MARIJUANA

BY: SHUBHAM CHAUDHARY

Marijuana is a green, brown, or grey mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant, or Cannabis Sativa.

INTRODUCTION

Marijuana contains THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, and is the main Intoxicant that causes a person to “Get High”.

Marijuana is also known as pot, herb, grass, weed, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, reefer, blunt.

Marijuana is actually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently it has appears in cigars, called blunts, or spliffs.

Health Pros Relieves nausea and vomiting Relieves spasticity of the muscles Helps treat appetite loss associated with HIV/AIDS and certain

types of cancers. Relieves pain Safe, safer in fact than most other prescribed medications to

treat the same symptoms. Smoking marijuana alone does not increase the risk of lung

diseases. Has been used for centuries as a medicinal agent with good

effect.

Health Cons Frequent use can impair your cognitive abilityCan damage your lung tissue

Carries a risk of abuse and addictionSmoked marijuana contains cancer-causing compounds

Short Term Effects

Low Dosage:Euphoria, heighten of subjective sensory experiences, hallucinations, fantasies, paranoia, laid-back attitude

Moderate dosage:Dryness of the mouth, reddening of the eyes, impaired motor skills and memory function, lapse of attention, frequent hunger attacks “munchies”, and feelings of depersonalization

Long term effects

Bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma, soar throats, coughs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, increased heart rate, increased risk to lungs, short term memory, glaucoma, suppresses immune system.

reproductive system (decrease in testosterone, decreased sperm count, abnormality of sperm, impaired fetal growth and development), physical dependency, leads to subsequent use of cocaine and heroine.

At John Hopkins Univ. (1990) receptor sites in the brain that were specifically reactive to the THC in marijuana were discovered.

1992 – NIDA announced the discovery of ANANDAMIDE (Sanskrit word for “bliss”), the natural neurotransmitter that first into the receptor sites.

Receptors for anandamide found in several regions of the brain, but not that much in the brainstem (as compared to receptors for opioids and cocaine).

Like other psychoactive drugs, THC activates neurons because its chemical structure mimics the natural neurotransmitters – can directly and indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine.

MECHANISM OF ACTION

Effects on the Brain

Brain regions in which cannabinoid receptors are abundant

Brain Region• Cerebellum • Hippocampus• Cerebral cortex• Nucleus accumbens • Basal ganglia• Hypothalamus

• Central gray• Amygdala• Spinal Cord

Functions Associated with Region• Body movement coordination• Learning and memory• Higher cognitive functions• Reward• Movement control• Body “housekeeping” • Analgesia

• Emotional response, Fear• Peripheral Sensation, Pain

Interesting FactsMarijuana has been proven to be safer than Alcohol and Tobacco.Consuming large amounts of Marijuana will not cause death as

with Alcohol.Withdrawl from Alcohol can also cause death, but withdrawl from

Marijuana will not.Alcohol has been linked to birth defects when used by pregnant,

but no such affects have been proven to occur when using pot.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, marijuana is

one of the safest therapeutically active “foods”in its natural form to man.

Therapeutic Facts Cancer: works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts & brain

considerably.

Seizures: Marijuana is a muscle relaxant & has “antispasmodic” qualities which have proven to be a very effective treatment of seizures.

Migraines: have been able to treat more than 300,000 cases of migraines that conventional medicine couldn’t through marijuana.

Glaucoma: there is not a single valid study that exists that disaproves marijuana’s very powerful & popular effects on glaucoma patients.

ADD & ADHD: alternative for Ritalin & treats the disorder without any of the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical.

IBS & Crohn’s: helps with symptoms of the chronic diseases as it stops nausea, abdominal pain & diarrhea.

Alzhiemer’s: blocks the deposits in the brain that cause this diseasePremenstual Syndrome: used to treat cramps & discomfort

Multiple Sclerosis: it works to stop the neurological effects & muscle spasms that come from the fatal disease

Tourette’s & OCD: the effects slow down the tics in those suffering from Tourette’s and the obsessive neurological symptoms in people with OCD

Hemp could be a stronger, better, and cheaper replacement for cotton and timber, saving our forests and putting more farmers to work.

THINK ABOUT IT….

THANK YOU