How Cannabis affects the Brain?

Many people try different ways of getting high in the course of their lives. Alcohol, Cocaine, Marijuana, Hashish, Opium, etc are the most common first experience drugs in today\’s world. Marijuana, weed, dope, grass, hash etc are words used for the drug that comes from the plant Cannabis whose main ingredient is THC(tetrahydrocannabinol). This is the main chemical that causes the sensation of being high. From a pleasurable feeling to downright paranoia and psychosis, the mind altering chemicals in marijuana cause different effects in different people. It can cause addiction which would need a drug rehabilitation center.

It is used medically also as there are some benefits in some illnesses. While there is no major correlation between medical use, infrequent use and negative effects, chronic use can be harmful to health. And to stop would necessitate a detox center in a city like Mumbai.

Marijuana affects different people differently. But there are common effects. The short-term effect is that the THC in cannabis starts depressing certain neurotransmitters and activates others. This leads to changes in the way our neurobiology works. Which essentially means that a short term euphoria is induced. Dopapine the chemical that makes one feel good and pleasureable feelings is released causing this. Certain receptors that make us feel pain get depressed so feelings of pain are reduced. Neurotransmitters that signal hunger are activated leading to eating binges. In some a tunnel focus is induced leading to intense ability to focus on a subject , in some the opposite is induced leading to hallucinatory experiences.

What happens when one uses:

• You get high

This is the main reason people use cannabis. It stimulates the part of our brain that creates pleasurable sensations by releasing a chemical called dopamine which causes euphoria and relaxation. It creates pleasurable sensations for food, drink or even sex. This is the preferred drug for women who smoke and want enhanced pleasure in their life.

• The way the brain works changes

Researchers are finding that smoking weed causes long-term changes in marijuana users, especially in the formative teen brains. Changes happen in brain areas like blood flow, memory, attention, information processing, and affect brain size and neuronic connections. While initially it appears that THC creates more neural connections, over a period of years as one grows older, these neural connections remain in areas that cause hallucinations and psychotic disorders. So long-term use of weed can harm cognitive functions and create mental health problems.

• Emotional and physical affect

Because of neurological changes, smoking weed can cause damage in lung tissues which obviously leads to physical problems. Lowered oxygen intake and ability to remove carbondioxide from the system can cause loss of brain function and fatigue in the body tissues and in extreme cases heart issues. Emotionally one can be engulfed by anxiety, depression, increased heart rate, suicidal thoughts and a general negativity.

• Addictive

Marijuana is a drug that does not cause difficult withdrawals as heroin, but has more generalised symptoms when attempting to stop. When a daily smoker of weed tries to stop, they would go through a variety of obstacles ranging from social to physical. The smoker friends one has will keep reinforcing the desire to use over that to stop. There would be psychological effects like low life-happiness, boredom, self esteem, and problems with relationships, family and work. As it is a gateway drug, it leads to experimenting with other narcotic and opioid substances.

• Perception changes

Chronic weed users are likely experience loss of attention, leading to inability to concentrate thus creating changes in life choices that are unrealistic, inappropriate and disempowering. It is safe to say that weed users are likely to suffer loss in IQ at later stages.

Over all the prognosis for users of cannabis is not favorable at all as it does cause long term damage in the brain\’s neuro-circuitry and leads to undesired personality change. It is drug rehabilitation centres like Zorba which is a detox centre in Mumbai that also have drug rehab for women that rise to the challenge of helping people reintegrate with life.