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How does smoking marijuana affect your health?
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How does cannabis affect your body?
Marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States, with an estimated 48.2 million people using it in 2019. 2 Marijuana use may have a wide range of health effects on the body and brain.
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Mar 1, 2024 · Smoking weed likewise can lead to chronic bronchitis and other respiratory ailments (although, unlike tobacco, it hasn't been definitively tied to lung cancer). And cannabis plants...
- Jesse Greenspan
- Overview
- Respiratory system
- Circulatory system
- Central nervous system
- Digestive system
- Immune system
People report various physical and psychological effects from cannibas. This may include impacts to your immune system, eyes, circulation, breathing, memory, and judgement.
The flower of the cannabis plant is used for its recreational or medicinal purposes. The stalk or stem of the cannabis plant is used for industrial purposes (e.g., hemp fiber). The seed of the cannabis plant is used for food and household purposes (e.g., hemp seed or hemp oil).
Cannabis is also known as pot, weed, and dozens of other names.
While many people smoke or vape it, you can also use cannabis as an ingredient in food, beverages, tinctures, or topicals.
Different methods of ingesting cannabis may affect your body differently. When you inhale cannabis smoke into your lungs, the compounds immediately enter your bloodstream and quickly make their way to your brain and other organs. The effects may onset within seconds to minutes.
When you eat or drink cannabis-containing products, the compounds need to first pass through your digestive system and liver before reaching your bloodstream. The effects may onset within minutes to hours.
Much like tobacco smoke, cannabis smoke is made up of a variety of toxic chemicals, including ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, which can irritate your bronchial passages and lungs.
If you’re a regular smoker, you’re more likely to wheeze, cough, and produce phlegm. You’re also at an increased risk of bronchitis and lung infections. Cannabis may aggravate existing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis.
Cannabis and COPD: Is there a link?
Cannabis smoke contains carcinogens, which could theoretically increase your risk of lung cancer.
THC moves from your lungs into your bloodstream and throughout your body. Within minutes, your heart rate may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute. That rapid heart rate can continue for up to 3 hours.
This places extra oxygen demand on your heart. If you have heart disease, this could raise your risk for a heart attack.
One of the telltale signs of recent cannabis use is bloodshot eyes. The eyes look red because cannabis causes blood vessels to expand and fill with more blood.
THC can also lower pressure in the eyes, which can ease symptoms of glaucoma for a few hours. More research is needed to understand whether THC can offer long-term benefits for glaucoma.
The effects of cannabis extend throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Cannabis is thought to ease pain and inflammation and help control spasms and seizures. Still, there are potential long-term negative effects on the CNS to consider.
THC triggers your brain to release large amounts of dopamine, a naturally occurring “feel good” chemical. It’s what gives you a pleasant high. It may heighten your sensory perception and your perception of time.
This dopamine cycle may also explain why as many as 30 percent of cannabis users develop cannabis use disorder. Severe cannabis use disorder, or addiction, may be relatively uncommon, but it can occur.
Symptoms of cannabis withdrawal may include:
•irritability
•insomnia
Smoking cannabis can cause some stinging or burning in your mouth and throat while you’re inhaling.
Cannabis can cause digestive issues when taken orally. While THC has been shown to ease nausea and vomiting, in some people long-term heavy use can paradoxically cause nausea and vomiting.
An increase in your appetite is common when taking any form of THC, leading to what many people call “the munchies.”
This can be a benefit for people who need to gain weight or increase appetite, such as people with cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Studies involving animals have shown that THC may adversely affect the immune system by suppressing it.
This could theoretically make you more susceptible to infectious diseases. However, for people with autoimmune conditions who have an overactive immune system, this may be a benefit.
Further research, and research in humans, is needed to fully understand the effects.
Keep reading: What is medical cannabis?
- Ann Pietrangelo
Jan 12, 2024 · Marijuana has mind-altering compounds that affect both your brain and body. It can be addictive, and it may harm some people’s health. Here’s what can happen when you use marijuana: You Can...
Dec 24, 2019 · What are the other health effects of marijuana? Marijuana use may have a wide range of effects, both physical and mental. Physical Effects. Breathing problems. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, and people who smoke marijuana frequently can have the same breathing problems as those who smoke tobacco.
Aug 10, 2023 · Smoking marijuana can affect your memory and cognitive function and cause harmful cardiovascular effects, such as high blood pressure. Long-term marijuana use can worsen respiratory conditions. Marijuana has a central nervous system (CNS) depressant effect.
Feb 27, 2023 · Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that contains close to 500 chemicals, including THC, a mind-altering compound that causes harmful health effects. People smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes, in pipes or water pipes, in blunts, and by using vaporizers that pull THC from the marijuana.
