Effects of marijuana Social Sciences Term Paper Essay (Term Paper Sample)

Marijuana, also known as weed, is derived from Cannabis sativa. It contains compounds including THC which it alters the mind. Marijuana is frequently used illegally among youths. People obtain marijuana in pipes or hand-rolled cigarettes(Goode, 2017). Some people use vaporizers to pull active ingredients. The latest inventory is mixing of marijuana into food. These include edibles such as chocolates, cookies, candy or gravy.
Dangers of drug use
The use of marijuana comes with a variety of hazards. These are serious and must be considered.
* Substance use disorder. Just like any other drug, marijuana is addictive( Hasin et.al., 2015). Studies reveal that most people who used the drug in their teenage years will have developed an addiction. You can find that this drug is taken with accompaniments such as alcohol, cocaine or other drugs. Addiction is a rather desperate state as it leads to extreme measures to be considered. One can choose to engage in crimes to get money for purchasing the drugs. It poses a threat for the drug abusers. Substance abuse leads to another effect of the drug which upon accumulation cause deterioration in the health of the individual. Is it worth to endanger your life for drug abuse?
* Lung disease. The drug is mostly puffed; it means that the smoke from burning comes into contact with the respiration system. This makes users more susceptible to lung diseases than non- users. The smoke burns the surfaces for gaseous exchange and clogs areas therein causing lung diseases.
* Mental disorders. Many ‘pot' users who solely relied on the drug have had severe psychiatric conditions. The use of marijuana alters the mind( Lubman, Cheetham & Yùcel, 2015). It gives false reassurance, and that is the main reason why people who use marijuana are not allowed to drive. It is because the drug may have affected their brain and made them have unsure responses. It can cause accidents.
* Cardiovascular diseases.
Photo courtesy of NIDA
Use of the drug has adverse effects on the body and can cause heart attacks, strokes and heart diseases.
* Overdose. This mainly occurs among youths who are not aware of the knowledge of marijuana in edible foods. They tend to consume more as they want the feeling of being high(Berg et.al., 2015). They do not know that the drug will take its effect slowly rather than their fast expectations. Children have also been reported to be subject to this as they love food. Take an example of a weed cookie. If left in reach of the child, he or she will consume it. This will lead to adverse effects. A lot of medical cases reach the emergency section of hospitals due to the overuse of drugs.