Marijuana and its effects on mental health

Marijuana is a drug used commonly in the world among teenagers. The countries most affected are New Zealand, United States of America, Australia and several countries in Western Europe. It is estimated that around162 million people all over the world use marijuana and this represents 3.9 percent of the population worldwide (Sundram, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marijuana and its effects on mental health specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is believed that the consumption of this drug is associated with several negative impacts on human health. Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze the epidemiological research study findings that will show the relationship between marijuana and its effects on mental health. Marijuana is a drug that is smoked like a cigarette. Studies show that the drug has adverse effects on the brain of the users. It has an active herbal component that is referred to as tetrahydrocanna binal that is known for its negative effects on cannabinoid receptors (Murray Bevins 2010). Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal greatly affects the CB receptors. To understand the altering role of cannabis, it is necessary to understand that CB receptors are divided into CB1 and CB2. CB1 plays a variety of regulatory roles in the body and is found in many parts of the brain. On the other hand, CB2 receptors play the role of regulating the immune system. CB! Activates G-proteins then reduce the production of Calcium ions while increasing Potassium ion distribution. These processes lead to â€Å"†¦depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition† (Murray and Bevins, 2010, p. 266). This process generally leads to impeding of transmission from the presynaptic terminal.† Endogenous cannabinoid becomes more at the post synaptic stage causing further postsynaptic excitation. The effect of marijuana on the CB1 receptors have has great impacts on the daily activities of an indivi dual. The synaptic processes are great factors in learning and the process of memorization. In precision, use of marijuana affects an individual’s memory and learning process through the impact of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal component that affects the CB1 receptors. This happens through the inhibition of endocannabinoid signaling which is a prerequisite for the learning process that takes place in the cerebrum. Furthermore, the same endocannabinoid signaling is a prerequisite for the processes of memorization that take place in the amygdale (Murray, Morrison, Henquet Forti, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other studies have also pointed out that early stages of marijuana use leads to reduced blood flow to the brain. This is referred to as cerebral blood flow. However, the effect is not similar with experienced marijuana users of whom the study pointed out increase in cerebral blood flow. As compared to placebo, the use of marijuana generally increased cerebral blood flow in the globe especially in the frontal lobe and the right hemisphere. Another study pointed out increased metabolism in the cerebral after induction of marijuana (OLeary, Block, Koeppel, Flaum, Schultz, Andreasen,Ponto, Watkins,Hurtig Hichwa,2002). Short-term memory is another victim of increased use of cannabis. According to Iversen (2003), several studies have been carried out and proved that short term memory is greatly impaired by increased use of cannabis. It has been proved that most users of marijuana faired poorly in tests that included attention. On other studies carried out on animals, it was clearly founded that THC which is the most active component of marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids and anandamide affect an individual’s short term memory. This was very evident also in tasks that involved spatial learning. He further shows that cannabinoids affect to a great extend the hippocampus. The effects of the use of marijuana can be comparable to those exhibited by the removal of this important part of the brain (Richardson, 2010). Cannabinoids impair with the ability of this part to process the sensory information through disrupting of the hippocampal circuits. There are other effects of marijuana on the brain that have not been scientifically proved. For instance, medical research on deceases associated with brains show that there is an increase in chances of having several of these deceases in individuals who smoke marijuana. For instance, Sundram (2006) argues that the use of marijuana can be associated with most of the common mental health problems. Among them are strong links between use of cannabis and depression. In addition, cannabis was also linked to anxiety, bipolar disorder, manic and hypomanic symptoms, psychosis et cetera.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marijuana and its effects on mental health specifical ly for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his conclusion, it is clear that there is a complex relationship between the use cannabis and these mental diseases. However, it calls for further research because so far no clear causes have been identified. Even so, use of cannabis has been scientifically tested and proved to have exacerbate the symptoms of most of the mental diseases. Murray et al (2007) bring out another negative effect of marijuana on the brain. In their argument, they purport that use of marijuana negatively implicates on higher brain functions. This can be attributed to the effects of THC on the neocortex. Neocortex is affected by marijuana given the high concentration of CB1 in it. The effect of THC on pre and post synaptic processes is explained earlier in the paper. As a result of these, marijuana users tend to experience time moving faster than the normal speed at which the rest of the people experience. If asked t estimate the tim e spent during a period, they tend to over-estimate time. On the other side, if asked to give cue after an estimated period of time, they tend to give the cue after a shorter duration that outlined. Laaris, Good Lupica (2010) argue that marijuana has great effects on the hypothalamus. The endocannabinoid anandamide had been proved to be a great stimulant of food intake in animals. The study concluded that the hypothalamus contained the endocannabinoids which play an integral role in regulation of food intake. This points out that impairment of the CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus might have effects on the control of food intake. Use of marijuana (which is actually the injection of THC) inhibits the production of leptin and hence increases the appetite of the individual. This means that use of marijuana impairs with an individual’s ability to control food intake. In conclusion, research has clearly pointed out that use of marijuana has drastic effects on the functioning of th e brain. The CB1 receptors which are very common in the brain when impaired can have negative effects on high level functioning of the brain, short term memory, food intake regulation, increase in cerebral blood flow and exacerbation of symptoms of mental health complications. All these effects of marijuana are caused by the Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal, and other active chemical elements found in marijuana that alter the functioning of the CB1 elements in the brain. Although the use of marijuana has been associated with some few positive effects, the negative ones simply outweigh them.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is therefore important that an individual understands the effects that the drug has on their brain and how this impacts their day to day lives before making the decision of using marijuana. Reference List Iversen, L. (2003). Cannabis and the brain. Brain, 126, 1252-1270. Laaris, N., Good, C., Lupica, C. (201O).Tetrahydrocannabinol is a full at CB1 Receptors on GABA neuron axon terminals in the hippocampus.  Neuropharmacology, 59, 121-127. Murray, J., Bevins, R., (2010). Cannabinoid conditioned reward and aversion: Behavioral and neural process. ACS Chemical neuroscience, 1, 265 -278. Murray, R., Morrison, P., Henquet, C., Forti, M. (2007). Cannabis, and mind the Society: the hash realities.Science and society, 8, 885. OLeary, D., Block, R., Koeppel, J., Faum, M., Schultz, S., Andreasen, A., Ponto, L.,Watkins, G., Hurtig, G., Hichwa, R. (2002). Effects of smoking marijuana on perfusion and cognition. Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(6), 802-816. Richardson, T. (2010). Cannabis us e and mental health: A review of recent epidemiological research. International journal of pharmacology, 6(6), 796-807 Sundram, S., (2006).Cannabis and neurodevelopment: implications for psychiatric disorders. Human psychopharmacology, 21, 245. This essay on Marijuana and its effects on mental health was written and submitted by user Paula E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.