Instead, we have cannabinoid receptors because the human body creates its own version of cannabis compounds called endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are like the body’s own tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the primary psychoactive in the cannabis plant.
I find it interesting that we know about the cannabinoid receptors, but not the endocannabinoids
Marijuana has never reportedly caused an overdose death, but that doesn't mean it's harmless.
From what I have seen it technically can't cause death, but it can cause things like hallucinations and more.
some people use alcohol to self-medicate through tough periods in their lives.
leading to alcoholism, some people also self medicate with marijuana
Alcohol, tobacco, and prescription painkillers are likely deadlier than other drugs because they are legal, so comparing their aggregate effects to illegal drugs is difficult
If marijuana was legal would there be more problems?
A 2010 study published in The Lancet, led by drug expert David Nutt, evaluated the use of 20 drugs in the UK, putting alcohol at the top of its harms rankings and hallucinogens at the bottom. Here at Vox, I've pointed out that alcohol is one of the three deadliest drugs in America.
So why don't we take more precaution on alcohol?
Even if the federal classifications included alcohol and tobacco, both would likely fall in the same category as marijuana — schedule 1
I find it interesting that tobacco and alcohol aren't part of this.
The federal government's scheduling system evaluates drugs by medical value, first, and abuse potential
Tells which drugs are worse for you
even moderate drinking is positively associated with increased incidences of various types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, stomach, liver, esophagus, and pancreas.
Drinking can affect your body a lot more than I thought it could.
35,000 deaths per year
Technically marijuana can't kill you, but this is how many deaths there are per year from the use of alcohol
The word intoxicant is derived from the Latin noun, toxicum, meaning: "a poison." It's an appropriate description for booze.
Alcohol is basically poisoning your body
tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user."
The difference between the costs is much higher than I though they would be.
Most recently, a just-published study [researched] nearly 2,000 young Australian adults "for eight years and found that marijuana has little long-term effect on learning and memory—and any cognitive damage that does occur as a result of cannabis use is reversible."...
I didn't think this was reversible. I am not sure if this is accurate. Based on the other information I have read, it contradicts what other people have said.
"In terms of [health-related] costs per user: tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user." Why the dramatic discrepancy? Quite literally, alcohol is an intoxicant; cannabis is not.
I knew cannabis wasn't as bad for you as alcohol, however I din't know of the gap in money you pay for each. Alcohol is toxic to cells and organs and cause many deaths over the years.
As cannabis consumers become more experienced, they become more tolerant to some of the drug's physical effects. Users also learn to better self-regulate (or "titrate") their dosage to avoid any dysphoric symptoms such as paranoia. As a result, most experienced marijuana consumers describe the cannabis high as a pleasant experience that helps them to relax, socialize or unwind.
I think that it it interesting that as people use it they become more tolerant to the drug, and they can almost control the kind of experience they are going to have when they use it.
Of the dozens of cannabinoids in marijuana, only one—THC—is significantly psychoactive. Most active chemicals in the plant possess therapeutic properties but do not induce euphoria.
I didn't know there were different cannabinoids in marijuana and that THC was psychoactive
In 2008, archeologists in Central Asia discovered over two pounds of cannabis in the 2,700-year-old grave of an ancient shaman.
I never knew that in the past people were using cannabis. The difference is that now the drugs we use are a lot stronger, and can be different than the plant they got it form back then.
Marijuana is not only a popular drug; it is an evolving one. The National Institute on Drug Abuse warns that the potency of marijuana has been on the rise for the last few decades. The increased potency mainly stems from the ability of marijuana cultivators to continually create new, more powerful strains.
potency changes effect
more potent marijuana is more dangerous
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.1 Its use is widespread among young people. In 2015, more than 11 million young adults ages 18 to 25 used marijuana in the past year
If people knew how badly it hurt young adults I don't think as many people would be using it, but they aren't educated on what it does to your IQ levels.
The ability to draw definitive conclusions about marijuana’s long-term impact on the human brain from past studies is often limited by the fact that study participants use multiple substances, and there is often limited data about the participants’ health or mental functioning prior to the study.
Hard to draw conclusions due to participants using other substances, not knowing what their mental state is, not being able to do the study for a really long time, and more. This makes it hard to truly figure out the result marijuana has on everyone's brains. People's genetics can also change how they test or manage marijuana use.
These results suggest that marijuana has its strongest long-term impact on young people whose brains are still busy building new connections and maturing in other ways.
I thought marijuana would always effect your brain, but the reason why people were very concerned about it with young adults was just because their IQ scores actually go down, and never recover.
frequent use starting in adolescence was associated with a loss of an average of 6 or up to 8 IQ points measured in mid-adulthood
Depending on how much you use marijuana and what age you were when you used it, it can severely effect your brain. Sometimes I feel as if it would be hard to test the IQ because people aren't using IQ tests that often.
Other studies have not found significant structural differences between the brains of people who do and do not use the drug
Different studies have found very different results on whether or not marijuana negatively effects humans. It is hard to come to a conclusion when we don't know if it is correct or not.
Rats exposed to THC before birth, soon after birth, or during adolescence show notable problems with specific learning and memory tasks later in life
Exposed rats to THC and found that it did effect them which is worrisome.