Effects of Marijuana

Essay by xpoint9High School, 12th gradeA, March 2005

download word file, 6 pages 4.8 2 reviews

Downloaded 133 times

Everyone has this question of what marijuana actually is. Usually one would think that everybody knows. But the actual truth, is not many people know what marijuana is. Marijuana is a mixture of leaves, stems, and flowering top's of the Indian plant Cannabis sativia (usually smoked or eaten for its hallucinogenic and pleasure-giving effects). Its chemical ingredients include the "psychoactive THC- known as tetrahydrocannabinol", which is concentrated in the flowering tops, hashish a drug that is prepared from the plant resin which contains eight times more THC than marijuana. Marijuana grows only in certain temperate regions, particularly dry and hot lands. Except for limited medical purposes, marijuana is illegal in almost all, but a few countries. In the United States marijuana is illegal. It is an issue which is greatly debated, used, and abused everyday in our country. In this chapter of our research paper you are going to read about the question-"Does marijuana actually effect the brain?"-

In medical terminology there are several cases of brain disorders which can result from causes ranging from physical injury to complex chemical imbalances.

In the research papers case, complex chemical imbalances. There are three types of disorders:

The first one cerebral injury, is developed by a blow to the head. The person may be stunned, in a daze, or may become unconscious for a moment. This is usually known as a concussion. Fortunately, this does not leave any permanent damage. However, if the blow is severe; hemorrhage and swelling occurs, which results in a tumor that can be removed surgically.

The second type of brain disorder is Brain-Stem damage. This occurs in the upper brain stem. If one were to have this, there are several symptoms that can occur. Such as: a loss in appetite, extraordinary thirst with excessive urination, and...