THC and chronic smokers; here are the long-term effects

JANUARY 21, 2021

Cannabis is one of the oldest (and most used) natural drugs in the world due to its temporary effects: euphoria, relaxation, increased creativity are the typical effects of the high sought by many people, adolescents and not.

While the short-term effects may be positive - or, if negative effects arise, they would be temporary - the long-term effects of THC must also be considered. 

Those who use cannabis for many years can also experience significant damage to the brain. Furthermore, the use of marijuana with a high THC content, unlike  cannabis light , can also negatively affect social life and work and school performance. 

Knowing the impacts of marijuana on health is very important to have greater awareness of the abuse of this substance.

According to the Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use study by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse & Health, published in 2014 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the onset of long-term effects from chronic marijuana use is more common in people who use THC during adolescence.  

Let's see, below, what these effects are, specifying that Legal  Cannabis totally differs from cannabis as it is a product with THC less than 0.6% and high CBD content (which counteracts the action of THC). The effects we will talk about below are therefore not attributable to the light herb , which has the only beneficial effects of cannabidiol.     

 

1. THC addiction: the main effect of prolonged or heavy use of cannabis.

 

THC is a psychoactive cannabinoid that can be addictive and psychological addictive. 

Taking into consideration the Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use research , 9% of the users studied developed dependence on tetrahydrocannabinol. 

17% of addicted people started using cannabis since adolescence, and up to 50% of them use it daily.

 

2. Impaired brain development and cognitive impairment.

As is well known, the brain of a young person can be significantly more susceptible to the long-term (negative) effects of THC.

Numerous studies, including Effects of Cannabis Use on Human Behavior, Including Cognition, Motivation, and Psychosis published in the JAMA Psychiatry, have shown 3 circumstances to be strongly taken into consideration :   

• the IQ of people who abuse cannabis during adolescence (and who continue to use it) is well below average, sometimes bordering on mental deficit.
• Not all people who start smoking marijuana in adolescence and then quit in adulthood are able to fully recover their mental faculties.
• Adults who smoked marijuana regularly during adolescence have fewer neural fibers in specific brain regions. This can negatively affect the brain development process.

On the other hand, those who start using marijuana in adulthood seem not to experience major brain damage.

 

3. Poor academic achievement, more likely to drop out of school.

 

Since marijuana use impairs cognitive function both immediately and in the days following use, many students may have a cognitive level below their natural abilities for long periods of time.

While the acute effects may diminish following the elimination of THC from the body, there is still long-term cognitive impairment for early and heavy marijuana users.

Furthermore, in periods of heavy use of cannabis by adolescents, there is a lack of academic learning which clearly interferes with educational success.  

Not surprisingly, early and intensive use of marijuana is related to reduced school performance and an increased risk of dropout (especially if cannabis abuse is associated with particular environmental factors that further affect school dropout. at a young age).  

 

4. Chronic bronchitis with increased rate of respiratory infections and pneumonia due to the intensive use of cannabis.

 

Cannabis smoke can promote the onset of inflammation of the large airways and lung hyperinflation, so much so that the symptoms of chronic bronchitis are very common among heavy smokers of this substance.  

Not to mention the damage to the immune response of the respiratory system, resulting in an increased risk of respiratory infections and pneumonia.

 

5. Psychotic symptoms and schizophrenia in predisposed subjects (adolescents and not).

 

Intensive cannabis use is associated with the onset of psychosis; it also accelerates the onset of schizophrenia in susceptible individuals, so much so that THC is considered to be a  small triggering cause of schizophrenia .

In addition to the early onset of this mental disorder, THC leads to more relapses, hospitalizations and even more refusal of treatment than in schizophrenic patients who do not use marijuana.

The onset of psychosis and schizophrenia are arguably the most serious long-term effects of THC.

 

In conclusion

The effects of chronic marijuana use are definitely worrying but are in no way attributable to CBD. They are in fact caused by THC, the psychotropic cannabinoid of hemp.

Legal weed  does not cause these symptoms, nor is it addictive or addictive  .

 

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