Marijuana: Health Effects
Immediate/short-term effects of use/intoxication
- Produces state of relaxation, happiness, euphoria (a drug “high”)
- Can intensify perceptions (sounds, colors seem more intense; enjoyment of music or art may seem intensified)
- Increases appetite and thirst
- Produces dry mouth
- Dilates blood vessels, including in the eye
- Reduces intra-ocular pressure
- Can decrease nausea
- Impairs time perception
- Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions
- Impairs ability to store and retrieve learned information—thus, it impairs memory (by affecting the hippocampus)
- Impairs coordination and balance (by affecting the cerebellum and basal ganglia)
- Increases heart rate (by affecting the hypothalamus and brain stem)
- Can cause anxiety and panic attacks (by affecting the amygdala)
- Slows reaction time
- Impairs ability to focus attention and shift attention
- Impairs ability to track objects moving into or across one’s visual field
- Impairs perception of velocity and acceleration of other vehicles on the road
- May affect implantation of a fertilized embryo in the womb
- Can impair erections
- Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent)
- Produces tolerance
- Produces withdrawal
- Impairs memory and learning skills
- Can lead to depression and decreased motivation/interest
- Can affect work/school attendance/performance
- Can interfere with adolescent emotional and cognitive development.
Long-term (cumulative, potentially permanent effects of chronic abuse)
- Can lead to addiction
- Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema
- Can interfere with immune system
- Increases risk of cancer of the head, neck, and lungs
- Decreases testosterone levels, sperm counts, and sperm motility
Information courtesy of Michael M. Miller, M.D., NewStart Medical Director, Meriter Hospital. For more on this topic, see the related article, Marijuana: Addiction and Other Issues.
