Buzz
Weed is a beloved choice among recreational users, often considered less harmful than drugs concocted in shady labs. Marijuana presents itself as a 'natural' substance, yet beneath its leafy exterior lie unsettling side effects that can be quite alarming.
Marijuana is linked to a variety of dangerous effects, from heart attacks and shrinking brain cells to the onset of psychotic episodes and a decline in overall happiness. Surprisingly, it also plays a role in several unresolved medical phenomena and might even be the key to solving a larger, deadlier drug epidemic.
10. The Dangerous Heart Attack Lollipop
A 2019 medical report uncovered the alarming risks of consuming marijuana lollipops. The case involved a 70-year-old man who had smoked marijuana in his youth. In an attempt to ease his insomnia and osteoarthritis, he turned to edible marijuana in the form of a lollipop, leading to serious health complications.
Though the concept of a marijuana-infused lollipop sounds charming, there's a significant difference between the typical candy and its THC-laced counterpart. This particular lollipop contained an astonishing 90 milligrams of THC, which is more than twelve times the THC in a standard joint.
Rather than inducing peaceful slumber, the active ingredient in the lollipop caused terrifying hallucinations. The man, who had a history of heart problems, experienced a dangerous mix of stress hormones, rapid pulse, elevated blood pressure, and anxiety, ultimately triggering a heart attack.
The lollipop was intended for multiple doses: lick, feel the high, store it away for later. However, consuming it all in one go was a dangerous mistake, though fortunately, the man survived the ordeal.
9. The Sperm Question
The debate surrounding marijuana remains a hot topic, particularly in men's health. One of the most contentious issues is whether smoking weed increases or decreases sperm count.
A 2015 study from Denmark revealed that using marijuana more than once a week resulted in a 30% reduction in sperm count. A more recent study conducted at a Massachusetts hospital involved about 665 men who underwent fertility evaluations from 2000 to 2017, part of which involved completing a questionnaire.
One section of the questionnaire focused on drugs and alcohol. Around 55% of participants confessed to having tried marijuana at some point in their lives, while 11% indicated they were current users. Surprisingly, the semen samples of these men showed higher sperm counts compared to those who had never smoked the drug. The longer they avoided marijuana use, the higher their sperm count seemed to be.
The discussion remains ongoing due to the conflicting results of these studies. However, it seems that moderate marijuana use might have a slight increase in sperm count, whereas heavy usage appears to reduce sperm production.
8. Lower Pain Tolerance
In Colorado, doctors observed that some trauma patients required higher doses of painkillers than expected. Upon closer investigation, it was found that many of these patients were frequent marijuana users. This was unexpected, as marijuana has historically been used as a pain relief remedy.
To understand the cause, researchers analyzed trauma cases from Colorado and Texas, involving 260 individuals who were victims of severe car accidents in 2016. Of these, 54 had recently used marijuana, and 16 admitted to using it daily. Additionally, 9 percent tested positive for illicit street drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines.
Those who were drug-free managed pain with an average dose of 5.6 milligrams of opioid medications daily. However, marijuana users required 7.6 milligrams to achieve similar pain relief. A separate study in Colorado on burn victims showed that heavy marijuana users also needed significantly more opioids compared to non-users.
These findings suggest that marijuana users may experience longer recovery periods, extended hospital stays, and require specialized narcotic treatments due to their increased need for pain management.
7. It Weakens Muscle Control
Most research on marijuana focuses on its psychotropic effects, such as mood alterations and hallucinations. However, in 2015, Spanish scientists explored another potential side effect—impaired motor skills. Some individuals have difficulty swallowing, breathing, or speaking properly.
To investigate this, the researchers turned to mice and synthetic marijuana compounds to study how the psychoactive elements affect motor neurons—nerve cells that control muscle movement.
The study focused on motor neurons located in the tongue. These neurons control muscle contractions needed for speech, swallowing, and breathing. Experiments on the mice revealed that the psychoactive compounds disrupted communication between these neurons, leading to reduced activity and, consequently, muscle weakness.
Interestingly, the Spanish researchers suggest that this could help explain why some patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, experience relief when using marijuana. While the exact mechanism is unclear, it may be related to the reduced activity of motor neurons.
6. Teenagers and Depression
The silver lining here is that smoking marijuana during adolescence, in itself, doesn't typically trigger depression. That deeper sense of hopelessness tends to emerge later. An international survey compiled data on adults who had been depressed in both the United Kingdom and the United States. This study analyzed 11 previous studies that tracked thousands of cannabis-using adolescents into their adult years.
When compared to non-users, the cannabis users showed higher rates of suicide attempts, anxiety, and clinical depression. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that over 460,000 adults might have avoided depression had they never used marijuana during their teenage years.
The primary reason teenagers are so susceptible to these effects is that their brains are still developing. Many receptors form during this period and are highly sensitive to changes. The depression may stem from receptors, which usually produce serotonin—the 'feel-good' neurotransmitter—becoming clogged with the psychoactive compound THC instead.
5. It Shrinks the Brain
In 2014, researchers in Texas conducted a study with 48 individuals who had a long history of marijuana use. These participants, who had been consuming weed at least three times a day for a decade, were put through cognitive challenges while their brains were scanned. Unfortunately, the results were concerning.
On average, the results indicated that the participants had a lower IQ than non-users. Furthermore, a region of the brain known as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) had shrunk. This area plays a key role in decision-making, neural connectivity, and addiction, and is responsible for making rewards feel pleasurable.
Since the OFC's role is to drive individuals to seek out rewarding experiences, a reduction in its size may not be ideal. Interestingly, the study also found that the brain tried to adapt by increasing connections between other regions, improving the brain's structural integrity. However, after about six years of marijuana use, this enhanced connectivity started to decline.
4. Fading Effect Bias
The human mind has an intriguing mechanism known as the 'fading effect bias.' Researchers compare it to an emotional immune system that dulls the emotional intensity of memories, erasing negative emotions more rapidly than positive ones. This bias likely serves a mental health purpose—by reducing the weight of bad feelings, it helps prevent emotional overload.
In 2018, a study revealed a concerning discovery: heavy marijuana use seemed to interfere with the fading effect bias. Volunteers who used marijuana at least four times a week were found to hold onto negative emotions associated with their memories. Furthermore, they described positive memories in broad terms, like ‘a holiday’ instead of specific events, such as snorkeling in Hawaii.
Interestingly, these characteristics are also common among individuals with depression. As is often the case with marijuana research, reaching a definitive conclusion is challenging. The study established a connection between the drug and depression, noting that marijuana use appeared to destabilize the happy bias, though the exact process remains unclear.
3. The Opioid Solution
In the United States, over 130 people die each day from opioid overdoses. Opioids are found in painkillers, heroin, and a synthetic variant called fentanyl. The related misuse, criminal activity, and medical expenses impose an annual burden of $78.5 billion on the US economy.
In 2018, two studies presented evidence that legal marijuana could be playing a key role in reducing opioid abuse and prescriptions. States that legalized recreational cannabis saw the most significant drop in opioid use, while medical-only marijuana laws had a more moderate impact. These findings reinforced earlier research from 2014, which reported a 25 percent lower overdose rate in states with medical marijuana.
Those who are combating the opioid epidemic from both scientific and medical perspectives are hopeful that more marijuana dispensaries will become part of the solution. However, not all lawmakers are fully supportive of this approach. While marijuana isn’t without its flaws, it may ultimately be the best option in a crisis where there are few alternatives.
2. The Psychosis Link
Marijuana has a shadowy side, and increasing evidence links it to individuals encountering psychosis for the first time. Psychotic conditions are marked by an inability to distinguish reality from delusion, which can include seeing or hearing things that aren't real.
Heavy marijuana use puts individuals at four times the risk of developing schizophrenia, a condition that impairs mental clarity. Regular users also face double the risk of developing a psychotic disorder compared to non-users.
The primary connection between marijuana and psychosis is linked to the plant’s psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Researchers suggest this happens because THC imitates psychotic symptoms, potentially paving the way for more severe mental health issues.
When THC was administered to healthy participants, they exhibited signs of psychosis. On the other hand, patients already diagnosed with schizophrenia experienced more intense symptoms. Other factors also contribute to making marijuana users more vulnerable to psychosis, including certain genetic predispositions, the potency of the weed strain, synthetic cannabinoid use, a paranoid personality, childhood trauma, and beginning to smoke during adolescence.
1. Mysterious Syndrome
Intense nausea and upset stomach. Dizziness. Severe abdominal cramps. These are symptoms of a peculiar illness that can only be relieved by a hot shower or bath. This condition wasn’t officially tied to cannabis until 2004, when it was named cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).
The condition is still not well understood, partly because many users don’t associate their symptoms with marijuana. Even healthcare providers often fail to identify it, and there’s still uncertainty about which compounds in marijuana are responsible for triggering the syndrome.
In 2018, a comprehensive survey revealed that long-term marijuana use was a key factor in triggering the condition. One of the most surprising discoveries was the widespread nature of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), with new estimates suggesting that as many as two million people in the United States are affected, a stark contrast to earlier beliefs that the condition was rare.
Currently, there’s no known cure for CHS other than quitting the drug. The condition disappears once a person discontinues their cannabis use, but it inevitably returns if they resume smoking.
