Marijuana alters thinking

MARIJUANA is a mixture of the dried shredded leaves, stems and flowers of the cannabis sativa, the hemp plant.
The mixture can be green, brown or grey.
Of the approximately 400 chemicals in marijuana, delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is responsible for many of the drug’s psychotropic (mind altering) effects.
It is this chemical that changes how the brain works, distorting how the mind perceives the world.
As THC enters the brain, it causes the user to feel euphoric or high by acting on the brains reword system, which is made up of regions that govern the response to pleasurable things.
THC activates the reward system in the same way that nearly all the drugs of abuse do by stimulating the brain cells to release the chemical dopamine.
Along with euphoria, relaxation is another frequently reported effect in human studies.
Other effects, which vary dramatically among different users, include heightened sensory perception (eg, brighter colours), laughter, altered perception of time and increased appetite.
After a while, the euphoria subsides and the user may feel sleepy or depressed.
Marijuana use has negative effects on attention, memory and learning which can last for days or weeks.
Students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school, research shows that it can lower your IQ if you smoke marijuana regularly.

Tony Sam Kambi
Kamang, MINJ -Jiwaka