Essay Example on The Effects of Cannabis in Human

The effects of cannabis can be felt in different ways and it depends on the amount taken Cannabis could affect driving perception and mood It also affects important systems of the body like the respiratory and reproductive system The effects of cannabis are known to increase with the combination of other drugs Cannabis is a widely used illicit drug that has both long and short term effects on the human body and the brain Cannabis can be found in the dried flowering tops leaves stems and seeds of the Cannabis sativa The chemical called delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol THC is known to be associated with the way the brain and body respond to cannabis FNP K 2017 Effects on Respiration Regular cannabis smoking can lead to respiratory problems for users that can range from minor irritations and discomfort to serious health threats Although users will experience the effect from the most serious conditions there are common respiratory ailments that affect a large number of users with some symptoms affecting 40 of the user population Moore Augustson Moser Budney 2005 The most self reported respiratory problems include coughing on most days wheezing shortness of breath after exercise nocturnal chest tightness chest sounds without a cold early morning phlegm and mucus and acute and chronic bronchitis Moore et al 2005 Taylor Poulton Moffit Ramankutty and Sears 2000 Effects on Driving The THC in cannabis can impair your ability to drive safely and operate equipment It is also known to increase the risk of falls and major accidents that has been recorded on roads 

Hall W Degenhardt L 2010 Another system that cannabis affects is the reproductive system it greatly depends on how often the cannabis is used and how strong the dosage is Birthweight decreases because of the amount of carbon monoxide developed in the fetus and some abnormalities occur with the developmental process of the child Heavy use during pregnancy could also affect the child s ability to reason and pay attention Karschner et al 2016 Long Term Effect of Cannabis Use of cannabis has many long term effects This includes anxiety insomnia appetite disturbance depression loss of attention and ability to process a great amount of information After weeks or months of use the effects could still be felt even when there is no intoxication Ashton C H 2011 A dependence and addiction to cannabis may occur after regular use just to gain a pleasure from being high This occurs especially in adolescent users who are at a crucial brain developmental stage but are motivated to take more doses than needed to maintain a certain effect There could be a great risk of having psychiatric disorders Those who had used cannabis ten or more times by 18 years of age were 2 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than those who had not Hall W Degenhardt L 2010 Despite some contentious discussions regarding the addictiveness of marijuana the evidence clearly indicates that long term marijuana use can have adverse effects on the body and approximately 9 of those who experiment with marijuana will become addicted In conclusion the effect of cannabis depends on the amount taken the age of the person taking it and the concentration of cannabis that is ingested leading to short term or long term effect on the body Karschner et al 2016