Is marijuana good or bad?

This is just what this article is all about!

The topic of Marijuana is a very debatable topic because there are a lot of people with different opinions.

Most of these people belong to two different schools of thought.

The first set of people believe that Marijuana is totally harmful to the human health.

This cannot be the truth.

If it is, then why do medical practitioners use Marijuana to treat certain diseases?

The second set of people believe marijuana cannot cause the body any harm, hence everyone should use it, to achieve perfect health.

These set believe that the government in restricting the use of Marijuana hinder people from its amazing benefits.

Do you see why this article is very important?

It is important because we will address all of these extremes and find a way to balance both opinions.

The objective of this article is to ascertain the danger or good in Marijuana.

We will also talk about its benefits and dangers, limits, appropriate boundaries and some rules to consider.

So, let’s get to it!

(Now, it is important to mention that I am neither pro-weed nor anti-weed.

Everything that will be said in this article, is backed by cutting-edge science, reliable research, and medical studies.

However, I will review this article periodically to ensure that it remains updated and relevant with the passing of time).

Various Names Of Marijuana

There are so many names people call Marijuana.

Weed, crack, cannabis, ganja, etc.

These names number over 1,200.

Cannabis is used for both medical and recreational purposes and can also be mind-altering.

It is also used for spiritual purposes by Rastafarians who use it as a sacrament and for meditation.

The fact that it is psychoactive means that it is capable of controlling the mind and emotions of a person.

How Cannabis Can Be Consumed

There are many ways to consume cannabis.

Some smoke it, put it in their food (cookies, cooked food), or brew it or take it as tea.

While others extract it, make it into capsules or even put it in their toothpaste and use to brush their teeth.

Cannabis contains over 500 compounds, which includes a lot of cannabinoids that can be used to treat various diseases or  improve symptoms.

The major psychoactive compound in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Though, a lot people take cannabis in different parts of the world, countries like Nigeria, Zambia, Canada and the United States had the highest users of cannabis in 2018.

Now let’s take a look at the major areas of concern when it comes to the use of Marijuana.

Major Concerns To The Use Of Marijuana.

1. Does the intake of weed cause lung cancer like tobacco cigarette?

Read carefully so you can have a good understanding of what we are talking about as this concern is very complicated and important too.

Truth is, unlike what the smokers of cannabis say, the smoke from cannabis is not harmless because it doesn’t “burn clean”.

Tobacco and Cannabis both emanate some toxic substances when burned or smoked.

Albeit, the amount of these toxic substances is drastically reduced, when consumed in other forms.

The major difference between tobacco and Marijuana is that the nicotine in tobacco causes cancer growth while  compounds in cannabis are anti-cancer.

Tobacco contains nicotine that cause cancer, while Marijuana becomes carcinogenic when burnt or smoked.

That increases the risk of developing cancer with heavy use.

2. Does Marijuana cause mental disease?

This is a concern that is widely argued till date.

A few research show that taking cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia.

This is a bit tricky because the association between the consumption of cannabis and schizophrenia is still unclear.

People basically want to know if the use of cannabis directly causes the risk of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Or ascertain, if people at risk of schizophrenia have the likelihood of trying out cannabis.

Another concern is, does the use of cannabis speed up the psychiatric problems in schizophrenic people?

3. Is Weed Addictive?

The term addiction is not clear and is a bit confusing.

Different things like Tramadol, sports, movies, gambling, cocaine, sugar, video games, alcohol and a host of other actions, could also be addictive.

All of these “addictions” are not the same and some aren’t harmful addictions.

In general, studies have shown that weed is addictive for only 9% of its total users.

The other 91% do not show any signs of addiction so this means that it is less addictive than cocaine, alcohol, sugar and tobacco!

Studies presume that some users of cannabis experience withdrawal symptoms.

Science however admits that it is almost impossible to take a weed overdose or consume lethal doses.

This is because the THC, the psychoactive substance contained in cannabis, has a very low level of toxicity.

4. Does Weed Have Psychological Effects?

The answer to this is “yes”.

Weed does have psychological effects, but not in every one who consumes it.

For some, it may cause anxiety and panic within minutes of consumption.

It also impairs the attention and memory of a person who has been consuming it for a while.

Logically, this might be the reason why there is an increased risk of abnormal behavior and accidents after taking weed.

5. Marijuana Induced Intoxication.

Cannabis, for some, could cause bad effects within a few minutes to hours of taking it.

This influence can affect mental processing, organizing, and collecting of rational thoughts.

However, these effects do not happen to everyone.

6. Is Marijuana A Gateway Drug That Leads To The Use Of Other Drugs?

This is one concern that I really do not have much to say about.

However, this may be from the fact that Marijuana is mostly illegal and, most times, gotten illegally.

Illegal sources of getting cannabis can have other illegal drugs, which may be recommended to the average marijuana consumer.

If marijuana were legal, would it still lead to the use of other illegal drugs?

Think about that!

7. Is cannabis Safe In Pregnancy Or Dangerous To The Unborn Child?

Taking cannabis during pregnancy should be avoided as we are yet to understand all about this plant.

Scientifically, the use of weed during pregnancy is not linked to pregnancy complications.

Some complications in pregnancy include, low birth weight and early delivery.

To avoid issues, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should abstain from the use of cannabis.

7. Does It Increase Or Decrease The Intelligence Quotient (IQ)?

Lots of cannabis consumers say it makes them smarter and gives them inspiration while others report a reduction in their IQ.

Let’s put this theory against science and see how it stands.

Over time, studies on cognition and intelligence have been quite contradictory and inconclusive.

Because this involves factors like the amount of use, the period of use, the age of the consumer, and individual differences.

In acute situations, consumers of cannabis have reported impaired cognition and poor memory after use.

This effect is also largely reversible for most users of cannabis.

High school dropout rates is also associated with the use of cannabis

This gives rise to the question:

Is weed responsible for poor academic performance of some of its consumers?

8. How About Other Illnesses? Does The Use Of Cannabis Affect Physical Health In Any Other Way?

This is where my power ends as I can’t address individual diseases for now!

But in general, the results on this particular question have been inconsistent and inconclusive.

There has been a clear relationship between chronic cigarette smoking and respiratory problems.

This risk, however, is lower for cannabis smokers.

When relating the smoking of cannabis with heart disease, the outcome is quite unclear.

Conclusion On “Is Marijuana Is Good Or Bad”!

As you have clearly seen, there is no clear-cut answer to whether weed is good or bad.

Therefore, you cannot afford to stay on any of the two sides.

Most people respond to things differently and there is no accurate answers to any of the statements in this article.

However, from science, the moderate use of marijuana taken in ways that aren’t smoking or burning has more positives than negatives.

I hope that is clear.

Take charge of your health and happiness.