Marijuana is usually smoked but as it has become more and more popular there are new ways to use the drug more readily available. When it is smoked it can be rolled into a “joint,” similar to how tobacco is in a cigarette, some users make “blunts” by opening up cigars, taking out the tobacco, and replacing it with marijuana. Joints and blunts can also be laced with other drugs such as PCP or cocaine. There are also pipes sometimes called “pieces” that users can smoke it out of and bongs. It can also be mixed with food to create edibles such as hard candies, cookies, brownies, candy bars, or brewed as a tea. Hashish or hash can be found in flat cakes, amber or brown oil in small glass bottles.
Medical detox plays a large role in successful addiction treatment.
Short Term Effects
reduced anxiety (not all users), lack of motivation, sleepiness
panic attacks or anxiety (not all users)
feelings of happiness
bloodshot eyes
mild hallucinations, disorientation, slow reaction time, poor coordination
increased appetite and heart rate
lung damage
sore throats, chest colds
sperm deformity, sterility in men
upset menstrual cycle in women
Long Term Effects
mood changes, lack of motivation
lung damage, bronchitis
sperm deformity, sterility in men
reduced ability to learn and retain information
reduced sexual capacity
suppression of the immune system, growth disorders, abnormal cell structures
To treat marijuana abuse symptoms, we offer the following programs to help with addiction issues:
As the view of marijuana use changes in our society and culture, it still does not discount the negative medical signs and symptoms. The symptoms can affect a person’s physical and emotional health, social interactions and even affect their financial well being. If these symptoms are becoming an issue, marijuana addiction treatment may be necessary.
Are you in need of marijuana addiction treatment?
If so, Recovery Ways is here to help and start you on the road to recovery. We have admissions coordinators standing by ready to take your call and place you in the best drug rehab program available. If you or your loved one is ready to start living healthy and sober, let our admissions team help.
Call 888.986.7848 and take the first step towards a new, sober life.
Are you ready to get addiction help for your marijuana abuse?
If a marijuana addiction is causing harm to you, your family or your life speak directly to one of our admissions coordinators. They can review your insurance and place you in an inpatient treatment facility that best fits your needs.
Marijuana Addiction
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world and often the first illegal drug people use. It also can often lead to harder drugs in the future. For example, the risk of a person using cocaine increases by 104 percent if he or she has smoked marijuana at least one time in his or her life. Although some states have legalized the drug it is still important to note that using marijuana often leads to more dangerous drug use, which is why it’s often referred to as a “gateway drug.” Marijuana rehab programs at Recovery Ways provide the help a person needs to stop using marijuana before it is too late.
Marijuana is the dried flowers, leaves and seeds of the hemp plant. Hashish or “hash” is made from the resins of the hemp plant and is on average six times stronger than marijuana. Cannabis is used to describe any form of the drug from the hemp plant. The chemical in the plant is called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the amount can vary substantially and has increased by 300 percent since the 1960s. THC can stay in the body for weeks or longer. No matter what the drug is called it is considered a hallucinogen. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says more than 360,000 people admitted to treatment for addiction with marijuana being the primary drug they were abusing in 2010. Another 21% that were admitted said that it was their second or third most problematic drug. Marijuana is often mixed with other drugs with the most common ones being: alcohol, opiates, meth, and cocaine.
Despite its legalization one thing is certain, marijuana causes a dangerous impaired condition and is addictive. When marijuana is smoked the users will generally feel the effects within 30 minutes and the high can last for a few hours depending on how much THC there is. Users will also use a resin-like variant concentrated from the plant the produces a more intense high. These are called “dabs” and they can be in liquid, wax, or hard texture. They are typically vaporized and inhaled. “Dabs” are also referred to as wax, budder, and shatter. The higher THC content contributes to the increased intoxication-related problems and the higher dependence rates.
If women use marijuana during their pregnancy they are more likely to give birth prematurely with birth defects, an increased risk for leukemia, mental abnormalities, and lessened concentration and initiative. Even though there is no risk of overdosing with marijuana, it still holds the second highest rate of emergency room visits caused by illicit substance abuse, with cocaine being first. According to the Drug Awareness Warning Network (DAWN) in 2013 there were 455,668 emergency room visits due to marijuana. Doctors have discovered chronic marijuana users may experience “cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome,” making them violently ill, uncontrollable vomiting and agonizing stomach pain that does not respond to treatment. In 2012, Australian scientists took brain scans of 59 long-term marijuana users and compared them to people who had never done the drug. They discovered that marijuana users had similar changes in their brains to that of schizophrenics.
Marijuana is usually smoked but as it has become more and more popular there are new ways to use the drug more readily available. When it is smoked it can be rolled into a “joint,” similar to how tobacco is in a cigarette, some users make “blunts” by opening up cigars, taking out the tobacco, and replacing it with marijuana. Joints and blunts can also be laced with other drugs such as PCP or cocaine. There are also pipes sometimes called “pieces” that users can smoke it out of and bongs. It can also be mixed with food to create edibles such as hard candies, cookies, brownies, candy bars, or brewed as a tea. Hashish or hash can be found in flat cakes, amber or brown oil in small glass bottles.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world and often the first illegal drug people use. It also can often lead to harder drugs in the future. For example, the risk of a person using cocaine increases by 104 percent if he or she has smoked marijuana at least one time in his or her life. Although some states have legalized the drug it is still important to note that using marijuana often leads to more dangerous drug use, which is why it’s often referred to as a “gateway drug.” Marijuana rehab programs at Recovery Ways provide the help a person needs to stop using marijuana before it is too late.