let me know the deepest psychological consequences for being affected as a marijuana user?
449811
Mainly lack of motivation and lack of initiative.  Some users are exposed to harder drugs and to hard drug users and gravitate into this lifestyle.  Not everyone of course but it is a danger.\n\nI'm 46 years old and I've seen some very smart and decent people go absolutely nowhere in life because of excessive pot use.  They're still in the same little town with a couple of divorces and a dead end job.  I never saw it help anyone to advance in life, be it relationships, education or jobs.
380322
Any thing that interfere with your mind interfere with every thin you touch in your life. Please stop the use of marijuana or any drug you are using.
1054241
Well, I'll give you my whole story, if you care to listen. As a child, I never had any friends really, my home life was perfect but I was never really happy. At age 14, I realized that I was different from most kids, at the same time feeling the need to be accepted. There were several times when I was babysitting where my curiosity got the best of me and I brought home with me some controlled substances from the house I was keeping. Usually, it was simply a water bottle with some liquor I had taken, and once I actually found a massive pile of cannabis buds in a basement (I had been investigation and leaking sound). After several sessions of experimentation with Alcohol and Marijuana, I knew that I loved to get f*cked up. I still had no friends at this point, and therefore had no method of obtaining street drugs. I was a crafty kid though, and quickly taught myself how to extract codeine from over-the-counter pills, and learned that dextromethorophan cough syrup was a hallucinogenic-dissociative-anesthetic. At age 15, I began to meet people at my high school who were able to obtain tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana from illicit sources. \n\nAt this point, I was drinking occasionally on weekend, smoking cigarettes whenever I could get them (several daily to almost a pack each day, depending on availabilty) and smoking pot several times a day. I would usually smoke a joint before school began, in the woods right beside my high school, smoke at joint at lunch, and skip a class or two (or three, or four) and smoke a joint then, too. \n\nThen came methyphenidate hydrochloride, better known as Ritalin. A good friend of mine (also my pot dealer) had a large quantity in his house, so I often helped myself. Getting spun was a whole new level of getting wrecked. I did this on and off for about two years, while at the same time also induging in marijuana and alcohol at an increasing frequency. \n\nBy 17, I was smoking pot every day, several times a day, drinking between 4 and 7 days a week (to excess I might add). I had tried ecstacy several times, tried methamphetamine, and tried several pain killers and sleeping pills. There was only one thing left... the white devil, cocaine. \n\nCocaine is what has affected me the most... I have a collapsed nostril for god sakes. A year and a half of sniffing coke several times a week, in addition to all the Ritalin, Percocet, Valium, etc. that was going up my nostils, was eventually enough for the right side of my nose to basically.... let go. It's been almost two months since these nostils have inhaled the devils danfruff, but that is only one goal achieved.\n\nI currently am and alcoholic, drinking 6-7 days a week; I smoke pot every night (can't sleep wth out it... or barbituates). I can deal with my junk fiends (for opiates: Percocet, Morphine, OxyContin, etc.) somewhat, but I still at this point use junk for a week or two out of every month. Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (also known as Ecstacy) is another love affair of mine, using 4 or 5 times a month. \n\nThe main reason that I begain this lifestyle was probably my depression and lack of self confidence - self esteem. My need for acceptance. It has, however, over time, developed into part of who I am. Who I feel I deserve to be. \n\nIn regards to your last question, what could prevented the addiction, I have one answer for you... nothing. To tell you the truth, if anyone had tried to stop my downward spiral, I probably would have done worse, just to spite them.\n\nIf you have any further questions, I would love to be of assistance in answering them, and I invite you (and anyone reading this) to contact me at  <<bradley1287-suffocate@yahoo.ca>> or ICQ#57096972.
33799
People who use drugs experience a wide array of physical effects other than those expected. The excitement of a cocaine high, for instance, is followed by a “crash” : a period of anxiety, fatigue, depression, and an acute desire for more cocaine to alleviate the feelings of the crash. Marijuana and alcohol interfere with motor control and are factors in many automobile accidents. Users of marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs may experience flashbacks, unwanted recurrences of the drug's effects weeks or months after use. Sudden abstinence from certain drugs results in withdrawal symptoms. For example, heroin withdrawal can cause vomiting, muscle cramps, convulsions, and delirium. With the continued use of a physically addictive drug, tolerance develops; i.e., constantly increasing amounts of the drug are needed to duplicate the initial effect.\n\n\nBecause the purity and dosage of illegal drugs are uncontrolled, drug overdose is a constant risk. There are over 10,000 deaths directly attributable to drug use in the United States every year; the substances most frequently involved are cocaine, heroin, and morphine, often combined with alcohol or other drugs. Many drug users engage in criminal activity, such as burglary and prostitution, to raise the money to buy drugs, and some drugs, especially alcohol, are associated with violent behavior.
136361
Mental:  drugs can cause a delayed reaction in life, thinking, and cause loss of memory.  It can creat stutters and enhance other mental problems that may have been there prior to the start of using. Deppression and insomnia.\n\nEmotional:  Drugs can create a sense of well being while the person is high/using.  However when coming down or withdrawing from the use they can be very erritable, sensitive, sleepy, and depressed.
58334
There are some newer studies out which indicate that marijuana can trigger a psychotic mental illness such as schizophrenia in a small number of people who should not be at risk of developing such illnesses. And for a person who is psychotic marijuana will increase their symptoms. If you are young and smokeing a lot it will alter the way your brain developes and lead to depression among other things. You should look up Dr. Drew from loveline, he is more knowlageable on this subject than I. But some cliches for ya "too much of anything is bad", "everything in moderation".
491494
Smoking pot slowly damages areas of the brain
343914
SHORT AND LONG TERM EFFECTS\n \n\nShort Term and Long Term Effects\n\nPhysical Symptoms:\n\nSevere weight loss - sometimes up to 50 - 100 pounds. \n\nRotting teeth - teeth may first turn gray, then black; gum disease brought on by constriction of the gums' blood vessels can cause loss of teeth. \n\nBody odor - user loses interest in personal hygiene. The chemicals used to manufacture meth are excreted through the perspiration and emit a bad smell. \n\nScars and open sores - hallucinations cause the user to scratch or gouge at imaginary "bugs." The body also releases histamines which causes itching. \n\nInability to sleep for hours or days, followed by severe agitation and a sedated crash lasting many hours or for days. \n\nPsychological/Behavioral Symptoms: \n\nDue to the drug's ability to overwhelm and over-stimulate the users' nervous system, chronic meth users may experience any or all of the following:\n\nInitial euphoria - a feeling of great happiness or well-being; bliss. \n\nDepression - feelings of sadness, dejection. \n\nDelusion - a false belief held as a result of self-deception mental disorder. \n\nPsychosis - a severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by deterioration of normal intellectual and social functioning and by withdrawal from reality. \n\nParanoia - a chronic psychosis characterized by delusions of persecution or of grandeur. \n\nViolence - physical force exerted to violate, damage, or abuse
23242
Yes, the health effects of marijuana are no more harmful then tobacco and alchohol.  Personally i would much rather deal with people that are high, then people who are drunk
583330
Effects on the Brain\nScientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to organs throughout the body, including the brain.\n\nIn the brain, THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of those cells. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in the parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement\n\nThe short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research findings for long-term marijuana use indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse. For example, cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine. Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.\n\nEffects on the Heart\nOne study has indicated that a user’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana. The researchers suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.\n\nEffects on the Lungs\nA study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.\n\nEven infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and the more marijuana smoked the greater the increase. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.\n\nMarijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco.\n\nOther Health Effects\nSome of marijuana’s adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.\n\nEffects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavi
264833
There are many psychological effects to the user. The first symptom manifested in a drug user can be impaired judgment. The decision making process is slowed and can become unrealistic. The drug addict or abuser does not acknowledge that there is a problem in their life, and has random emotions. The user has lower grades; the lack of ability to quit using drugs, outbursts of anger, or failed projects. The drug users hates people for no reason and does not do activities they normally did. The drug user wants more of the drug all the time, wanting more of the drug to get the same feeling. A higher tolerance for the drug is the result of using a drug. If the drug user has mental or physical problems, it gets worse as the user uses the drug anyway. The drug is a way the user can avoid the problems that are happening. The drug user deceives people and steers clear of people the user knows. The user always wants to have a supply of the drug, is fixated on the drug, is dependent, and has a lack of self – esteem. The user has boredom with using the drug, anxiety, and no confidence. The user denies the reality of what is happening to them.
21949
There is some evidence from human studies that long-term marijuana use\ncan have adverse effects, although it seems that the spectrum of these\neffects is narrower than previously thought and mainly centres around\ncognitive (intellectual) function.\n\nA paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) vol.\n287 No. 9, March 6, 2002, pp. 1123-1131) found that long-term cannabis\nusers performed less well than shorter-term users and controls (people\nwho didn’t use cannabis) in tests of memory and attention.  The\nlong-term users averaged 23.9 years of use, compared with 10.2 years\nin the shorter-term users. You can find an abstract at the American\nMedical Association web site: \nhttp://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v287n9/abs/joc11416.html , but access\nto the full text requires subscription to the journal.  Note that the\ncomments associated with the article (links to them are underneath the\nabstract) indicate that some other investigators do not agree with\nthis conclusion.\n\nAnother study published in a Canadian medical journal (CMAJ 2002 Apr\n2;166(7):887-91 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11949984&dopt=Abstract)\nfound that: “Current marijuana use had a negative effect on global IQ\nscore only in subjects who smoked 5 or more joints per week. A\nnegative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously\nbeen heavy users but were no longer using the substance. We conclude\nthat marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global\nintelligence.”  This study compared IQ scores of individuals aged 9-12\nyears before they started using cannabis, with their scores at 17-20\nyears.  Light users, former users and non-users showed a gain in IQ\nover the same period.\n\nOne reason for the decreased IQ and memory in consistent heavy users\ncould be the fact that long-term cannabis use has been found to\ndecrease blood flow to the front areas of the brain (Neurotoxicology\nand Teratology 2001 Sep-Oct; vol 23 pp. 437-43  Frontal lobe\ndysfunction in long-term cannabis users by  Lundqvist T, Jonsson S,\nWarkentin S. of the Division of Medical Neurochemistry, Lund\nUniversity Hospital, 221 85, Lund, Sweden  \nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11711246&dopt=Abstract\n\nA study published in Public Health and Nutrition, June 2001, vol. 4\npp. 781-786 (Dietary intake and nutritional status of US adult\nmarijuana users: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition\nExamination Survey. By Smit E, Crespo CJ. of the Department of Social\nand Preventive Medicine, SUNY School of Medicine, University at\nBuffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11415485&dopt=Abstract\n) found that marijuana users have lower levels of carotenoids in the\nserum.  The authors concluded this was associated with different\ndietary habits: “We found higher cigarette-smoking rates and higher\nconsumption of sodas and alcohol, specifically beer, among marijuana\nusers than among non-current marijuana users. Marijuana users also\nconsumed more sodium, fewer fruits, and more pork, cheese, and salty\nsnacks.”  Carotenoids are important anti-oxidants which help to\nprevent cancer and other diseases.  An increased risk of these\ndiseases might be due not so much to marijuana use itself as to the\nlifestyle led by many who use it.  Better attention to nutrition, in\norder to ensure a good intake of fresh fruit and vegetables,\nparticularly the red, yellow and orange ones, will help to boost\nantioxidant status (see below)\n\nA review of various studies came to the conclusion that: “Regular\nmarijuana use can lead to extensive airway injury and alterations in\nthe structure and function of alveolar macrophages, potentially\npredisposing to pulmonary infection and respiratory cancer.”  Alveolar\nmacrophages are cells in the lungs that help clear away debris and\nba
781341
NOt a good idea. The smoking of weed is linked with this type of mental disorder - and is a potential cause of it not a cure
419798
Yes, it kills brain cells and ultimately inhibits you from thinking clearly and at your sharpest, thus ruining your life forever. Not only that but it makes you lethargic (tired) and will corrupt your views on life. DO NOT DO MARIJUANA OR ANY OTHER DRUG! Please do not listen these other Teenage Pot-heads, as they will say anything to justify THEM smokeing it. IT IS BAD FOR YOU! It's not Government Propaganda to stop kids from smokeing Marijuana and useing it ANY TIME is bad. There are proven studies that have shown that Marijuana is unhealthy and does, infact, corrupt the human mind (To say the least.)
41486
Unless you live under a rock, you must know the dangers of cannabis, and you certainly should know the long-term dangers of antidepressants. Whether mixing them together has any effect on you I doubt if anyone really knows. (Cannabis can actually cause depression in some people so it begs the question: why use it AND take an ANTIdepressant at the same time? Come off the grass and you may find you really don't need to stay on psych drugs at all!)\n\nCertainly, the longer you take Cannabis, the more likely it is you will suffer from its harmful long-term effects (including the possibility of paranoid disorders including schizophrenia). The longer you take antidepressants the more likely you will suffer from their harmful long-term effects (including an abnormal brain chemistry, brain damage, severe liver damage, sexual dysfunction, tardive dyskinesia).\n\n--\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters\nDecoding Psychiatric Propaganda
404303
Marijuana is not addicting but if you are useto smoking everyday and quit cold turkey there can be withdrawal symptoms (cold sweats, mood swings, headaches etc.). Your friend can live without it, he just enjoys it. Let him be, eventually it will stop.
604494
Weed is the number one drug in the western world that causes addiction related health problems and loss of function in the person's life.\n\nYou lose a tremendous amount doing dangerous drugs like pot.  You aren't as smart as you should be, you aren't as capable.  It dramatically interferes with your ability to lead a normal, happy and satisfying life.\n\nI worked inpatient community mental health for years.....including more than my share of drug related problems.  I know what I am talking about with this.  I've met a hell of alot of people who come from good families, started out smart and with everything going for them.  Then, they started smoking weed.  Ten years go by and they are now in the trashcan of society.  No job, no prospects....no LIFE.  Wondering how they got there.