Marijuana use. I am wanting to know if anyone has a link that can actually show me what marijuana use does to the nerve endings in the brain while using it. I had been taught this at one time, but of course my head was not all there at the time, so I want to see what damage is done. I think the nerve endings are misdirected or something like that. Can some help?

Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals which can severely alter mood, affect memory, reduce reaction times and damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect against disease.

Scientists are still learning about the many ways that marijuana could affect the brain, but studies have shown that heavy or daily use affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention, and learning. In laboratory research, scientists found that high doses of THC, (marijuana's active ingredient) given to young rats caused a loss of brain cells such as that seen with aging. At 11 or 12 months of age (about half their normal life span), the rats' brains looked like those of animals in old age.

To answer your question on what marijuana use does to the nerve endings in the brain, according to this website:

"Regular marijuana use may, in the long run, widen the gaps between nerve endings in the brain that are necessary for such vital functions as memory, emotion and behavior."

Thanks very much for the links, I was asking because I knew it had something to do with memory. I was having a conversation with a freind at work, and I was trying to explain what it did. For the life of me, I just couldn't tell how the brain cells reacted. I thought they got damaged somehow, and didn't come back. Once they're gone, they're gone. Is that right?

I see someone did their homework. Nice work Karrow. The last I heard from scientific study was a problem of isolation. Most people who smoke pot usually aren't exclusive. They drink or may use another drug, which makes any true effects difficult to point to just pot alone.

It's one of those things. My dad told me that long before doctors and the Surgeon Gerneral ore is it the General Surgeon? Back to the real subject, my dad told me that everyone knew what a smokers cough was. Those days, people smoked non-filtered cigarettes. The older they got, they couldn't breathe too well anymore. The doctors even smoked then.

I'm old enough to remember the VietNam war, even though I was a kid and the fast popularity of pot smoking afterwards. I know so many who never stopped. I grew up in a small town. Everyone knew everyone and the police weren't too big of a deal in the mountains. It went ignored as something dumb to do. As long as you didn't steal, fight, or cause any trouble with anyone, police ignored it.

I'm quite a bit older now. A long time ago, it wasn't anything to be too ashamed of, like it is today, smoking pot and having a few beers that is. It was just having a little fun is all.

Time does have it's way of flying. I'm 40 something. A woman really doesn't have to tell her age, does she? I and quite a few of my friends have notice old friends that act so dumb, you can't really talk to them anymore.

It isn't so much the dumb things they do. It is more like talking to them about subjects everyone of our age group understands, problems with your kids, job, fixing your house, stuff like that. We all change with age. I just wish my body would quit reminding me! We have different issues and concerns than we did in younger days.

Just like my dad told me about cigarettes a long time ago, the same is true about pot smoking. Pot smoking over a period of time will and does make you stupid. Since I have lived in the same small town all my life, it sure is sad to see what happened to your old friends. You can't relate to them anymore.

Well, I guess the opposite is really true. You can relate to them. They think like kids. Try talking to them when you are upset about what your kid did, meaning young adults at our age. They don't get you at all. They think like kids still. You don't. They don't understand why you might be concerned about this or that. They never left a mentality of a young adult and stopped learning a long time ago.

I feel for them and what they have done to their body and mind. If a cigarette is bad, what do you think inhaling a pot and holding your breath does to your lungs? It's really bad. I have to say that I miss some old friends that can't grow with the rest of us because they destroyed their mind and it truthfully never comes back. The damage to body and mind is done and never goes away. It is sad. It is sad for those who care about them too.

Like my dad's generation and any question about cigarettes and will it harm the body, yes. Everyone knew it. They didn't have to wait til the docs said so. They saw it for themselves.

We, as we get a little older, see the problems with pot smoking. You bet. It is a big problem. They are still happy, but those who care about them, family and friends, are not thrilled. I don't guess that we are supposed to live to make everyone else happy though.

I'm sure you are probably a young person asking this question. Take it from us older folks, pot will damage your brain and it doesn't come back. That's the truth.

When someone talks about having "blackouts", (e.g. Not remembering what happened from a certain time point) do you think that is drug related or alcohol related? Or both? Also, when someone has experienced this, isn't this a true sign they have a problem? Losing memory is definitely not good.

The very first time I drank.. I drank about 10 beers.. and had total personality changes (throwing shoes at people and breaking windows) and blackouts. I did no drugs, and so, for me, it was alcohol related.

It also pointed out clearly to me that I am not a "good" drinker.. and I rarely do it. (Mostly though, I just hate the taste of alcohol anyway, so it is no great loss)

It's a good thing you don't like the taste, I didn't either at first. There are people who just have to have it to feel normal, and it's pretty sad.

I have seen how whiskey will make people mean, have you? It seems like the stronger alcohol gives them a buzz quicker, but boy can you imagine what thier liver looks like?

Can it give you lung cancer like cigarettes can?

Look at this i foundhttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n1045.a03.html I dont know if i believe this or not though.

Puppy, are you asking if alcohol can give you lung cancer?

Cancer of the mouth, tongue, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus and liver are commonly associated with alocohol consumption.

No, I was asking about marijuana. I just wondered because of Doug's use. He has been using that along with the meth for sometime now. (he's not used for two weeks now, he's been in the hospital, let's pray he stays clean.)

Anyway, they are doing biopsy's (sp?) of things they found in his lungs and I wondered if marijuana can cause cancer of the lungs.

Pup check out that link i gave you thats what it is about ok?

Okay, thanks Sammy. I couldn't get it to come up yesterday, but my computer was being a piece.

Thanks for the link.

Pup, I think marijuana CAN do damage to the lungs. Here's an incerpt from one of the links Sher gave me:

The harmful effects of marijuana on the Lungs

Significant damage and destruction of the air sacs of the lungs, reducing the lungs ability to bring oxygen and remove carbon dioxide - Emphysema.

Causes bronchial tubes to be inflamed, thickened and to produce more mucus; resulting in narrowing of the air passages - Chronic Bronchitis.

Marijuana smoke has twice as much "tar" as cigarette smoke and significantly increases chance of lung cancer, inflammation and infection.


This was taken from this page:

Harmful effects of Marijuana

thought this sources might be useful: http://www.cancerawarenesscenter.com

Edited to remove unrelated advertising link.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Karrow,

It's not all bad news. Apparently there is something to what Samantha posted back in February 2004. Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer (Scientific American) They talk about how surprised the researchers were, given the apparently heavier load of carcinogens in marijuana compared to tobacco.

quote:

But after controlling for tobacco, alcohol and other drug use as well as matching patients and controls by age, gender and neighborhood, marijuana did not seem to have an effect, despite its unhealthy aspects...The study does not reveal how marijuana avoids causing cancer. Tashkin speculates that perhaps the THC chemical in marijuana smoke prompts aging cells to die before becoming cancerous.

The research was presented at the American Thoracic Society in May 2006.

On the original topic of marijuana's effects on brain cells, there's also some encouraging news: Hope for cannabis-based drug for Alzheimer's (New Scientist) This study was in rats, using a synthetic cannabis analog. Older rats treated with the compound did better running mazes than the controls. The research was presented at the Society for Neuroscience in October 2006.