What Smoking Weed Can Do To Your Body

If you smoke pot or even if you don’t, it’s in your best interest to pay attention. No other topic has arguably sparked a bigger debate than weed. A lot has been said about the benefits and harms of the drug. But the question remains. Should you use it?

Can pot improve your health, lower stress or does it make you skinny and forgetful? The science and research around marijuana are still in infancy, but some of the studies have started hinting out at what exactly weed does to the human body.

White Coats and Lab Rats

#1 Screws Up The Emotional Responses and Reward System

A study conducted by the University of Michigan Health System on 108 people in their early 20s (69 men and 39 women) found that the use of marijuana could leave to dampening of emotional responses.

In the study, the participants sat in an MRI while they played a game where they could win 20 cents or $5—or they might lose that amount, or have no reward or loss. The scientists accessed the participants on the moment of anticipation (a.k.a. when volunteers knew they could get a few dollars richer).

While the prospect of winning real money in a game could psyche up any normal individual, the scientists concluded that the more pot a person smokes, the lesser their reward centers are activated.

“Over time, marijuana use was associated with a lower response to a monetary reward,” study author and neuroscientist Mary Heitzeg, Ph.D., said in a press release. “This means that something that would be rewarding to most people was no longer rewarding to them, suggesting but not proving that their reward system has been ‘hijacked’ by the drug, and that they need the drug to feel reward—or that their emotional response has been dampened.”

#2 It Impacts Short-Term Memory

If you have ever rolled a potent joint, you have an idea of what smoking weed can do to your body. There are only a few other ways of blurring your memory as effective as lighting a fat joint. In a shocking study conducted by the Northwestern University scientists, it was found that former pot smokers performed slightly worse on memory-related tasks as compared to non-smokers. As it turns out, the stigma that stoners are forgetful might not be entirely a myth.

The stoner heads had also developed brain abnormalities in regions associated with short-term memory. The bad news doesn’t end here. The brains of weed users were found to be abnormally shaped and looked similar to brains damaged by schizophrenia.

#3 Smoking Pot Can Increase Your Risk of Death From Hypertension

The stereotype that weed smokers are relaxed and chilled-out can be misleading. Calming you down is a small part of what smoking weed can do to your body. While pot might help calm your brain, it doesn’t have the same effect on your blood pressure.

According to a study conducted by Georgia State University, marijuana use was found to triple a person’s risk of death from hypertension (high blood pressure) as compared to non-weed users.

Most people pick up a joint to escape from problems or responsibilities. You could delay taking on the responsibilities for a long time, but you can’t escape them. Many people light the second bong when the high of the first joint ends and they have to face real life. Breaking out of this vicious cycle isn’t something everyone can do.

#4 Higher Vulnerability To Alzheimer’s

In an earlier point, we discussed how smoking pot can hamper your short-term memory. Constant high exposure to marijuana can amplify the negative impact on your brain and increase your probability of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

In a study conducted in 2016, it was seen that marijuana users had significantly lower blood flow to the brain than healthy non-smokers. Low blood flow to the brain, especially the hippocampus, can put the joint smokers at higher risk for cognitive disorders.

#5 Unfavourable Testicular Cancer Odds

The researchers at the University of California found that smoking pot can increase your odds of getting testicular cancer. The study concluded that men who previously reported using marijuana were more likely to have testicular germ cell tumors as compared to men who had never smoked a joint.

Coming as a breath of fresh air for the weed users, a doctor at the American Cancer Society said more research needs to be done to determine if there was a causal or serious relationship between cancer and marijuana in the aforementioned study.

#6 Smoking Pot Isn’t Great For Your Career

Researchers at UC Davis and Duke found that people who smoked weed four or more days a week for many years ended up in a lower social class than their parents, with lower-paying, less skilled, and less prestigious jobs as compared to non-regular pot smokers.

The bad news doesn’t end here, the study also found that cannabis smokers had more financial troubles. They also tended to be more antisocial behavior at work and experienced more relationship problems.

So you’re the entrepreneurial type? Lighting up a joint can harm you too. A 20-year-old study found that smoking pot could decrease cognitive function, in addition to an increased risk of psychotic symptoms and disorders – which roughly means that pot could kill your brain cells.

#7 Can Help In Repairing Broken Bones

There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel for pot smokers. According to a study done at Tel Aviv University, cannabis might help bones heal faster and stronger. A substance called cannabinoid cannabidiol is found in the cannabis stems and leaves. It can help mice recover from broken bones more effectively.

The researchers found that the substance helps minerals get into the bone tissue. It makes the bones stronger, sturdier, and less likely to break in the future.

CBD Over Pot

There is a new cannabis product on the market. CBD is sold in the form of oil, tablets, gels, extracts, and even gummy bears. If you’re someone who wants the benefits of cannabis without having to deal with the high, we’ve got you covered.

CBD and it’s extracts help fight against –

Acne
Anxiety
Arthritis pain
Depression
Inflammatory pain
Muscle-spasticity in multiple sclerosis
Nausea and vomiting associated with cancer
Nerve-related pain
Sleep disorders

You should opt for the CBD as new research is hailing it to be better than lighting a joint. In our opinion, you should use CBD products and leave lighting a bong or rolling a joint to the hippies. Be ahead of the curve and switch over to the variant which can help you live a healthier life.