Ten Reasons to Stop Smoking Marijuana

1. Marijuana contains many of the same chemicals found in cigarette smoke and many in larger amounts. Tar, for example, is more concentrated in marijuana smoke than in cigarette smoke.
2. Smoking marijuana causes the heart to race and the mouth to get dry and eyes to be bloodshot.
3. Studies show that the drug can damage your short-term memory, warp your natural sense of time, alter depth perception slow the reflexes and reaction time.
4. Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer causing chemicals that cigarette smoke does. In addition to that, marijuana smoke produces high levels of an enzyme that changes certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form that can further increase the risk of cancerous formations.
5. Research indicates that THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana impairs the immune systems ability to fight off infections as well as cancerous cells and formations.
6. Smoking marijuana at all, increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema, but smoking on a regular basis sends the risk factor proportionately higher.
7. Personality changes and emotional problems have been positively linked to marijuana use. Depression, anxiety and other emotional problems are often worsened by smoking weed. This includes the intensifying of pre-existing emotional disturbances.
8. Studies have shown that early use of marijuana increases the likelihood of the abuse of other, often more addicting and potentially deadly drugs.
9. For some people, marijuana use leads to addiction, including compulsive drug seeking, physical, emotional and mental withdrawal symptoms and continued use of the drug despite adverse consequences and repeated attempts to stop.
10. While it may seem otherwise, after you have been off weed for a while you will realize that life is better when standing on your own, without doping it up to have fun or to relax.

Tony Bylsma is a rehabilitation counselor and drug prevention speaker in Los Angeles

http://www.TheRoadOut.org

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