Marijuana – The Long Term Effects

The long term effects of smoking marijuana (cannabis) are not yet proven but there is evidence that someone who smokes marijuana for a long period of time is more than likely going to experience serious health issues. Various studies have shown that people who only smoke marijuana take more sick days off school and work and visit the doctor more regularly for respiratory problems than tobacco cigarette smokers. Results have shown that the regular use of marijuana play a role in cancer and issues with the immune and respiratory systems.

It is not correct to say that smoking marijuana alone can cause cancer as many people who smoke it are also smoking cigarettes and some are using other drugs as well. Some of the same cancer causing compounds are found in cannabis that are present in tobacco and sometimes in higher concentrations. Someone who smokes about five joints a day may be taking in as much cancer causing substances as a person who is smoking a full packet of cigarettes every day. It is however clear that marijuana impairs the ability of certain cells in the lungs immune defence system that are supposed to fight off certain infections and illness.

Breathing problems are certainly associated with smoking cannabis on a regular basis which are much the same sort of symptoms that a person who smokes tobacco experiences. Daily cough (known as smokers cough), more frequent chest colds and/or flu, increased phlegm production, higher risk of lung infections and more chance of obstructed airways. The smoke also contains irritants and carcinogens that may contribute to cancer of the lungs or respiratory tract.

For parents that are concerned that a child or their children may be smoking weed the most common physical signs are:

  • Very bloodshot eyes
  • Acting silly or giggly for little or no reason
  • Have trouble remembering things that have just happened
  • Eating you out of house and home (munchies)
  • Extreme tiredness

Not everyone who smokes weed is addicted but it can be addictive for certain people. Some become more dependant on smoking it than others and further studies have shown that many people seeking counseling at drug treatment centres for marijuana abuse have confessed to needing help to stop using the drug. The biggest concern for most parents that are trying to find out if their children are smoking weed is that it may lead to harder more heavy drug addiction that maybe far more difficult to quit than cannabis. Healthy youngsters that have merely experimented with smoking weed and are not doing it on a regular basis are far less likely to show any long term side effects after trying the drug marijuana.