With the overwhelming amount of information that circulates about marijuana, both fact and fiction, it may feel difficult to find reliable sources that accurately describe how the drug may affect users in the long run. Despite its positive short-term effects and potential medical applications, excessive and consistent use has proven to lead to some negative long-term effects.
Cognitive development issues
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana affects brain development, especially when use begins in the teenage years, impairing things like thinking, learning, attention and memory. These impairments are proven negative long-term effects, evident even in adults who have stopped using the drug, revealed through IQ tests and other cognitive tests. American Addiction Centers reports that people who smoked weed regularly as teens often have memory problems as adults, including false memories and poor long-term storage, even abnormally shaped hippocampal regions in the brain.
Satisfaction and achievement issues
On a similar note, “Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use” also points to decreased levels of overall satisfaction and achievement for long-term marijuana users. The above impairments play into this, as there is evidence that “Heavy marijuana use has been linked to lower income, greater need for socioeconomic assistance, unemployment, criminal behavior and lower satisfaction with life.” Those who make a habit of using marijuana may perform poorly in educational or work-related circumstances; they may lack social development, miss opportunities, have a lower sense of well-being or lack motivation.
Addiction and other illnesses
Maybe contrary to popular belief, marijuana can be an addictive substance. Long-term and frequent use can lead to substance abuse and addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that between nine and 30 percent of marijuana users develop a use disorder like addiction, and for those who start use before the age of 18, the likelihood of a use disorder increases up to seven times that.
Using marijuana can have similar negative effects to smoking tobacco. There may be lung issues, coughs, trouble breathing, heart attacks, strokes, heart disease and more, according to American Addiction Centers and the American College of Cardiology.
There is also evidence that with long-term marijuana use, the risk of mental illness increases, including depression, anxiety, paranoia, schizophrenia and more. Those predisposed to mental illness may face a greater risk.
Although some research suggests potential connections between marijuana and cancers like testicular cancer or lung cancer, this has not yet been confirmed.
As a whole, long-term effects of marijuana will differ from person to person based on amount, frequency, method of consumption and other factors; it is still important to recognize the risks that one takes when using the drug.
