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When you consume cannabis, it has a unique and undeniable effect on your body. This is something not many people will deny. The only thing up for debate is whether or not this is a good thing. Extracted from the cannabis plant, cannabis is mostly smoked. The stems, leaves, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis plant can be used only after they’ve been macerated and dried. While cannabis is mostly smoked, it can be used in a vaporizer, brewed into tea, and mixed into food.

You may or may not know this but the active ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the mind-altering chemical. After you smoke it, cannabis does not take long to enter into your bloodstream. Ultimately, the cannabis in your bloodstream travels to your brain and other organs of your body. If you consume the cannabis via food or drink, it’ll take a little longer to absorb into your body. Whether you smoke it, eat it, or drink it, cannabis affects your body almost immediately. Though, the long-term effects of cannabis will depend on how much you take, how you take it and how often you take it.

In recent years, the use of cannabis has gained wide-acceptance in the United States. Today, the use of cannabis is legal in twenty-nine U.S states in one way or another. Moreover, 8 states legally allow recreational marijuana. Most therapeutic studies related to the use of cannabis focus on the main substances of cannabis i.e. cannabidol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Research on how cannabidol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) affects the body is ongoing.

As of now, sixty eight million Americans or 21% of the population can use cannabis without going to jail and this number is expected to increase in the coming years. Considering this, it is important to find out the effects cannabis can have on your body. Following are some of the ways (good and bad) cannabis affects the human body.

Cannabis Increases Your Risk for Bronchitis and Lung Infections

Just like tobacco, cannabis contains a variety of toxic chemicals that can exasperate your lungs and bronchial passages. Some of the harmful toxic chemicals in cannabis include hydrogen cyanide and ammonia. Regularly smoking cannabis can cause coughing, wheezing and production of phlegm in the body. More worryingly, smoking cannabis on a regular basis increases your risk for lung infections and bronchitis. Also, cannabis may cause aggravation of existing respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and asthma.

Cannabis contains significant amounts of carcinogens, a substance known to increase the risk of lung cancer. However, the National Institute of Drug Abuse argues this claim in a study. According to the federal-government research institute, more research is required to conclude whether or not cannabis causes lung cancer.

Cannabis temporarily increases your heart rate

 After you consume cannabis, your heart rate may increase by 20 to 5 beats a minute. However, this increase in heart rate is temporary. According to a study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, this change in heart rate will last anywhere from twenty minutes to three hours but not more.

 It is widely believed that the use of cannabis increase the risk of a heart attack. However, a recent report says that there isn’t sufficient evidence to disprove or support the idea that cannabis increases the risk of a heart attack. However, there was some limited evidence in the report that supported the idea of cannabis usage triggering a heart attack.

Cannabis may relieve some types of pain

The most talked about chemical in cannabis is Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. According to many researchers, high levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol in the body can be detrimental for health. This is mostly true. However, a mistake that most researchers make when studying cannabis is focusing only on THC. In addition to THC, cannabis contains cannabidiol or CBD, a chemical known to relieve certain types of pain and treat childhood conditions such as epilepsy. According to a new report, cannabidiol or CBD in cannabis can help to treat chronic pain. The majority of the people who use medical cannabis are those who want relieve from pain. Considering this, more research needs to be done on the effectiveness of cannabidiol in treating pain.

 

When you consume cannabis, it has a unique and undeniable effect on your body. Contrary to popular belief, this effect is mostly good. You can find out more about this here.

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