Smoking Weed May Permanently Change How You Walk

Smoking Weed May Permanently Change How You Walk

Editor: Draco Copper | Tactical Investor

Marijuana users Walk differently

Researchers in Australia may have identified one more effect. According to a new study, smoking weed could permanently change the way you walk.

For the experiment, researchers from the University of South Australia used two groups of 22 people. The first group was the weed-smoking group.

Members of this group had consumed weed more than five times but did not have a history of using stimulants or opioids. The second group of 22 people had not consumed weed or drugs.

The people who had consumed cannabis moved their knees faster when walking. At the same time, they moved their shoulders less than the non-weed group. Despite these differences, there were no changes in the speed at which different groups walked or in how well each group could keep their balance.

Most of the research on illicit drug use focuses on long-term changes in cognition and psychological well-being,” researcher Verity Pearson-Dennett told sources.

“Illicit drugs exert their effects by changing the levels of neurotransmitters in the ‘pleasure centers’ of the brain, but these neurotransmitters are also very important in movement.”

He continued: “It is, therefore, possible that these drugs may impact the way we move.”  Full Story

Marijuana’s effect on the Mind

The intoxicating chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. According to research from the Potency Monitoring Project, the average THC content of marijuana has soared from less than 1 per cent in 1972, to 3 to 4 per cent in the 1990s, to nearly 13 per cent in 2010. Today, some retail marijuana has 30 per cent THC or more. The increased potency makes it difficult to determine the short- and long-term effects of marijuana

“In some cases, reported side effects of THC include elation, anxiety, tachycardia, short-term memory recall issues, sedation, relaxation, pain relief and many more,” said A.J. Fabrizio, a marijuana chemistry expert at Terra Tech Corp, a California agricultural company focused on local farming and medical cannabis.

Other effects, according to the NIH, include:

  • Feelings of panic and fear (paranoia)
  • Hallucinations
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Decreased ability to perform tasks that require coordination
  • Decreased interest in completing tasks Full Story

The effects of marijuana on the body are often immediate.

Longer-term effects may depend on how you take it, how much you use, and how often you use it. The exact effects are hard to determine because marijuana has been illegal in the U.S., making studies difficult and expensive to conduct.

Much like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke is made up of a variety of toxic chemicals, including ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, which can irritate your bronchial passages and lungs. If you’re a regular smoker, you’re more likely to wheeze, cough, and produce phlegm. You’re also at an increased risk of bronchitis and lung infections. Marijuana may aggravate existing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis.

THC moves from your lungs into your bloodstream and throughout your body. Within minutes, your heart rate may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute. That rapid heartbeat can continue for up to three hours. If you have heart disease, this could raise your risk of heart attack. Full Story

Health Effects of Marijuana

The short-term effects of marijuana include:

  1. Distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch)
  2. Problems with memory and learning
  3. Loss of coordination
  4. The trouble with thinking and problem-solving
  5. Increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure
A UK study at the University of Edinburgh using DEXA-scan x-rays found that heavy users of marijuana lower body weight and a reduced body mass index (BMI), which could contribute to loss of bone density. Heavy users were defined as those who had smoked more than 5,000 times during their lifetime.

Because marijuana smoke contains three times the amount of tar found in tobacco smoke and 50 per cent more carcinogens, it would seem logical to deduce that there is an increased risk of lung cancer for marijuana smokers. However, researchers have not been able to definitively prove such a link because their studies have not been able to adjust for tobacco smoking and other factors that might also increase the risk. Full Story

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