Table of Contents
Introduction
Many countries in various parts of the world have been affected by high consumption of marijuana. In the United States, it is estimated that 14.6 million people are involved in the use of marijuana, making this substance the most commonly used drug in the country. There have been concerns over the use of marijuana and further participation in crimes in different countries. This is because the people who take the given drug are more likely to be uncontrolled and participate in criminal activities that result in the inconvenience of the society members. Above-mentioned consequences were used as a reason to ban the sale and use of the marijuana or its production in a number of countries.
Governments have also taken measures such as the organization of funds for the purpose of use and sale drugs control (Mack & Joy, 2001). There has also been the need to understand impacts of this drug on the body, psychology, and social behavior of the user. This information has been required by health professionals for the purpose of providing better methods of controlling its use and techniques that can be used to treat individuals addicted to the drug. This paper investigates the physiological, psychological, and social impacts of marijuana consumption with the investigation of methods that can be applied to control excessive use of the drug.
Discussion
There are a number of physical impacts of marijuana use on the body of the consumer. Those who take marijuana constantly have been found to have high appetites, increased quantities of food intake, and reduced body weight. It has also been found that high taking of marijuana results into an increase of blood pressure and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol or triglycerides (Mack & Joy, 2001). There is also a high possibility of chest pain as a result of high consumption of marijuana as has been indicated by treadmill tests on patients with angina pectoris. Increased use of marijuana is also associated with high possibility of myocardial infarction. However, there are a number of other contributing factors to the development of myocardial infarction.
In addition, there are a lot of psychological influences of marijuana use on the consumer such as making them feel good as a result of drug impacts on the THC brain cells. When a person takes the drug repeatedly, drug dependence develops and, consequently, a person may avoid taking larger doses by rewarding things such as eating (First & Tasman, 2011). There is also an active ingredient in marijuana that influences hippocampus and therefore alters memory formation and the way information is processed. This has in most cases resulted in memory impairment for adults if a person was involved in taking the given drug during adolescence stage. There is also an increased chance of developing depression as a result of excessive use of marijuana. Those who have used marijuana in heavy doses are also likely to develop psychosis such as hallucinations, delusions, and loss of self-identity.
A number of social impacts caused by marijuana consumption are observed. This influence can either be violent or non-violent despite the possibility that violent impacts are more likely to be observed compared with non-violent impacts. Some non-violent influences of marijuana consumption include delinquent conduct, sexual promiscuity, and larceny. This is because it contributes to an impaired judgment and distortion of reality. Social responsibility is also weakened. It has also been observed that marijuana users are more likely to commit such crimes as robbery because the drug interferes with their brain functions so that they are unable to reason their decisions (Bello, 2008). Their activities are also probable to be reckless, e.g. there is higher possibility for marijuana consumers to cause accidents while driving.
There are also beneficial effects of marijuana use such as improvement of lung health. The studies have shown that marijuana contributes to increased lung capacity. The given drug is also associated with the capacity to reduce multiple sclerosis pain and ability to reduce Alzheimer’s disease (Mack & Joy, 2001). Another positive effect of marijuana use is that it contributes to alleviation of pain and inflammation suffered during arthritis. This substance also sustains the reduction of cancer by turning off Id-1 gene that facilitates the spread of cancer.
Withdrawal from marijuana use is associated with a number of symptoms. These include mood swings, sleep disruption, and headache (Martel, 2006). Those who have withdrawn from marijuana consumption have reported emotional swings with cases of depression, anger, euphoria, and pain in the back. These people are also highly irritable. In addition, they have shown signs of insomnia which lasts from a few days to several weeks. In some cases, those who have withdrawn from marijuana use have reported of headaches that can be very intense during the first few days of abandoning the drug.
In order to control marijuana use, various methods have been used. For instance, an age limit should be set so that people within a particular age will not be allowed to use the drug. There should be a reduction in persecution against those involved in the consumption of the drug so that resources used to incarcerated offenders can be utilized to educate them on responsible methods of drug taking (Martel, 2006). Usually, when the use of the drug is criminalized, there is a high possibility that young people who are dependent on the drug will be harmed. In addition, there is a need to create specific companies that serve the purpose of manufacturing the drug and distributing it to the population. These companies should be provided with a limit on marijuana content to be included in their cigars so that the consumers will not be affected.