The effects of marijuana on the body, EPQ

As well as having mental side effects, the use of marijuana can also damage your body severely and take a toll on your physical well being. Some physical effects are obvious to the eye yet seem unharming ; such as the fact that 'smoking marijuana will stain your teeth' [9] Whereas some physical effects go unseen yet can do so much damage. An example of this is the effect that smoking marijuana has on the lungs. One effect is that marijuana is an irritant to the throat and lungs and causes 'large airway inflammation, increased airway resistance, and lung hyperinflation' [6] This means that you are more likely to not be able breathe better than a healthy non-smoker. Smoking marijuana also how been found to 'increase daily cough, phlegm production and more frequent chest infections.' [10] An example of a chest infection caused is chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is an infection that causes 'a daily productive cough that lasts for three months of the yea...

Marijuana causes many mental effects both being short-term and long-term due to the exposure of the chemical compounds present in the substance. THC, cannabinol are the psychoactive compounds found , meaning they change the way the brain functions and effects peoples moods and perception. CBD is the other main compound in marijuana but this is not psychoactive so has very little mental effect. 'The experience of feeling high occurs when THC enters the blood stream and the THC binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain' [5] . This causes the cell to be affected and flood dopamine into the synapses causing a good feeling 'being high'. Dopamine is a natural chemical released by neurons as a 'reward' on the brain (a natural stimuli). [6]   When THC binds to the cannabinoids on neurons it disrupts the nervous system, causing many multiple mental and physical effects. When smoking marijuana these are the short term effects that mentally effect the body [7] : ...

Cannabis is known for being a Class B drug that is discouraged in society. However cannabis is also known for being a drug in the medical world due to its compounds its made out of, and the medical properties they have. It is very clear in the BNF book that cannabis is illegal and cannot be prescribed by doctors as has no medicinal use. But in fact it is cannabis extract that is legal and licensed to be medicinal. The two cannabinoids (compounds in marijuana ) that have medical properties are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).Sativex is a prescribed drug, legal in the UK that 'contains both Dronabinol (THC) and CBD' [1] . It states that the indications( the symptoms that indicate the medical treatment is necessary) is "adjunct in moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis." Meaning it is an add-on therapy. [2] After reading this I've gone on to read about multiple sclerosis. I found out that there are two types of spasms found in Multi...