In the 1960s, smoking marijuana was quite popular. There was something like a cultural revolution going on. Most of the people who smoked marijuana back then eventually quit and had families and enjoyed a normal life in American society. Only about 10% of those over the age of 25 became addicted, most just stopped. Yes, some have tried more powerful drugs like LSD, heroin, or tried acid, which is why some consider marijuana a “gateway” drug. The ’60s were a crazy time.

Those who remained on the party scene often turned to cocaine as their recreational drug of choice, which was beginning to catch on in the US in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Then there was the “war on drugs.” drugs” that continues today (citation 1).

In the ’60s, younger users, those starting in their mid to late teens, had higher rates of addiction, around 15-17%. Today, we realize that her adolescent brain was still forming, and the continued use of THC from all those afternoons of ‘dropping out of school’ ultimately affected her brain development. In essence, THC had rewired their brain, so they became dependent.

Today’s marijuana is more potent and more cause for alarm

THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that gets you high. Trust us when we tell you; Today’s hybrid marijuana is much more concentrated than the marijuana of yesteryear. In fact, one of the reasons marijuana is being legalized is because everyone who tried it in the 1960s didn’t find it that dangerous. Many have grown up and are now politically active, some even policy makers. Now we’ve had the president admit to smoking it. Needless to say, there’s a lot of history when it comes to marijuana (citation: 2).

We often hear marijuana legalization advocates say; alcohol is much more addictive and has killed many more people, especially when all alcohol-related auto deaths are taken into account. This is true, of course, you can’t argue with statistics. Advocates also say we can legalize and tax it and solve all our problems. Well not exactly.

This may seem like a fair assessment overall in the minds of those who tried it or smoked it frequently in the ’60s, but things are very different now. If we were only talking about old marijuana, it’s relatively harmless compared to some of the new stuff available in states that have legalized its use.

This new marijuana has extremely high levels of THC. For example, most of the marijuana smoked in the 1960s was relatively low in THC, with the strongest of the day around 6% compared to some of today’s extreme hybrid marijuana reaching almost 30%. %.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is a neurotoxin

Tetrahydrocannabinol is a crystalline compound, a chemical that is the main active ingredient in cannabis. The body produces cannabinoid chemicals naturally, so the cannabinoid receptors in the brain absorb tetrahydrocannabinol. Cannabinoid receptors are found in regions of our brain that have to do with coordination, pleasure, memory, time perception, and thought. That’s why THC gets you high.

Today’s hybrid marijuana marketers advertise the THC potency percentage as positive, because it gets you high faster and longer. That might be fine for you if your only goal is to get high, but if you value your mind, it’s a net negative in the long run.

How bad is marijuana use for mental health?

Marijuana use has been linked to serious mental health problems and psychiatric disorders. The research is exhaustive and quite conclusive. Some of the problems include depression, anxiety, dependency (addiction), psychosis, schizophrenia, dementia, and early-onset Alzheimer’s. Most of these studies are statistical in nature, and mind you, a lot of the research was done studying those who smoked the older stuff; not the new high concentration hybrid marijuana that is extremely THC heavy.

For those who smoke high-concentration marijuana on a daily basis, the risk of developing mental health problems is 500% higher. The risks of developing psychosis or schizophrenia increase again if you carry certain genes. Worried yet? And, not to scare anyone, but this is serious stuff. If you smoke marijuana every day and use high potency stuff, you need to stop before it completely destroys your brain.

What are the side effects of smoking high potency marijuana?

There are many brain-related and cognitive side effects of high-potency marijuana use. Some are temporarily desired by those looking to get high. Some are considered unfortunate side effects by users, but are somehow justified as being worth it, simply for the joy of participating and experiencing the temporary high. Let’s break down these adverse side effects, shall we?

During use and for the duration of intoxication, you will have short-term memory impairment. You can expect challenges in staying focused or making decisions. You will have awkward coordination, increased heart rate, and a bit of paranoia. After you are no longer intoxicated, and sometimes during intoxication, your ability to learn will be affected. You will experience problems with your sleep and your coordination will be less than optimal.

If you continue to use high-potency marijuana on a daily or regular basis, you may become dependent (addicted). You may drop a few levels in IQ, especially if you started in your mid-teens or early 20s (cite: 3), and you could have a permanent learning disability. Most likely, you have trouble remembering things, perhaps problems with both short-term and long-term memory. Your risk of becoming addicted to other drugs or alcohol increases almost 5 times according to statistical surveys. You could develop schizophrenia if you have a certain set of genes. If you don’t get the help you need soon, you could develop bipolar disorder (cite: 4). Eventually, your brain will not be able to think coherently.

If you smoke marijuana long term you will have lung problems, which will get progressively worse. If you vape your THC, there are certain additives and chemicals that may not mix correctly, and not all vape cartridge solutions are created equal – if you get the wrong ones and use them too many times, you could literally destroy your lungs and die.

References:

1.) YouTube video: “American Drug War,” posted by the Gravitas Ventures channel on August 8, 2012.

2.) YouTube Video: “The Greatest Marijuana Documentary Ever,” posted by ‘That Guy Over There’ on January 15, 2019.

3.) “Use of cannabis before the age of 15 and subsequent executive functioning”, by Maria Alice Fontes, Karen I. Bolla and Paulo Jannuzzi Cunha et. para. Published in The British Journal of Psychiatry (2011) 198, 442-447. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.110.077479.

4.) “Traditional Marijuana, High Potency Cannabis, and Synthetic Cannabinoids: Increased Risk of Psychosis,” by Robin Murray, Harriet Quigley, Diego Quattrone, Amir Englund, and Marta Di Forti. Published in the Journal of World Psychiatry 2016;15:195-204).