The brain is one of the organs of the nervous system. The brain is enclosed in the skull. It contains a lot of neurons. The brain obtains information from various parts of the body and sends instructions to the body’s organs and systems.
Also, brain stores memory, short and long-term. That’s how the brain functions when the body’s condition is normal; however, how does the brain function when marijuana is used? Marijuana is the most used drug in the US. It has both long and short effects on our brain. The first short-term effect is the loss of short-term memory.
Marijuana is found to be contained a substance called Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). When it interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the brain, it damages the brain’s function. The regions of the brain with more cannabinoid receptors are heavier impacted. An example region of the brain that contains cannabinoid receptors is the hippocampus.
The hippocampus manages short-term memory. It is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. By using marijuana, you can prevent yourself from remembering a collection of recent events. Marijuana also affects the level of dopamine. Dopamine is an organic chemical that plays several important roles in your brain. For example, one of its roles is to prevent the released of breast milk. Having too much dopamine can cause you mental disorder in which thought and emotions are impaired; therefore, high dopamine level causes euphoria, aggression and intense sexual feelings.
On the others hand, low level of dopamine causes depression and difficulty to handle stress. A few more common short-term effect is impaired motor skills, mood alterations, short-term memory problems, and trouble thinking clearly and solving problems. Marijuana also has some long-term effects on brain, especially on some people that their brains aren’t fully developed. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, if the users use marijuana from adolescence and continue into adulthood, they might end up in losing a few IQ points that are not recoverable, even though when they stop using marijuana. If a person uses marijuana before the age of 18, that person will likely going to be addicted to marijuana as an adult. As a person gets older, neurons in the hippocampus naturally lose. Marijuana acts as a booster.
It speeds up this process. Losing neurons causes long-term memory problems, weakened coordination, learning issues and sleep problems. Another research from National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that marijuana can have schizophrenia in those who are genes issues. Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder. Breathing and respiration problems and chronic cough are additional consequences of using marijuana.
Moreover, marijuana can disrupt heart rhythms and normal cardiac function. To conclude, marijuana can affect the brain by 2 ways, short and long-term. Some of the short-term effects are impaired motor skills, mood alterations, short-term memory problems, and trouble thinking clearly and solving problems. Some of the long-term effects are an addiction, losing IQ points, weakened coordination, learning issues, sleep problems and losing long-term memory problem. Marijuana can only affect the brain long and short-term; however, it can’t affect our brain permanently.
