Long-Term Effects of Marijuana on the Brain – 8 Ways Weed Changes Your Brain
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The effects of marijuana on the brain are varied. Marijuana doesn’t make a habit of killing brain cells as effectively as alcohol, or harder drugs like cocaine or ecstasy. However, when smoked often and for long periods, marijuana can and will have a serious long-term effect on the brain and the way it functions.
In the past, marijuana has been known as a relatively harmless drug, with very few cases of extreme symptoms, such as psychosis. But with the potency of marijuana on the rise in recent times, this once harmless plant has progressed into a habit-forming drug, with many long-term effects on the brain now being reported.
These symptoms of marijuana on the brain can take longer to wear off than people often think. Although the drug’s short-term effects last a relatively short period of time, the overall effect marijuana has on the mind can last months, years, or even a lifetime.
Short-Term Effects of Marijuana
We all know about the short-term effects of weed, it’s the reason people smoke the drug in the first place. THC (the active agent that gets you high) preys on certain nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for things such as pleasure, focus, time perception, balance and short-term memory.
Smoking weed interferes with these, and will cause the user things like:
- Dizziness
- Impaired short-term memory
- Increased metabolism (the munchies)
- Impaired time perception
- In large doses, hallucinations
These are the short-term effects, and the peak of this ‘high’ will wear off reasonably quickly. However, if a user was to smoke marijuana often enough, their body would retain many toxins and it’s possible that user would never fully recover from the effects of marijuana between ‘smoking sessions.’
If this is the case, the long-term effects of marijuana on the brain are more likely to occur, and it’s possible that a user may never recover from some of the results marijuana has on the brain, even once they quit smoking weed altogether.
8 Long-Term Effects Of Marijuana On Your Brain:
- Impaired Short-Term Memory
- Impaired Long-Term Memory
- Decreased Speech Ability
- Increased Anxiety
- Depression Tendencies
- Psychosis Tendencies
- Loss of Co-ordination
- Loss of Balance
These are typical long-term effects of marijuana on the brain, symptoms that a heavy user of marijuana could go through. In the past, these symptoms were not typical of most people who quit weed and were only present in extreme cases.
However, these days with the potency of marijuana on the rise, weed has become a harder drug and this is something many people overlook. By smoking too much, they run the risk of developing serious long-term effects on their brain and future development.
