Treatment for Marijuana Addiction in Newport Beach, California.
Marijuana Treatment at Morningside Recovery.
Marijuana:
There are many illegal drugs that are abused by people throughout the United States today, including methamphetamines, cocaine, crack, heroin, benzodiazepines and opiates. But of all of these drugs, marijuana appears to be the most popular. Often described as the “gateway” drug, the myths surrounding marijuana are many. This article is written to debunk those myths and expose the truth behind the dangers of marijuana use.
Marijuana has been described as a “safe” drug – no more harmful than alcohol – a normal part of the coming of age process. Marijuana abuse has become so commonplace in today’s society that it has achieved the status of being socially acceptable. This ambivalent attitude toward marijuana usage has led many to be lulled into the belief that it is harmless. The facts surrounding marijuana are quite different than what one would expect.
Marijuana is not the same drug that was introduced to today’s adults in the 1960s. Advances in technology relating to cultivating, harvesting and preparing the drug for sale has led to dramatic increases in levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive substance found in the marijuana plant. THC levels have risen from 6 percent in 1975 to as high as 33 percent as recently as 2003.
As a result, modern marijuana is much more potent and potentially dangerous than the 10-dollar “three-finger lid” sold everywhere just four decades ago. Parents need to keep this in mind when they are educating their children about the harmful effects of its use.
Adding to the danger, marijuana dealers have now mixed other potentially fatal substances into the drug. Recent tests show that codeine, formaldehyde, cocaine, and PCP have been added to the batch. As worldwide marijuana distribution becomes commonplace, users have little or no knowledge as to where their drug of choice is coming from, nor do they have any idea what “extras” might be included to enhance the marijuana they are purchasing.
The effects of marijuana can be felt almost immediately after ingestion, either by smoking or including the leafy substance in a food product. Physiological effects can include increased heart rate, bloodshot eyes, enhanced feelings of hunger or thirst, and heavy breathing.
Psychological effects can include intensification of sound, sight and physical touch, extreme relaxation, along with impaired motor skills. These feelings can last any length of time, depending upon method of ingestion and the amount of THC levels in the marijuana. Usually the effects last from one to four hours.
Marijuana is psychologically addictive and can be harmful to the health – no matter what the skeptics might claim. Extended use of marijuana leads to extreme cravings for more marijuana, combined with a compulsive use of the drug without regard to the consequences. After a relatively short time of habitual use, the marijuana user will find himself requiring more of the drug, using it more frequently throughout the day, sometimes ingesting the drug every few hours throughout the course of the day. This habitual use often leads to mixing the drug with even more dangerous drugs such as heroin, cocaine and alcohol in order to increase the effects – thus the nickname for marijuana as a “gateway” drug.
Marijuana is no longer the cute “hippie” drug of the 1960s. The subject should be taken as seriously as a train wreck when treating the habitual user, or introducing the subject to young children.
At Morningside, Quality, Caring Heroin Addiction Treatment is Affordable.
