Title: Effects of Marijuana Use On The Body
Headings: Effects of Marijuana Use On The Body
Effects of Marijuana Use On The Body
Content: Smoking marijuana deposits several times more THC into the blood than does eating or drinking the drug. A marijuana user may experience pleasant sensations, colors and sounds may appear to be more intense, and time seems to pass very slowly. The user's mouth feels dry, and he or she may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty. The hands may tremble and grow cold. The euphoria passes after awhile and then the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use produces anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic. Heavy marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events, or shift attention from one thing to another. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia - the parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination of movement, and reaction time. Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization (a loss of the sense of personal identity or self-recognition). Although the specific causes of these symptoms is still unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked.