Marijuana is one of the most commonly abused drugs in the world. This is because it is relatively cheap in its true form and can be easily bought and grown. As a plant, its leaves are green with five spiky separations per leaf, like a spread out hand. It can grow fast and is hardy hemp that is named Cannabis Sativa.

Marijuana is sold as a dry greenish brown mixture of flowers, leaves, stems and seeds of the plant. People usually smoke this plant just like a cigarette or maybe put it in a bong (a glass device for inhaling the smoke, much like a pipe). Others also use it as a tea or mixed with food. Many heated debates have been launched in support of the plant and against it. It has been used for different reasons for centuries but mainly for the hallucinogenic effect and it medicinal properties. Many countries across Asia still use it in spite of its ugly reputation and the question of legality.

Marijuana has short term effect and long term effects on people. Within a few minutes of inhaling the smoke of the cannabis hemp, it should take effect on your brain. The main chemical element in Marijuana that usually affects people is THC, also known as delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. Some protein receptors in our nerve cells actually bind with THC and this starts off a series of events in our brain. This series of events in our brain ultimately ends with the high that users experience. It enters the body within minutes if it is smoked since it passes through the lungs into the bloodstream. It is not actually the Marijuana that is detected by the drug test kits but metabolites which are residue of the drug.

Many of the protein receptors that bind with THC to create the high are located in the part of our brain that influence our sensory, memory, concentration, pleasure, thought, time perception and movement. This is the reason why so many users like getting high because they actually sense pleasure and happiness with the high which the cannabis creates. On the other hand, Marijuana can also affect an individual’s judgment, learning, memory, distorted perception and cause increased heart rate. Long term effects of Marijuana are loss of memory, distorted perception and stress.

Marijuana also affects the heart by exposing the user to four times the risk of a heart attack within the initial hour of using the drug. It can also cause upper respiratory complications such as a painful cough and stinging throat and mouth. Users are prone to acute chest illness, high risk of lung infections and prone to obstructed airways.

Marijuana stays in an individual’s system for as short as three days and more than ninety days. The length of stay depends on how long the individual has used Marijuana and the metabolism of a person. This means not everybody has the same length of time when Marijuana stays in your body.