Marijuana

The objective about this weeks class discussion is to choose a drug an upper, downer, or all around and provide information about how it effects our health.  I wanted to post this video to supplement my class discussion response and to provide a visual illustration of how marijuana effects the human brain.

I think it is important that everyone understands the chemical, mental, and physical effects this drug has on the human body.  Now-a-days. with the increasing media attention marijuana has been getting and with the talks of legalizing the drug, it is even more essential that the public become well educated about this substance. 

In addition to learning about how the drug alters our brain structure, it is essential that we learn about the proper uses of marijuana, particularly for medical purposes.  The picture below from normal.org illustrates the various diseases that benefits from marijuana. 

Cannabis has the ability to relieve pain, nausea, vomiting, induce appetite, and in general, allow the patient to live a normal and functional life.  It goes without saying, however, that its use should be closely monitored to avoid significant, chronic, and long-term side effects such as dependence. 

References: 

Armentano, P. (2014, January 7). NORML Working to reform marijuan laws. Retrieved from norml.org/component/zoo/category/recent-research-on-medical-marijuana

AsapSCIENCE (2012, October 3). Your Brain on Drugs: Marijuana [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/oeF6rFN9org