Cannabis detection test

What is marijuana?

Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems and seeds of the cannabis sativa or cannabis indica plant. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical THC and other similar compounds. Extracts can also be made from the cannabis plant.

How do people consume marijuana?

People smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes or in pipes or water pipes (bongs). They also smoke it in cigars that are partially or completely filled with marijuana. Some people use vaporizers. These devices take the active ingredients (including THC) from the marijuana and collect their vapors in a storage unit. A person then inhales the vapor, not the smoke. Some vaporizers use a liquid marijuana extract.

People can mix marijuana into foods (like brownies, biscuits or sweets) or brew it as tea. A new popular way of using is smoking or eating various forms of THC-rich resins.

How does marijuana affect the brain?

Marijuana has both short- and long-term effects on the brain.

Short-term effects

When someone smokes marijuana, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream. The blood carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. The body absorbs THC more slowly when the person eats or drinks it. In this case, they generally feel the effects after 30 minutes to 1 hour.

THC works on specific receptors for brain cells that normally respond to natural THC-like chemicals. These natural chemicals play a role in the normal development and function of the brain.

Marijuana overactivates parts of the brain that contain the largest number of these receptors. This causes people to feel “high”. Other effects include:

• altered sensory perceptions (eg lighter colors)
• mood changes
• reduced physical activity
• thinking and problem solving
• reduced memory
• hallucinations (when consumed in high doses)
• delusions (when consumed in high doses)
• psychoses (when consumed in high doses)

Long-term effects

Marijuana also affects the development of the brain. When people start to consume marijuana as a teenager, the drug can affect thinking, remembering, and learning, and affect how the brain connects between the areas needed for those functions. Researchers are still studying how long the effects of marijuana last and whether some changes can be permanent.

A New Zealand study, conducted in part by researchers at Duke University, found that people who smoked marijuana in their teenage years and had a persistent addiction disease lost an average of 8 IQ points between the ages of 13 and 38. The skills did not fully return to adults who stopped smoking marijuana. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults did not show any noticeable IQ difference.

Physical effects

• Breathing problems. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs and people who often smoke marijuana may have the same breathing problems as people who smoke tobacco. These include daily cough and phlegm and a higher risk of lung infection. Researchers have found no increased risk of lung cancer in people who smoke marijuana.
• Increased heart rate. Marijuana increases the heart rate up to 3 hours after smoking. This effect can increase the likelihood of heart attack. Older people and people with heart problems can be at greater risk.
• Problems with the development of the child during and after pregnancy. One study found that about 20% of pregnant women aged 24 years and over were tested positive for marijuana. However, it was also found in this study that women who were tested for marijuana use were about twice as often tested with a drug test than with self-tested measures. This suggests that self-reported percentages of marijuana in pregnant women are not a correct measure. The use of marijuana during pregnancy is associated with a lower birth weight and an increased risk of brain and behavioral problems in babies. When a pregnant woman uses marijuana, the drug can affect certain parts of the fetal brain. Children who are exposed to marijuana in the womb have an increased risk of attention problems.
• Intense nausea and vomiting. Regular, long-term use of marijuana may cause some people to develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. As a result, consumers regularly experience cycles of severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration that sometimes require urgent medical treatment.

Mental effects

Long-term use of marijuana has been associated with mental illness in some people, e.g.

• temporary hallucinations
• temporary paranoia
• aggravation of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia – a severe mental disorder with symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia and disorganised thinking

The health of marijuana has also been linked to other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and teenage suicidal thoughts. The research results of the studies, however, were mixed.