Health effects of marijuana: a review.

Abstract

The prevalence of marijuana use disorder has increased among marijuana users. Marijuana is an illicit drug that is becoming commonly used among youths and young adults and is detrimental to the human health. This review addresses the questions that most people have about the use and the effects of marijuana on the human health. The review focuses on the effects and its seriousness, affecting physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral changes to the human existence. Most of the findings in this review were based upon studies done recently in the United States of America. This review shows that that the most commonly used illicit drug (marijuana) contains an active chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which causes the mind-altering effects. When marijuana is smoked, its active ingredient, THC, travels throughout the body, including the brain, to produce its many effects. THC attaches to sites called cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells in the brain, affecting the way those cells function. The questions addressed include: "Is there treatments for marijuana abusers?"; and "Can marijuana be used as some forms of medication to human?".