enough for world peace doll. Sorry, this planet needs a little more than a bunch of hippies hugging trees. Oh and “…under so many layers of lies…” looks like someone is a little paranoid. Stop smoking.
John Smith, really its because of people like you, marijuana should not be legalized. You do not except that marijuana affects everyone in a different way, and DOES have horrible side affects for some people.
Why do you think it is not legal? Because America can not handle the terrible things that ARE legal NOW!! Yeah some people drink responsibly but what about all of the alcoholics… some people care enough to not smoke cigarettes while pregnant… and some don’t. Do some research stop being so selfish. Really, legalizing marijuana would be cool since people have been trying forever.. but in your heart of hearts, do you REALLY think that everyone in America should be able to buy weed??? I do not.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
theres a lot of crack smokers in the apartments were i stay,i no there name and face becuz i serve them everday
December 4th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
i,ve been smoking marihuana for over 3 years now. i feel fine it doesnt shows any change on my body. i think the same and i dont have any problem solving things. i actually do everything better when i smoke. i can drive, am a barber and i do it better when am high. i suffer from scoliosis and i have 2 curves on my spine of 10 degress and marihuana takes the pain away. the only thing i feel is a pressure on my chest, is it beacause i smoke every day?
December 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
i jumped the border when i was a little kid and now i live in tenneessse memphis to be exact please come deport me
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
you guys shouldnt do any of these drugs becuz its bad and u cud hav a happy life wit a family and think about it, hav a nice house, nice job, and be happy but you choose to goof off and be stupid
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I think lizzie is paranoid, if you don’t wanna smoke weed don’t. Like Yoda said there is no try!
Natalyn- you should really publish a full article i’d love to read the other side of the story
john smith is a meanie head!
clarence has been smoking a little too much
samantha needs to learn how to spell
SMoking etiquette… boring! if you’re gonna advocate for marijuana take some lessons from natalyn and make it interesting!
foofoo you’re so silly!
December 26th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Weed is not dangerous! There are hardly ever any directly related deaths from marijuana use. You would need to ingest your own body weight or more of THC in a very short period of time to overdose, which is about 40,000 times the amount usually needed for the average person to “get high”. And look at what is really killing americans that the govt should be more worried about, for example, obesity, cigarettes, suicide. 1 in 3 americans is obese, how sad is that… So my response to this pathetic “article” is : hahahaha fu**in bulls**t!! Legalize it!
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
i would just like to say i smoke at least 2 8balls a day which is around 8 jiggaz, my drivin has nevva been betta dryv evrywhere hak it inside and out jus a part of my lyf it teks all the stress away and be honest when someone is under the influence of weed when do they think about violence or something like that all u wana do is chill, so stop chattin this and go and buy an 8ball.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
My husband has been smoking weed for about 4+ years now and he has no health issues and dont be paranoid because he has nothing to be paranoid about. I even started 2 years ago and the only issue I had as a female was not being able to cure bacteria inside my stomach. I had to stop for about 3 months but that is the longest I stopped, o and when I was pregnant but even then I still smoked at least 3 times while being 4 and 5 months….I have a very healthy baby. God did put it on this Earth for us and for the government to rule it out is wrong. Maybe they are smoking too and dont want the people to go deep down inside themselves and meditate to get to know who they really are! People have to think…why are you here and who are you….and what better way to get your questions asked…weed, relaxaton, meditation, calmness, quietness and getting to know you is very important in God eyes. So to all who say weed is wrong…YOU SMOKE IT TO TEST IT FOR YOURSELF. ITS A MIND THING AND ONLY YOU GET YOURSELF PARANOID. YOU SMOKE IT DONT LET WEED SMOKE YOU, LEARN TO CONTROL YOU FOR HEAVEN SAKES!
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
done in moderation marijuana is safer than alcohol
January 26th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Why does every single pot smoker I know get offended when weed is bad-mouthed? Just like Chris Tucker saying “It’s not the heroin,” on Dead Presidents. Well, let the science tell the story because I wouldn’t trust these dumbass potheads to tell me the truth. No, because they just think it’s cool and want society to have something new and cool dude. I know this, a guy can go and have one beer and be alright, but that same guy cannot smoke any amount of pot and not feel more messed-up upstairs. Let the science tell the truth. The facts, that’s what I want. If the scientific evidence and “studies,” which are constatnly touted by potbrains, say it’s all good, fine, and if they say against it, fine too. Let there be facts.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
wow… i smoke everyday atleast 3 times a day
February 1st, 2009 at 12:25 am
ok, i know the answers. marijuana is not physically addicting. “john smith” is totally right. the only reason marijuana is not legalized, is why make it legal? does have many benefits? YES. does it have some donw sides? YES. people are going to do it anyway. right? haha there’s nothing wrong with doing it.
February 1st, 2009 at 4:45 am
smoke weed every day! not a quarter ounce tho, i usually just smoke 2-3 grams
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Pot will enhance the true person in you. It will make you lazier or more production. IT is addictive and will effect your Mood and Focus on life. It can be use in moderation by some but for others it is not good. Your better off not doing it. It’s fun at times but life gets very complicated the older you get. People get obsessed over substances because they have never found their true happiness in life….their Passions. Pot will interfere with all that is important in life ..like family, relationships and Career. Also, most important it’s illegal! I no that doesnt stop anymore but when you get a felon…good luck trying to get a job. You will not be able to support yerself like a normal person should. Life is hard dont get messed-up over something so freaking small. I have smoked, grown and specialized in the plant since i was 14, now 40 I realize I spent too much time around it and feel that It changed and effected alot of things in my life. I was very protective of this for a long -time and would basically tell girlfriends and people to f-off because of the bad attitude I developed. I think differently now I realize it’s not good to smoke every day. I the beginning I thought about it maybe 25-30 times aday but the good news is after not smoking for about two-three weeks, You stop thinking about it and start thinking normal. I do crave it and for me it was a comfort zone. It made me happy to have that option in my life. But, I now try to focus on more important things that my stupid addictions. Remember all addictions will eventually destroy you. So, if your young and smoking remember your playing with fire and your time will come.Hopefully you will clean your act up because it will get you in trouble. So, if you going to obsess over something…please make it something good to help you out in life and not f it up.
Peace
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 am
Man made beer, god made marijuana plants, in god I trust. Who do you trust? Obama rulz and i rock for Jesus
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm
You can’t be serious. this is the biggest bullshit i
ve seen since reefer madness. Yeah, i’ll admit that smoking the ganja will affect your lungs…..if you choke!! but i’ve been a recreational marijuana smoker for 3 years and i’ve never felt better. So SHOVE IT!(and toke it).
February 8th, 2009 at 3:46 am
samantha Says:
I think the goverment should ligelize marijuana like cigretts and sell them like cigretts. thats my opion.
You better get off the weed, Samantha! You almost spelled half of the words in your post correctly.
February 9th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Many people say weed is not addicting but my boyfriend is dealing with pot addiction, he cant stop and its tearing us apart, as much as he loves me, it hurts me so much and he cant stop…
February 9th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
& he is using all of his money on this stuff & im sick of it he & i need that money for more important things
February 20th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
i think cigarettes and marijuana should be banned or both can be legalized i jus think they should have same legal treatment because they are both equally has harmful
February 20th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
this is to john smith. i smoke just as much as you do, and ive been doing it a lot longer. weed is physically addicting. you should try sleepin and eating without it jonny boy because i cant, so stop trying to sound smart cause youre not.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Drugs are bad…okay
March 4th, 2009 at 12:52 am
What the government is saying about this plant is all BULL S&!#.. its the one and only plant that can save the entire planet!!! wake up people, and do some research!!!
March 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
My boyfriend has been smokiing weed, but lies to me about it all the time. I hate it, and I don’t know what to do.
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:47 am
Wow… You guys really know nothing about smoking pot. Smoking pot is as physically addictive as watching T.V. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigerettes are actually addictive and bad for you. If you find pot addictive you have other problems. And Jake you are an idiot. You only say it’s addictive because you’ve either: 1. never smoked weed and you just want to sound cool. or 2. you are mentally unstable and you blaim pot for all your problems (you are too scared to face them and pot is your scapegoat).
March 25th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
weed is nothing to be ashamed of, if you smoke alright, if you dont, DONT SMOKE IT. just let he ones who do, do its none of your buisness about what someone else does. same goes for the govemnrent, if people want to smoke weed let them, if its not harming you, leave them alone. it just that simple
March 26th, 2009 at 3:10 am
i think the goverment should legaalized weed it would solve alot of problems in the u.s.a and mexico and i think stuckup people should smoke some weed they will lighten up a bit but that just me homie later.
March 26th, 2009 at 3:14 am
i smoke weed sents i was 12 some times i forget stuff but i think eveybody forget things.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:17 am
my dad smokes it my brother smokes it, my cousin smokes it, my brother’s dad smokes it. it’s F#@$ing ridiculous. my dad’s tired all the time, he is coughing all the time, and he smells like pot f#@$ing 24/7. and i can hardly be near my brother’s room without having a coughing fit, and he has like 3 bowls under his bed. I want to tell them all to stop, but who the f#@$ is going to listen to me? I live in a Family of damn stoners! So F#@$ anyone who is like “oh it’s all natural, its gonna save the world, oh legalize it. what a steaming pile of bull S&!#. my life is terrible because of pot, so all you marijuana supporters can blow it out your @$$. you should listen to someone besides a stoner!!
April 10th, 2009 at 2:19 am
I have been smoking weed every day, many times a day, for over 2 years. I am about to graduate from a University of Maryland with a degree in Child Psychology, and have been accepted to Grad School as well. I have all A’s and B’s and have a wonderful, long term relationship with my boyfriend. Weed doesn’t cause problems. People cause problems; and those stupid people blame it on weed to get out of their situations and somehow screw us innocent people over. The only reason its not legalized is because the government makes more money (and wastes it) on drug prevention and busting people opposed to trying to legalize and sell it (since people would just grow it). It’s all a hoax and I’m personally sick of it. Anyone else?!
April 16th, 2009 at 2:59 am
To JAKE :
actually weed is NOT physically addicting, its mentally and emotional addicting. So Jake is the smart one, your obviously need to do some researh. Still dont believe me? Well im a nurse.
April 27th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Marijuana will not harm you, it only harms people who abuse it, in other words, it was put here for medicinal purposes, not for recreational use.
But…..
I still use it from time to time, something to relax my nerves and calm my senses.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Jake, I smoked every day for a couple of monthes, and decided to take a break about two weeks ago, cold turkey. I eat 5-6 times a day, and I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.
If you have troubles falling asleep when you aren’t smoking, here’s a crazy idea - stay awake and do something productive untill you’re tired!
Here’s another one - if you can’t eat, then don’t eat! Or go excersize, it will make you hungry.
And the last one - stop blaming a plant for your problems!
You, and the ones like you, are the reason a responsible adult like myself can’t enjoy an ocassional dose of cannabis without being treated like a criminal.
May 15th, 2009 at 4:43 am
i agree with krista shes right i was very dissappointed when i found out my mom smoked weed for a while but quit shes a drug addict if you smoke weed plz stop do it for the better and do good in life i know its hard to quit but prat to god and ask him for help!
May 15th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Everything on here is propaganda not one statement on here is factual and I find it riduculous that ppl still put out this kinda misinformation where are the facts show me links to actual scientific data making these statements.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
The people on this site have mental issues. weed is not phisically addictive and only effects you when you are high/stoned. the only reason it is illegal is because of false racist facts. look up on google the argument that was made to pass the prohibition of weed. it is just propaganda.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
My ex smokes weed and he was always mad, paranoic, and acussing me of looking at other guys which wasnt true. I still love him and he was the one that end up cheating on me. He used to smoke like 2-4 blunts a day. He started at the age of 13 and it affect him alot. I dont even smoke so it was sad for me to see the men I love do this to himself. Ohh he never like to take tylenol because he tought that can damage his liver funny right. He is 27 living with his parents and doesnt even have a good job. He used to get mad at me whenever I told him not to smoke that much. Also in some ocassions he was very violent and agressive at me. The first 2 months that we were together he stop smoking or thats what he told me, but he was complaining of headaches. So he asked me if he could at least smoke a little bit every day. Now I regret that because since the moment he started smoking again our relationship change. I blame myself because I couldnt help him and now we are not together anymore. He end up cheating on me with a drug dealer daddys little girl .Now he is very happy he can have lots of weed for the rest of his life. (sorry I know my spelling sucks but im from mexico)
June 9th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
You people are pathetic Im a smoker and I graduated from high school and im a trade school graduate.Theres no such thing as people smoking weed to be cool.Thats like jumping off a bridge and saying you’re a stuntman…..idiots!
June 18th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Reading all of these responses makes me think that those who DO smoke weed obviously do not know how to spell or use grammar. Therefore, weed does have some sort of horrid affect on your brain. Open a book instead of smoking. Seriously.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Krista, you are awesome. I agree with you completely.
Ok so you may not want to listen to me because I’m a Mother, but do the research and I don’t mean research what the “pot heads” say. Did you know Marijuana has 4 times the tar in it as cigarettes? Did you know it suppresses your immune system? Pot is also known to contribute to mental disorders, cause hallucinations, etc. Stop and take a look at the people around you. Look at the adults that are pot smokers and those who are not. Marijuana may be safer than other drugs, but that doesn’t mean it is safe. It leads to more things, worse things. It causes a chain reaction. I have seen how the use of it has harmed my family many times over.
People want to say “oh they lie”. Why would they lie? What would be the benefit? These are intelligent, well educated people, who have researched the use of marijuana. Don’t make excuses because you want to get stoned. If that’s really what you want out of life, go for it. Go ahead and stay stoned out of your mind. Don’t contribute anything to this society. Be worthless. Waste your time and money on pot . Go ahead, while your at it, and do some crack . get you some coke, some crystal, whatever else you can get your hands on. Then you can be relaxed and have no worries at all. You can walk around empty headed and drooling because you have killed most of your brain cells and fried the rest of them.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I think legalizing weed would help our economy by boosting our cash crop.
As for if it is bad for you, I’ve been smoking for 4 years now. I don’t have any health problems, and I have the ability to learn.
I mean everyone does react differently, but I think the ones reacting negatively are just afraid to be different and originally look at weed in a negative way. I mean look at Amsterdam, when do you see them getting into wars, fighting each other. I mean there was an incident a couple of months ago where someone tried to run down the Royal family, But look it, that comnpared to all the violence and racism and robberies in our country is nothing. I think they should legalize and keep the sissies away cause they’ll just ruin it again.
And to Krista, “In my expierence” Your just a sissy. You probably never smoked a day in your life, bible girl.
If any of you watched the documentary “grass” you would all realize that smoking marijuana in the U.S. was only made illegal because someone decided to be racist. Rent it, they have it at blockbuster. Especially you, Krista.
As for if god put it here or not? So what?…. And if it’s against the laws of god to smoke it? …listen, everyone commits sins everyday, I don’t care what. They do. It’s natural and it’s in us, We have free will, a sin will pop up every now and again. Get over it.