I had been smoking weed for nearly 12 years without much of a break. I knew that smoking was bad for the lungs and that smoking weed had more tar in it than cigarettes but I could not help myself and loved the feeling of being high. It made life so much less stressful and I never used to worry about anything when I was smoking pot but on the off occasion when I could not get any there was always a big come down that made me feel really bad. I knew that if I did not stop sooner or later then my body was going to have to go through some shocking changes and I may not ever be the same as I was before I started smoking.

Years ago I had been a very adventurous person that was always into running, riding and gym when I was a teenager but now all of those activities have fallen to the wayside and I was basically living off the couch when I was not at work. Even at work I would sneak off for a joint to get me through the rest of the day. It was embarrassing to get busted after lunch by one of the superiors but they all knew I did it and lucky for me I never lost my job because of it. This is not always the way in some companies and I did notice that after I got off smoking weed that the staff started to talk to me more and I was promoted about 6 months later. It is a tricky thing to do giving up weed because they say it is not physically addictive. My head was a mess for the first few weeks until the toxicity seemed to wear off and I was able to think clearly again.

In Holland smoking weed is not actually legal but is however decriminalized and therefore coffee shop are permitted to sell no more than 5 grams per person. It is an offence to carry more than 5 grams on you at any one time which always made me wonder how the growers got the weed to the suppliers. In America there are certain states which allow the sale of marijuana for the sake of health if the doctor has provided the patient with a prescription however it is still an offence by federal law to sell the products and therefore these suppliers are often raided by the federal government. For shame America, you need to get together to find a workable solution so that those people who truly use marijuana for medical purposes can save themselves from pain and mental anguish. Having smoked weed myself on a regular basis for many years I was very keen to write this article and try to learn more about the long and short term affect of constantly smoking weed without tobacco. Here are the facts I have researched to share with those of you that might be worried about the effects of smoking weed.

In America weed is the most common drug used for recreational purposes and has billions of dollars worth of income every year. If the federal government took part in the legal selling of weed then they could make an extremely excellent revenue and also potentially reduce the crime rate in America. They will never win the battle against smoking weed so as they say if you can beat them, join them. Smoking weed is usually done through a cigarette known as a joint or through a pipe or bong (water pipe). Weed can also be eaten when mixed with food or made into tea and ingested via a drink. THC aka delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the chemical substance that gives weed its effects and is passed through the lungs and into the brain to cause the high that people smoke weed to achieve.

THC can alter parts of the brain that are responsible for influencing pleasure, memory, concentration and time perception. It can also affect co-ordination of movement. Like myself many people have been smoking weed while attending university but have still managed to pass with exceptional grades. The effects can last for days after the person has stopped smoking and therefore people that are smoking weed on a daily basis may have poor co-ordination and concentration all day every day. Smoking week can lead to lung cancer as the tar in marijuana is in excessive amounts and causes the onset of the cancer. Long term effect may reduce motivation in people and after stopping smoking week may increase stress levels. The normal human requirement of social interaction can also be reduced from long term smoking. Smoking weed may also lead to drug dependency or the moving from a class B drug to more aggressive class A drugs. It takes around 1 month after quitting for the cravings to subside before smoking week becomes a non addictive sensation.