Voters in 11 states will be going to the polls in 2024 to legalize cannabis. A new Pew Research poll says 9 in 10 Americans say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, and a recent Gallup Poll showed that Americans reported marijuana smoking has more than doubled in the last decade.
About a quarter of young adults, those aged 18 to 34, say they smoke marijuana, and men are more likely than women to smoke it.
Weed, pot, grass, dope, hash, Mary Jane, marijuana, whatever you call it, if you smoke it or eat it, you may be giving your body a real buzz kill.
“The common misconceptions and attitudes are that marijuana is harmless, which it’s not,” said Cynthia Fontanella with the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University.
A new study, by the NIH found that daily use of cannabis was associated with a 25% increased likelihood of heart attack and a 42% increased likelihood of stroke.
And using marijuana at a young age increases the risk of developing schizophrenia or other mental disorders, especially for young men between the ages of 16 and 25.
“Kids that use cannabis tend to be more impulsive and it clouds their thinking and judgment,” explained Fontanella.
If you start young, it can cause permanent IQ loss by as much as eight points.
You can also have breathing problems and it may develop to Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, causing users to experience regular cycles of severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration.
It may be harder to participate in beneficial activities while using marijuana. A study found that 20% of individuals using marijuana for depression reported reduced motivation.