Final of Research Paper

Edison Enciso

Professor Bailey

English 120-016

14 Dec. 2014

Final of Research Paper

Marijuana and its Consequences

           Marijuana is referred to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, and its botanical name is Cannabis sativa. It is also known with other names: pot, herb, dope grass, Mary Jane, and other 200 street names. Marijuana is used for recreational use because of its psychoactive component that alters mind, and for medical use because of its application on treatment of some sicknesses. Currently, for medical use, marijuana is legal in 24 states included New York, and for recreational usage is legal in Colorado and Washington State and is being debated in other states, but marijuana is still considered an offense under Federal law. According to the last Gallup poll in the population of the United States, 38 percent have ever tried marijuana in their life, and 51 percent have supported the legalization of marijuana. However, how much do we know about the effect of marijuana in our body after smoking, or what is the consequence in our health of smoking marijuana?  Although many people think that smoking marijuana is not harmful, marijuana is very bad for our health because it impairs our brain, respiratory system and may even produce cancer.

           The production of hemp plant in the United States was encouraged in the early 1600’s until the early 1900’s when it was replaced for new materials in many products, and the use of hemp changed to medicinal use. In the early 1900’s, marijuana for recreational use was brought across the border by Mexican immigrants, and by the 1920’s it was adopted by jazz musicians. During the Great Depression, the reputation of marijuana was diminished and associated with crimes, and it was portrayed as a drug that induced criminal activities. By 1931, twenty-nine states criminalized use of marijuana, and the federal government encourage all states to enact laws to control marijuana use. Over the years later, governments enforce rules and laws to reduce the use of marijuana, until in 1996, when California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medical use, and in this year, Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.  

Many people consider marijuana to be a soft drug; on the contrary, this drug is completely dangerous for our health. There are many reasons why people smoke marijuana such as curiosity, peer influence, to relax the stress, anxiety, fear related to personal or family issue, or to enter into certain social circle. However, many ignore the consequence of smoking marijuana because according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the article “DrugFacts: Marijuana,” marijuana is a product of a plant that contains more than 400 chemicals, having as its principal active component the THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) that is psychoactive ingredient (NIDA, 2014). Using of marijuana changes the way the brain works, and has effects such as impaired short-term memory making it difficult to retain and learn information, slowed reaction time affecting driving skills, altered judgment and decision, increased heart rate by 20-100%, and altered mood leading to euphoria, calmness or in high doses anxiety, paranoia (NIDA, 2014). Also, for many years, marijuana has been considered for the department of Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I. This means marijuana is a substance that has no approved medical use and has a high potential for abuse. Currently the marijuana is classified in the same level of drugs as heroin and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and it is even considered more harmful than morphine and cocaine (DEA, 2014).

Many people smoking marijuana for recreational use ignore the effects of marijuana on their brains. In his book, The Secret Addition, Dr. Tony Deramus describes how marijuana affects the short-term memory of marijuana users:

Marijuana’s damage seems to occur, because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory formation. For example, laboratory rats treated with THC display the same reduce ability to perform tasks requiring short-term memory as other rats showed after nerve cells in their hippocampus were destroyed. I know you are not a rat, but the brain does function in very similar ways (Deramos 130).

This is the reasons why people smoking marijuana make it difficult remember recently fact after smoking. In addition, when marijuana is heavily used by young people, its effects on thinking and memory might last long time or even be permanent. According to “DrugFacts:Marijuana,” in New Zealand, a long-large study showed that “people who began smoking marijuana heavily in their teens lost and average of 8 points in IQ between age 13 and age 38…[and] the lost cognitive abilities were not fully restored in those who quit smoking marijuana as adults” (NIDA, 2014). However, although many people ignore the consequences of smoking, scientific studies showed how marijuana use impairs the capacity of learning, and remembering because of destruction of nerve cells in the hippocampus.  

           Also, marijuana affects the cerebellum that is associated with movement such as balance and coordination, or motor control, and the amygdala that is associated with memory of emotional reactions such as anxiety and stress. Deramus states that the CB1 (Cannaboid-1) is found in part of the brain known as the cerebellum and when someone smokes marijuana, the receptor will be saturated with exorbitant mount of THC. Deramus in his book points out , “ in a study by the Department of Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital (Limperopoulos et al., 2005), researchers found that 61 percent of children with cerebellar injury had global developmental delays, including deficits in language, visual reception and social/behavioral function, in addition to motor control problems”(Deramos 131).  Regarding to the effect of marijuana on the amygdala, which is associated with hormones that produce anxiety and stress, has as a principal function “in the formation and storage of memories associated with these types of emotion” (Deramos 135). Although the effects on the amygdala are associated with anxiety and stress, marijuana also alters the size of the amygdala affecting the function of the brain. According a study by Anna Blood PhD, from the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, after assessing brain morphology using MRI in 40 young adult aged 18 to 25 years recruited from Boston-area College, 20 used marijuana recreationally (11.2 joints per week) and 20 did not use the drug at all. She stated “These abnormal changes in the amygdala…could indicate that the experience with marijuana alters brain organization and may produce changes in function and behavior” (Blood quoted Brooks in 2014). Also, in the Deramos’s book stated according to a study (Katona, et al., 2001) showed “the amygdala had approximately less volume in men who smoke heavily (five cigarettes daily for an average of 20 years) compared to nonusers” (Deramos 135). With those researches, we can say that marijuana will alter the function of cerebellum and amygdala in our brain affecting our mental health if we smoke.

           However, smoking marijuana also affects the levels of dopamine that is important nerve chemical or neurotransmitter and that promotes communication among brain cells. Dopamine between its functions is to help control the brain reward and pleasure centers and to regulate movement and emotional responses. This neurotransmitter is associated with rewarding experiences such as food, sex, use of certain drugs, and other activities that produce strong pleasures. Dopamine deficiency results in Parkinson’s disease and people with low dopamine results in addiction. To compensate the low dopamine, the smoker’s brain asks for some stimulants as marijuana and other drugs. According to a study carried out, in the article “Decrease Dopamine Brain Reactivity in Marijuana Abusers Is Associated with Negative Emotionality and Addiction Severity,” Dr. Nova Volkow and her colleagues at the National Institute on Drug and Abuse, investigated the impact that marijuana can cause human brain. For this, the researchers challenged 48 participants (24 controls and 24 marijuana abuser) that were stimulated with a drug to check how dopamine reacts on their brains (see table 1.). The result was the followings: use of marijuana disrupts dopamine levels causing negative emotions and addictive behaviors with potential consequences. (Volkow, et al., 2014). In addition, another study, arrived at the same conclusion that marijuana is addictive, carried out in England, by scientist at Imperial College London and King’s College London, in the article “Long-Term Pot Use Tied to Less Dopamine, Which May Help Explain Less Motivation,” by Rick Nahuert PhD. The researcher used PET brain imaging to look at dopamine levels in 19 regular marijuana user and 19 non-users of matching age and sex. The investigators found that “dopamine levels in a part of the brain…were lower in people who smoke more cannabis [marijuana] and those who began using the drug at a young age. They also stated that marijuana use may be the cause of difference in dopamine levels, which is the cause of severe addiction (Naurt, 2013). Therefore, smoking marijuana produces the problem of addiction that is caused for the alteration of dopamine in the brain and it also produces emotional changes that are dangerous for our health.           

           Table 1.  Demographics clinical characteristic and personality scores (positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and constraint) of participants, and the significance for the comparisons between healthy controls and marijuana abusers.

Parameter	Healthy controls(n = 24)	Marijuana abusers(n = 24)	P
Age	28.2 ± 6	26.9 ± 7	NS
Sex	50% males	50% males
Education	13.9 ± 2	13.2 ± 1	NS
Body mass index	24.3 ± 3	24.1 ± 4	NS
Tobacco	3 active	10 active	0.02
	1 former	2 former
Marijuana initiation		15 ± 3 y of age
Days per week		4.9 ± 3
Joints per day		4.8 ± 3
Years of abuse		10.5 ± 2
Scores on MDQ		5.4 ± 3
Positive emotionality	52.3 ± 6	47.2 ± 10	0.05
Negative emotionality	13.7 ± 9	22.4 ± 9	0.001
Constraint	51.3 ± 10	47.7 ± 8	NS

MDQ, marijuana dependency; NS, not significant

Source: Decreased Dopamine Brain Reactivity in Marijuana Abuser Is Associated with Negative Emotionally and Addiction Severity/ www.pns.org.

Many people think smoking cigarettes is more dangerous than smoking marijuana. However, according to the article “Marijuana Smoking Is Associated with a Spectrum of Respiratory Disorders” done for NIDA by Patrick Zickler, the Dr. Donald Tashkin at University of California found that smoking marijuana is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Because although smoking marijuana cause the similar damage respiratory than smoking cigarettes, the probability of develop a cancer of people who smoke marijuana is because he found “evidence that regular smoking marijuana injures airway epithelial cells, leading to dysregulation of bronchial epithelial cell growth and eventually to possible malignant changes” (qtd. in Zickler). This is “because smoker typically hold their breath four times as long as tobacco smoker after inhaling, marijuana smoking deposits significantly more tar and known carcinogens within the tar”. His studies also add “marijuana smoking is associated with a range of damaging pulmonary effects, including inhibition of the tumor-killing and bactericidal of alveolar macrophages the primary cells within the lung.” (Zickler, 2006). Also, in the article “Respiratory Effects of Marijuana and Tobacco Use in a U.S. Sample,” done By PhD, Brent Moore and his colleagues presented this article in part in 2003 annual scientific meeting of the College on problem of Drug Dependence, Bal Harbor, Florida, with the objective of showing the impact of respiratory problem caused by smoking marijuana and compared with smoking cigarettes. To get the result, they analyzed the information of the nationally representative third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (see table 2.), concluding that “ marijuana use was associated with increased risk of many respiratory symptoms that are associated with disorders common to tobacco use such as chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and  

Table 2. Percent of Nonsmokers, Tobacco-only Smokers and marijuana Smokers with Respiratory Symptoms: NHANES III, 1998 to 1994

Variable	Nonsmokers (n = 4,789) %	Tobacco Smokers (n = 1,525)           %                    NNH		Marijuana Smokers (n = 414)          %                    NNH
Current asthma	3.8	6.5	37.0	5.8	50.0
Chronic bronchitis	3.2	8.2	20.0	8.1	20.4
Cough: most days	3.8	19.5	6.4	21.7	5.6
Phlegm	3.5	14.6	9.0	16.9	7.5
Shortness of breath	14.8	33.4	5.4	23.7	11.2
Wheezing	9.7	25.2	6.5	40.1	3.3
Chest sounds	5.8	19.4	7.4	23.5	5.6
Pneumonia	1.7	3.5	55.6	2.8	90.9
Overall chest finding	1.1	9.0	12.7	3.1	50.0
FEV1/FVC ratio<70%	3.8	20.0	6.2	9.1	19.8

Source: NHANES III, third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; NNH, number needed to harm.

cancer. In addition, marijuana smoking may increase of respiratory exposure by infectious organisms, such as fungi and molds, as cannabis plants are contaminated with arrange of fungal spores”(Moore et al., 2004). Despite of respiratory problems and a range of damaging pulmonary, shown with investigations by researchers, many people smoke marijuana without knowing the dangerous effect on their health.

Finally, not only smoking marijuana causes respiratory problems and damaging pulmonary, but it can also produce cancer to people who smoke frequently.  Although marijuana smoke has carcinogen components, there are some studies that sustain smoking marijuana do not produce cancer such as, in the book, Marijuana legalization, shows that according to a study by Kaiser Permanent researcher Stephen Sidney and colleagues in 1997, examined cancer incidence to 6500 people who smoke marijuana in the past or currently, for about eight years, they found that there is no risk of cancer if people smoke marijuana (Caulkins et al., 66). Also, another study done by Dr. Tashkin in 2006, did not find a direct relation of smoking with lung cancer (Zickler 2006). However, later studies showed that smoking marijuana produces cancer such as, in 2008, the “European Respiratory Journal” published a research that found a clear association between marijuana and lung cancer; this study pointed out that “an 8 percent increase of developing cancer per year of smoking marijuana.” (Deramous 69). Also, in 2009, a study published in “Chemical Research in Toxicology,” Raj Singh carried out a research and found clear evidence that marijuana smoke damages DNA. This result cited on Science Daily’s website says, “These results provide evidence for the DNA damaging potential of cannabis [marijuana] smoke,

implying that the consumption of cannabis cigarettes may be detrimental to human health with possibility to initiate cancer development.” (qtd. in Deramos 69). Finally, another recent study found association between marijuana and testicular cancer. In the article, “Study Links Marijuana Use to Testicular Cancer,” by Stacy Simon, she states that in 2012, American Cancer Society journal cancer published online the study led by Victoria K. Cortesis, MSPH, PhD, of University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Cortesis stated “her team based its hypothesis on research that shows the active ingredient in marijuana may interfere with normal hormone signaling between the brain and the testicles.” She also added “Three studies have now found the same specific result – a history of marijuana use associated with double the risk of non-seminoma testicular cancer. This is a more dangerous type of testicular cancer that requires chemotherapy treatment. We have to take it seriously.” (qtd. in Simon 2012). Although some studies of smoking marijuana are not associated with cancer, there are later studies that found a clear relation between smoking and cancer, which is very dangerous for our health.

In conclusion, scientifically marijuana is a drug that produces noxious effect in mental health, respiratory system, and lung of human being. For this reason, this drug is classified by department of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as Schedule I, and under Federal law, it still is considered an offense. The marijuana is addictive and causes personal and familiar damage in a society. Although many people ignore of the consequence of smoking marijuana, medical researchers found that smoking impairs the capacity of learning and remembering. They also demonstrated that is addictive, altering the levels of dopamine in our brains. The researchers also found that marijuana is associated with a range of damaging pulmonary and respiratory problems. Researchers found a clear association between marijuana and lung cancer and a study of DNA determined that marijuana potentially damages DNA, causing a possibility to develop cancer. Finally, researchers in a recent study found an association between marijuana and testicular cancer. Therefore, scientifically it is shown that smoking marijuana is bad for our health.

 

Works Cited

Brooks, Megan. “Estructural Brain Differences Seen in Casual Marijuana.” Medscape Medical News: Neurology. WebMD LLC, 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Caulkins, Jonathan P., Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, and Mark A. R. Kleiman.”What Are the Risks of Using Marijuana?” Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2012. 54-80. Print.

Deramus, Tony. “It’s All in Your Head: Marijuana and the Brain.” The Seceret Addiction: Overcoming Your Marijuana Dependency. Texas: SMA International, LLC, 2011. 129-136. Print.

Moore, Brenda A. “Respiratory Effects of Marijuana and Tobacco Use in a U.S. Sample.” The National Center for Biotechnology. National Center for Biotechnology Information, US and National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

Nauert, Rick. “Long-Term PotUse Tied to Less Dopamine, Which May Help Explain Less Motivation.” Psych Central. Psych Central, 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Saad, Lidia. “In U.S., 38% Have Tried Marijuana, Little Changed Since ‘80s.” Gallup. Gallup, Inc. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

Saad, Lidia. “Majority Continues to Support Pot Legalization in U.S.” Gallup. Gallup, Inc. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

Simon Stacy. “Study Marijuana Use to Testicular Cancer.” American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Inc, 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

 United States. Department of Justice. Drug Enforcement Administration. “Drug Fact Sheets: Marijuana/Cannabis.” DEA Drug Enforcement Administration. Department of Justice, 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.

United States. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse & Addiction. “ DrugFacts: Marijuana.” National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute of Health, 2014. Web. 4 Oct 2014.

Volkow, Nora D. “Decreased Dopamine Brain Reactivity in Marijuana Abuser Is Associated with Negative Emotionally and Addiction Severity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. National Academy of Sciences, 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

Zickle, Petrick. “Marijuana Smoking Is Associated With a Spectrum of Respiratory Disorders.” National Institute on Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse & Addiction. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health, 1 Oct. 2006. Web. 8 Oct 2014.