What Happens To Your Body When You Smoke Weed Every Day?
- 1. The pros of smoking marijuana every day
- 1. a. Smoking weed every day relieves anxiety
- 1. b. Offers pain and inflammation relief
- 1. c. Positive mind effects: creativity, boosted mood, euphoria
- 1. d. Health benefits of everyday cannabis use
- 2. The cons of everyday marijuana use
- 2. a. Risk of developing tolerance or cannabis use disorder
- 2. b. Smoking cannabis daily can cause memory issues
- 2. c. Increased respiratory issues risk due caused by smoking
- 3. In conclusion
Marijuana is a plant that, as we all know, can be used for either medical or recreational purposes, or both. And while this magic plant may produce a certain pattern of effects, the use of cannabis still always varies from person to person. For instance, there's always that friend who smokes and is rendered useless, completely couch-locked, perhaps even feeling the munchies and with a strong dry mouth. Or maybe the opposite, that one who's inexplicably hyped after smoking, making order around the house or feeling like doing a hundred plans at the same time.
And although this can vary lots depending on the strains and the frequency of use, this is also somewhat tied to our biological system and how each of us processes weed. But, yet, when it comes to the daily or really frequent use of marijuana, there is indeed a pattern of side effects.
Let's untangle what happens to your body when you smoke weed every day (did I just read that to the beat of The Next Episode? Maybe...)
1. The Pros of Smoking Marijuana Every Day
Okay, since we've gone through the details of how we metabolize cannabis, we can now start taking a look at the side effects that the daily consumption of marijuana brings. On the bright side, smoking weed every day comes along with several benefits, which include a few of the following:
- It provides anxiety and stress relief;
- It can ease chronic pain and inflammation;
- Blood sugar levels are regulated;
- It boosts creativity and opens up the mind;
- It can help Post-traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD);
- Cholesterol levels may be reduced, and more.
Let's dive into the benefits provided by the everyday use of cannabis.
Smoking Weed Every Day Relieves Anxiety
One great side effect that smoking weed every day usually leads to is the release of anxiety and stress. Why? We'll talk about this on a scientific aspect further on, but allow us to explain it from a stoner's point of view first, move aside for a sec please, science.
So, as a stoner, you most likely know the satisfying sensation of knowing you're about to light one. It's already soothing to sit down, pull out your usual rolling gear on maybe your usual spot, or a new one, and bring out the best of your rolling skills to create something beautiful: a joint.
What's even better is burning one after having a long day of being a responsible human being. Example? Well, that well-deserved joint once you've already finished your working day, perhaps even went for a workout session, came home, showered, and maybe attended some errands too.
At this point, bro, you totally earned that joint. It's almost as if the weight of the day was taken off your shoulders once you take a few puffs of that joint. But enough with this stoner ode to weed, what are science's thoughts on the daily consumption of cannabis and anxiety?
A study has found that cannabis can indeed produce calming effects as it influences GABA, a neurotransmitter capable of stopping anxiety immediately. Another theory is that by interacting with the CB1 receptor, CBD can affect serotonin levels positively, relieving anxiety in turn. 1 2
Offers Pain And Inflammation Relief
Another pro of using cannabis daily is that it makes a great natural alternative for those having to deal with chronic pain or inflammation caused by some health condition. 3
Instead of taking the usual over-the-counter medicines, which produce various ugly side effects, mainly on the digestive system since the drugs can be quite strong, cannabis offers a great natural alternative with reduced side effects.
Positive Mind Effects: Creativity, Boosted Mood, Euphoria
Cannabis use is also great for the head, as a stoner, you may have noticed, for instance, how easy it is to make new friends among other stoners. Of course, there are no scientific studies to back this up, but we can learn from our own experiences too.
When you meet new people, sometimes it's quite easy to identify the stoners in the group. It's as if they, or we, seemed more relaxed and open to talking with others, even when we may have just met. And not to mention the friendships that have grown after sharing one first joint with someone and realizing how well you bond.
Besides, the fact that a person is willing to try weed, and goes through, already shows a sign of open-mindedness. It's okay for a person not to smoke weed daily if they don't want to, but what isn't it's talking about cannabis negatively as if they knew anything about it, without having ever tried it.
That's why most stoners consider that people who are completely against marijuana are, let's say, stiff. This, as a personal opinion, also applies to everyone who refuses to try anything and everything because of their own prejudices.
You've got to experience things for yourself to build your own opinions. And who knows, you may even be surprised positively and expand your taste and fields of interest.
One last point to back up this open-mindedness so commonly found among stoners is the creativity boost provided by weed. No wonder why so many artists love it! Not only this, but cannabis also produces great feelings of euphoria which may aid the shyer ones, or help those dealing with depression.
Health Benefits of Everyday Cannabis Use
Marijuana is indeed quite sacred, you know, you can get amazing health benefits from its frequent consumption. For instance, it is believed that smoking weed every day can reduce the risks of cancer by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.
Furthermore, weed also has anti-tumor properties, and it is thought to reduce the BMI, body mass index, in the long term use. Lastly, marijuana's anxiety-relieving and sleep-inducing properties have also shown to help those suffering from PTSD by helping them let go of the trauma-triggering thoughts and providing deep nighttime sleep.
3. The Cons Of Everyday Marijuana Use
Sadly, not everything in this world is flowers and colors. Everything good always comes along with a darker downside, and this applies to marijuana too. Let's see the bad aspects of smoking weed every day.
Risk of Developing Tolerance or Cannabis Use Disorder
When you consume something every day, whether it is marijuana, medicine, or anything else, what happens to the body? It gets used to it!
Yes, smoking cannabis every day can indeed produce tolerance over time, which means then that you'll need more amounts to get the same feelings you once got with half of it, sad. When this happens, there's also a greater risk of developing Cannabis Use Disorder, or CUD.
CUD is when a person has developed this big tolerance to cannabis, and instead of going the healthy way and taking a tolerance break to reboot their system regarding cannabis, they continue to use it in increased ways trying to regain the effects.
This tolerance if not attended to properly can lead to lower dopamine reactivity, dopamine being a key neurotransmitter in how we feel pleasure. This translates into a person who'll find it harder to find pleasure in things they enjoyed before and a bigger tendency to form addictions to other substances.
Smoking Cannabis Daily Can Cause Memory Issues
If you're a stoner, then forgetting stuff can't possibly sound unfamiliar to you. We've been left with no ending to uncountable stories due to our stoned friends who forget the ending, or what they were even talking about mid-story.
The thing is, cannabis is known to affect our short memory, which is why it's never recommended to get stoned for things that require a sharp state of mind, such as working or studying. At the same time, long-term weed use may affect coordination and response time due to this short memory impairment, which may explain all those "ummm"s or clumsy movements.
Increased Respiratory Issues Risk Due Caused By Smoking
Although smoking cannabis doesn't get anywhere near the harms caused by smoking tobacco, yet you're smoking, which isn't good for the body no matter which perspective you look at it from.
So, given smoking weed daily can cause respiratory issues in the long term, perhaps you'd like to try out other healthier forms of consumption, such as vaping or eating edibles.
Check out the differences between vaporizing and smoking cannabis in the article above.
4. In Conclusion
As we've stated before, everything has its ups and downs, that's just a part of life. And it's important not to ignore these things so that you are making a conscious choice to indulge in this or that benefit and assume the risks that come along with it.
No one ever died from smoking too much weed, however, but it's better if you're aware of the possible side effects you could experience if you smoke weed every day to avoid any surprises. What side effects do you experience when you smoke weed daily? Send us your comments!
EXTERNAL REFERENCES
- "Blunted Stress Reactivity in Chronic Cannabis Users" Carrie Cuttler, Alexander Spradlin, Amy T. Nusbaum, Paul Whitney, John M. Hinson, and Ryan J. McLaughlin. August 2017.
- "Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report" José Alexandre S. Crippa, Guilherme Nogueira Derenusson, Thiago Borduqui Ferrari, Lauro Wichert-Ana, Fábio L.S. Duran, Rocio Martin-Santos, Marcus Vinícius Simões, Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Paolo Fusar-Poli, Zerrin Atakan, Alaor Santos Filho, Maria Cecília Freitas-Ferrari, Philip K. McGuire, Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Geraldo F. Busatto, and Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak. September 2010.
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