Marijuana is not just one of the most widely used illegal drug in the world, it is also one of the most easily available. Also known skunk, weed, grass, Mary Jane, pot, hashish, hemp, ganja, five fingers, panama weed or ragweed, this crude drug is made from the dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, and leaves of the Cannabis sativa plant. To have so many words for a single drug speaks of its wide distribution and popularity. The United Nations has identified marijuana as the most abused illegal substance across the world.
Cannabis has traditionally been used as an analgesic (Pain killer), sedative, anti emetic and as appetiser for patients on chemotherapy and those with AIDS, as spasmodic (spasm relieving), for lowering intra ocular pressure of the eye (in glaucoma patients) among other clinical ailments.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (widely identified by its acronym THC) is the psychoactive compound which is the major constituent of cannabis. The addictive property of marijuana has been debated for long but recent evidence suggests that marijuana is indeed addictive substance, as clinical research has identified cannabinol receptors in certain vital areas of the human brain that bind to Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient of marijuana. The binding of THC to these receptors leads to the release of dopamine in the brain. The increase in dopamine levels in normal circumstances causes relaxation and relieves pain. However, surge in the levels of dopamine following the consumption or administration of marijuana causes Euphoric high alongside other noticeable changes. The consumption of marijuana induces a euphoric state in the user along with serious craving for future use, giving rise to an addiction.

Marijuana

The addiction to marijuana is even more serious than addiction to other psychoactive drugs because the addicts do not regard it an addiction but a recreational substance, much like tobacco and hence they overlook its long term or chronic side effects. Moreover, the popularity of the Rastafarian culture in the West and its close association with weed has also catapulted it to a sort of ‘superstardom’ in the drug world. Marijuana has been associated with the development of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. Its long term use has been associated with decrease in the judgement efficiency and logical reasoning. Though, marijuana has been ranked by the British journal ‘The Lancet’ as one of the least potent drugs among the psychoactive drugs currently used, it is however regarded as the gateway drug. Experts are of the opinion that regular consumption of marijuana leads to the addiction of users to more potent psychoactive drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Marijuana is used by addicts as a means of seeking pleasure. It typically induces euphoria within 2-3 hours of consumption. It is consumed in the form of cookies (commonly known as brown cookies), candies, or extracts of varying proportions of marijuana such as tincture, tea or dry flowers that are smoked. It is one of the rare drugs that can be consumed by eating, drinking as well as smoking. The adverse effects of marijuana include impairment of memory, cognitive learning impairment, tachycardia, distorted perception, increased heart rate, abrupt decrement of blood pressure, while as the higher doses of the drug cause delusions and hallucinations in the addicts.

Due to its relatively low potency, there are several myths associated with the use of cannabis or weed. Some of them are:

• Marijuana is a recreational drug – This very common myth contributes to such a wide abuse of the drug globally. In fact, marijuana – in whichever form it may be – is extremely addictive. It has been known to make addicts psychologically dependent on it. In fact, studies have shown that frequent or regular smokers find abstinence from the drug very difficult as compared to occasional smokers.

• Marijuana is as harmless as candy – Well it might not be as potent as heroin or as physically damaging as cocaine, but the long term adverse effects of this drug are imperceptible and develop over a period of time, hence making them even harder to spot. The decision to have unprotected sex under the influence of the drug is one such evidence of the effect of this drug on impairment of judgement and reasoning.

The use of marijuana has been associated with a higher risk of heart attack. It leads to the sudden fluctuations in the blood pressure and abnormal fluctuations in the hormonal balance in the body. According to researchers, the risk of having a heart attack increases up to five times within an hour following the smoking of weed. Moreover, marijuana contains about 400 different types of chemicals as well as 60 different classes of cannabinol and Tetrahydrocannabinol. These chemical cocktails make marijuana twice as potent as cigarette smoke. If cigarette smoking has been proved to cause cancer, there is every reason to believe the fact that smoking marijuana may cause cancer. Marijuana smoke is known to cause much faster destruction of lung tissues as compared to cigarette smoke and has been proved to cause pulmonary complications in the longer run.

Marijuana Nugs

Marijuana has been proven to adversely affect all the vital organs of the body and there is not much literature available which can prove otherwise. That is the reason why it has been classified as the illegal drug all over the world.
Marijuana or weed is one of the most readily available psychotropic drugs in the world markets. A resinous form of this drug is popularly known as Hashish. Its use is more prevalent among youth in the college and school campuses. It is even used in certain religions on the occasion of festivals. Certain cults regard its use as a source of spirituality, thanks to the delusional effects and hallucinations that are the outcomes of its use. School and college students think it is cool and trendy to have a go at this drug. Despite the laws that have been enforced to limit or control its use, not much of a decrease has been seen with regard to its usage. In fact, if anything, marijuana abuse has been steadily growing in the recent years, much of it due to the glamorization of weed in the media and its portrayal as the accessory to a cool lifestyle. Although the use of marijuana for the first time does not necessarily cause addiction or the withdrawal symptoms might not be as scarier as experienced with psychoactive drugs such as heroin or cocaine, it can nonetheless make you an addict, after feeling high the first time, it is often impossible to curb the urges for the same.
Though the users of marijuana might not agree on the standards or protocols for determining addiction quotient, the simple test of confirming whether the user is an addict or not is that if the user has serious consequences following its administration and experiences any or all of the symptoms that are associated with its addiction, than he/she is a confirmed case of being a marijuana addict. One has to take into account every aspect including the judgement impairments or errors caused by the drug in the user, while determining the addiction coefficient of the user. It is safe for the user to assume that if he feels that his life is being controlled by the use of drug rather than him controlling the drug, he should be classified as the marijuana addict.
Just like the treatment in any other psychoactive drug addiction case, addiction of marijuana can be treated. Detoxification, as is the case with other drugs, is the initial step towards the complete recovery and rehabilitation of the user or addict. Sometimes, however, detoxification is carried under medical supervision of a registered physician, as marijuana users are usually multi-drug users.
There are certain hard realities that need to be overcome during the course of the treatment and rehabilitation. The first among those realities is that you are an addict even if you don’t realise it at first. Some of the tips of trying to abstain from addiction include:
The addict can never get rid of the addiction habit if he is not determined enough to overcome it. You have to be determined enough to analyse the perils associated with addiction and strive to make your life better by abstaining from the drug.

• Avoid people under whose influence you used marijuana for the first time or at subsequent times. If anything counsel your friends who are currently addicted to abstain from the drug.

• Make a fresh start. Discard all the things that are reminiscent of the marijuana addiction or use.

• Make the necessary changes in your daily routines. Avoid smoking parties or drinking sprees that would amplify your cravings for the drug. Make physical activities like exercising or swimming your daily routine instead.

• Ask for support from a family member or a friend who you think understands you better and would help you in giving up the habit (of addiction). If you can’t find anyone, join a rehabilitation center or attend de-addiction groups.

• Managing stress is the key for de-addiction. Try to avoid stress as much as possible. Use techniques such as meditation or yoga or go on a vacation to relieve yourself of the stress during the de-addiction process.

It is quite safe to say that smoking marijuana is in no way going to benefit your health. If anything, it will cripple you physically and mentally piece by piece. Not the effect one would want from a recreational drug.