Marijuana is a dreaded term in the world of drug addiction. It happens to be one of 200 names for a substance similar to tobacco, composed of dried leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of the hemp plant. It is a dull colored mixture in various shades of gray, brown and green and is often referred to as weed, pot, grass, herb, hashish and boom. Hashish happens to be the most potent form of marijuana. The substance contains an active chemical called THC or delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. Irrespective of the form in which it is consumed, it has a strong impact on the way the mind works altering its responses and behavioral mechanism. Marijuana was initially used for medicinal purposes, to heal and numb severe pain, but its addictive powers gripped thousands who tasted it and needed respite from problems. Today, it is banned legally but is smuggled through secret channels and commands exorbitant prices.
Marijuana can be smoked like a cigarette with the powder rolled in special paper, and lit at one end. Its absorption when consumed in this manner is almost instantaneous, reaching the part of the brain controlling emotions like pleasure, concentration, thinking, memory and coordination. Its unification with the nerve cell receptors negatively affects these activities. Consequently, feelings like pain, sorrow, stress, and depression give way to an elated feeling however short lived it may be. This probably explains the reason why people are so easily addicted to it and become obsessed about it. Marijuana becomes an all consuming passion with people thinking about ways and means of procuring it, waiting in animated anticipation about the joy of having it, and are paranoid about not being able to get enough. The need for it is so intense that values, principles and morals are all forgotten just to be able to get marijuana. The most alarming aspect of taking marijuana is that the body begins to crave for the substance, and gradually the body reaches a ‘high’ after taking increasing quantities of it BUY CBD.
Addiction to marijuana is the toughest thing to shake off. Even alcohol addiction is easy to overcome in comparison. Even though addicts are well aware of the consequences of their addiction, they are unable to give it up no matter how hard they try. They tend to consume more to forget what harm it is doing to their body. The addiction comes with a social stigma attached not just for the addict but also for his whole family, who begin to feel like social outcasts.
Addiction to marijuana has long terms effects like difficulty with remembering, incoherent thought process, inability to concentrate and work consistently. This triggers off related problems like absenteeism, lack of commitment and seriousness towards the job at hand. It is then only natural to find addicts being fired from work or being gracefully asked to resign. Friends and eventually family disown such individuals when matters get worse consistently. He begins to be perceived as a threat to society and he is shunned completely.
Addiction to marijuana is like being afflicted with a disease, and needs proper, organized treatment which is generally a combination of medication and counseling. The counseling sessions often rope in family members and those falling in the addict’s immediate circle. Behavioral therapy also reveals encouraging results for addicts and helps them overcome their urge to smoke this substance. He needs support and reassurance at every step and the end result has to keep him motivated to give up this habit. He needs to think of all that he will gain in the long term, if he gives up on the feeling of bliss and ecstasy that is purely transient after smoking this substance that most believe to be worse than poison.