Last updated : December 16, 2024
Marijuana use was on a general decline in the United States for several years, but the use of this drug started to increase once again around 2007. The National Institutes of Health suggests that many of the newest pot smokers are young and around their teenage years. This creates significant concern for anyone who has a child entering their teenage years, as the impact of a child’s health may be irreparably impacted by smoking.
One interesting change regarding the recent increases of pot use has been the reduction in cigarette use in teenagers at the same time that cannabis use has increased. A heavy lobby advocating legalization of pot for recreational use has clouded the issue regarding the health impact of the substance. As a result, many teenagers have adopted the opinion that smoking is okay as long as it’s pot and not nicotine.
Understanding the Way THC Impacts the Body
The result of smoking pot is the release of a chemical called “THC” into the body that passes from the lungs and into the bloodstream when smoke is inhaled. This chemical travels to the brain and other vital organs. THC targets specific brain cells called cannabinoid receptors, and these receptors reside in parts of the brain impacting a number of sensations such as concentration, pleasure, and time perception, among many other states of awareness.
The impact that THC has on the cannabinoid receptors is an enhanced version of the chemicals that are already present in the body called endocannabinoids. The effect of THC on these receptors creates an over-stimulated effect in the body and impairs a body’s normal functions. Thinking clearly becomes impossible, and solving basic problems becomes too difficult. Memory function is decreased, and coordination disappears.
Studies Suggest Harmful Impact of Smoking
With all of the press surrounding the use of pot and the growing perception that using the drug doesn’t represent any risk to the body, it’s hard to decipher what research offers solid ideas on drug use and which suggestions might represent an exaggeration. A number of government entities have published the results of studies and the known effects of cannabis use, but these valid sources have been drowned out by pro-smoking lobbying groups with deep pockets and emotional pleas in favor of the use of the drug.
The Indiana Prevention and Resource Center published a stark list of the effects of smoking from short-term and long-term habits, with the list based upon research gathered by the Department of Applied Health Science, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Indiana University.
Suggested short-term effects of pot use showed an increased heart rate, difficulty in coordination, lack of concentration, inability to solve problems, and general motor skill decline. Long-term effects observed by the research included breathing problems that mimicked the problems experienced by nicotine smokers, and which made it seem as though pot smokers were suffering from emphysema.
One of the most significant pieces of information to take from the information provided by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center is the fact that there are actually more carcinogens in pot smoke than there are in tobacco smoke. Carcinogens are cancer-causing agents and are often to blame when a nicotine user or tobacco smoker gets cancer.
Additional long-term effects of pot use include the possibility of acute chest illness, the gradual obstruction of airways, and frequent lung infections.
Stopping the Spread of Pot Smoking
Given the severe effects of short-term and long-term pot smoking, this problem should inspire a call-to-action from parents and society to stop the rise of pot use in teens and young people. A disturbing survey from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggested that over 75% of illicit drug users smoked pot, and that over half of those surveyed used pot as their primary way to get high.
Another study conducted in 2010 called the Monitoring the Future Study suggested that cannabis use by smokers in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades were up significantly and that it wasn’t just occasional smoking that caused these increases. Increases in daily use were seen from the results of this study, which means that kids aren’t just smoking marijuana a few times a month and are starting to use it much more often.
The negative impacts of marijuana are backed by scientific research, and the growing assumption that pot smoking is harmless is a dangerous trend. Educating people on the true impact of pot smoking is the only way to ensure safe teens with healthy futures.
