50 Insane Facts About Weed (Compilation)

How will cannabis survive the apocalypse did William Shakespeare smoke a bowl before he wrote a play why do you get the munchies after toking which presidents liked to get dank on their downtime and can you smoke so much weed that it kills you these are 50 chronically insane facts about weed fact 50 cannabis is believed to be one of the earliest plants to be cultivated by humans mentions of it have been found in Writings from as far back as 3,000 BC and possible evidence of cannabis use has been identified in neolithic archaeological sites that are

over 10,000 years old most of the early evidence of cannabis use comes from Asia with Prehistoric cannabis residues and hemp fiber imprints having been found across China Japan India and the Middle East historians believe that these ancient cultures used the plant not just for its psychoactive properties but also To make rope clothes shoes paper and even as a food source fact 49 have you ever wondered where the word marijuana actually comes from well there are a couple of competing theories according to one popular story it comes from an aat word meaning prisoner this explanation probably

isn't true though as it was first popularized by anti-drug campaigner Harry J anslinger in the 1930s the more likely explanation is that it comes from the Chinese mahen haa Meaning hemp flow ganja another popular nickname for the drug comes from the Sanskrit word for the hemp plant fact 48 people have had it out for cannabis for over 700 100 years throughout history marijuana has been mainly used for medicinal and spiritual purposes but even so it's always been a pretty controversial substance in fact the first known laws restricting marijuana use come from all the way back

in the Middle Ages the earliest known Anti-cannabis legislation is believed to be a law passed in the 1300s by an Arabian Amir called sodun shauni cannabis use was also made illegal by Napolean bonapart during his Reign and was widely outlawed throughout the British Empire during its Heyday fact 46 the United States has something of a LoveHate relationship with the hemp plant America started restricting the sale of the drug in 1906 but only made it outright illegal in 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed for some reason hemp was outlawed alongside Canabis but that wasn't

the case for long once the US entered World War II the government started making propaganda that encouraged hemp cultivation since the hemp plant could be used to make cheap but durable rope and canvas that was vital to the war effort hemp was then banned again in the 70s under the Controlled Substances Act and the plant remained illegal until the Controlled Substances Act was revised in 2018 even though the cultivation of hemp is still strictly regulated in 2019 the US managed to become the world's third biggest hemp producer after China and Canada fact 46 Urkel has

his own bespoke line of weed in 2021 actor Jalil white launched his own brand of recreational weed called its purple a variant of the purple Urkel cannabis strain jilia white of course was famous back in the 90s for playing the nerdy Steve Urkel on the Sitcom family matters when asked about its purple by Forbes white said he started the business because he was tired of seeing his character's name and likeness used without his involvement and figured he could get in on the action he even filmed ads for it alongside Snoop Dogg where he was fully

in character as Steve Urkel fact 45 regae Legend Bob Marley was buried with weed perhaps one of the most famous tokers of all time time music God Bob Marley took the plant to the Grave with him when he died of cancer in 1981 According to some accounts he was buried with a football his beloved Gibson Les paa guitar and a bud of chronic hopefully he's still lighting it up in the great beyond fact 44 there are over a thousand ways to say it literally Time Magazine has reported that there are over 1,200 popularly used slang

terms for cannabis and here are some of our favorites weed bud ganja chronic grass Wacky tobacky reefer herb Green Goddess sweet Mary Jane Dono Anita pot dank and the devil's lettuce if we forgot one of your favorites let us know in the comments fact 43 Tupac's closest friends smoked him and no that's not a euphemism when Tupac was tragically murdered in 1996 his old band and close friends The Outlaws claimed to have gave him a true rapper sendoff rolling some of his cremains into a joint with some weed and smoking him up while some have

doubted These claims The Outlaws themselves have stuck to their story personally we think this one's up there with Marley's coffin weed fact 42 a group of weed hunting teens invented 420 it's one of the most popular codes for cannabis and it's the reason that April 20th previously best known as the birthday of the decidedly unchill Adolf Hitler is now synonymous with sharing some herbal love in the early 1970s a group of high schoolers from San Rafel High School in California Went hunting for a legendary weed farm in their area using the code 420 to signify

the Hunts while they never found the El Dorado of ganja their story and their secret code got picked up by the magazine High Times and the band Grateful Dead leading to the phrase becoming forever cemented in cannabis culture language fact 41 Washington was the first US state to legalize recreational marijuana use and this is kind of poetic given the state's Namesake America's first President George Washington famously cultivated hemp crops he was a big fan of the plant mentioning it over 90 times in his personal Diaries but there is no evidence that he ever used it

to get high instead he likely grew the plant due to its valuable resource for manufacturing those sturdy ropes we mentioned earlier for use and ship construction the original United States flag created by Betsy Ross was even made Out of the kind of hemp that Washington loved cultivating it's as American as apple pie fact 40 a lot of celebrities smoke wheat seriously it'd be a whole video to list them all but some of the most prominent famous avowed potheads include Jennifer Lawrence Kirsten dun Miley Cyrus Zoe Kravitz Lady Gaga Brad Pit Jane Fonda Harrison Ford Charlie

Theron Pete Davidson Morgan Freeman Patrick Stewart Rihanna Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogan duh Willie Nelson uhhuh Woody Harelson Kendall Jenner and Matthew mccon and those are just the ones who admit it fact 39 Washington wasn't the only president with a history of weed use and these presidents actually did smoke it George W bush is an admitted weed user and Barack Obama even had a weed smoking Club in his youth called the chum gang According to some of the chum gang's other members Obama actually pioneered some new weed consumption techniques including TA or total Absorption and

roof hits and yes there is a cruel irony to the fact that both those presidents smoked weed but neither of them legalized it on the federal level we guess they just wanted to keep it all to themselves fact 38 the government could be making billions of dollars from marijuana extrapolating from the tax money that states with legal weed have already made it's estimated that across the entire United States the federal government could make 8 and a 12 billion dollars in tax revenue and potentially more if they Institute a so-called potency tax where taxation of cannabis

is put on a sliding scale based on how potent The Strain is and even this is nothing compared to the money that Private Industry stands to make it's estimated that if weed was legalized in all 50 states it would quickly become a bigger Market than organic food fact 37 the US military experimented with weaponized weed Researchers at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland pioneered dimethyl hepple Pyon try saying that three times fast an extremely potent cannaboid agent that had an elimination halflife of 20 to 39 hours that's some serious sticky in addition to the standard

sedative and hallucinogenic effect it also caused a low blood pressure dizziness fainting a taxia and muscle weakness so much so that someone under the effects of dimethyl heal Pyon had difficulty even Standing upright obviously the researchers at Edgewood didn't invent this just so US soldiers could get high on government subsidized Ultra weed they were exploring the possible use as a non-lethal crowd control agent but that fell through because of the potential risks involved to the health of certain at risk users and the political sensitivity of working with weed fact 36 for some people marijuana use

is a religious Affair and some countries even Legally recognize this in Italy after a lengthy Court battle back in 2008 it was deemed that people of the Rastafarian Faith could keep weed for purely personal use as a religious Sacrament and in possession cases it would be up to the courts to decide based on the quantity of the weed whether it was for personal use or trafficking fact 35 weed is giving coffee a run for its money at least in Denver in 2011 some counts showed weed dispensaries outnumbering Starbucks locations 300 to 266 weed dispensaries were

so rif that a popular local magazine even had a weed reviewer who gave their take on the local chronic fact 34 weed is the world's favorite illicit drug while debate rages on about how exactly weed is classified one thing definitely isn't Up For Debate the fact that people absolutely love it according to some data 219 million people that's 4.3 % of the global population between the ages of 16 and 64 used cannabis at Least once in 2021 fact 33 one of the first sales ever brokered on the internet was allegedly weed in 1971 a Stanford

student and an MIT student connected over the arpa net the precursor of the internet created by the precursor of DARPA how did these two students of two of the country's most prestigious learning institutions use this connection forged over a revolutionary new technology to get high of course they organized the sale of Weed and in the process became accidental pioneers of illicit e-commerce fact 32 how much weed does it take to kill you well we can only discuss this theoretically given that there are no recorded deaths related to cannabis overdose of course it is possible to

have a bad reaction especially if you take too many Edibles which have a more potent High than smoking but when it comes to drugs that are still illegal cannabis is still one Of the safest out there compared to fent where as little as 2 Mig can be fatal fact 31 some people have proposed medical marijuana for dogs however while some pet owners have given anecdotal evidence of their sick pets having pain relieved by marijuana most Veterinary experts are skeptical dogs in particular are extremely vulnerable to marijuana toxicosis especially when weed is consumed in a vector

that dogs already shouldn't be eating like Brownies so Just to be safe stick only to the treatments prescribed by professionals when treating your sick pet or you could be putting their life on the line fact 30 weed is in the air over Italy and no it isn't because Italy has a massive rosarian population who just love indulging in their newly legalized religious sacraments we're not entirely sure why they did this but Italy's Institute for atmospheric pollution research decided to conduct a year-long Study to monitor the effects of psychotropic substances in the air in eight different

Italian cities bolognia Florence Milan Naples palmo Rome Turin and Verona they ended up finding Trace Amounts of marijuana and cocaine in all eight of them fact 29 a North Carolina Hospital thought people were toking up around newborns Social Services started getting extremely concerned when urine tests from a number of newborns appeared to show Trace Amounts of marijuana in Their systems believed to be a result of secondhand smoke from overly mellow parents however when they dug deeper they found out that the actual truth was even stranger Kim chemicals in several different baby soaps specifically Johnson and

Johnson's head-to toe baby wash Johnson and Johnson bedtime bath CVS nighttime baby bath a Veno soothing relief creamy wash and a Veno wash shampoo seemed to trigger false positives for marijuana if this wasn't Discovered it could have resulted in some life ruining accusations getting thrown around fact 28 illegal weed operations have been killing off owls in another valuable argument for legalization illegal pot operations have been having a ruinous effect on local ecosystems in 2012 two rare spotted owls were found dead in Northern California's mesino County the culprit rat poison specifically rat poison used by a

local illegal Kush operation to keep pests Away from their crop but it isn't just the owls the Fisher a rare Forest mammal native to the area has also been put in a dangerous position by careless weed Farmers rat poison has been found in the system of 85% of dead Fishers found in the area also believed to be caused by illegal weed operations fact 27 is weed getting stronger researchers studied 36,800 samples of weed captured by the DEA over the last 20 years and found two interesting results the amount of THC The psychoactive compound in marijuana

has increased and the amount of CBD the chemical compound most often touted as having health benefits has decreased so when old Stoners tell you that the weed was more chill back in their day they're not just blow flowing smoke well they probably still are but just not about that fact 26 you can be allergic to weed as if life for people with allergies wasn't hard enough yes you can also be allergic to Puff the Magic Dragon both Its pollen and its smoke allergic reactions can include runny noses sneezing irritation of the nasal passages hives and

in one extremely rare case anaphylaxis for some people who experience allergic reactions to weed it isn't actually the weed itself that gets them improperly stored weed can sometimes get moldy and that mold sometimes has allergenic properties fact 25 weed dependency is a genetic Lottery like with all drugs everyone has a Different tolerance for weed and the same goes for whether someone is likely to become dependent on it researchers have identified three different genetic markers as predictors for the likelihood of cannabis dependence fascinatingly these same genetic markers are often also predictors for depression showing that people

who suffer from depression are some times more likely to use weed as an unhealthy coping mechanism fact 24 if you're an unlucky Stoner you might Get cannaboid hyperemesis syndrome and that might sound horrifying but well there is no but it actually is horrifying chronic cannabis users who suffer from the syndrome will experience periods of severe nausea followed by cycles of profuse vomiting and abdominal pain over a 48 hour period that doesn't sound like a fun time to us fact 23 drug traffickers can get really creative with how they smuggle weed here's a highlight reel of

some of the most deranged ways Weed has been smuggled 766 lb of pot hidden in broccoli 1,500 lb hidden in coconuts 4,000 lb hidden in fake limes $500,000 worth of it hidden in fake carrots and even weed hidden in Vats of strawberry jam it's kind of weird how most of them are just fruits and vegetables let's see some creativity guys fact 22 debates have raged on for years on whether Shakespeare liked to partake in a bit of the devil's lettuce during an excavation of the immortal Bard's home two pipes were found with among other things

cannabis residue immediately this plus Shakespeare's reference to a noted weed during one of his sonnets had people claiming that one of History's Greatest playwrights was an avowed Stoner this immediately led to scholarly debate after scholarly debate with some on the side of weed and the Skeptics claiming that there's no proof that the pipes even belonged to Shakespeare the debate has raged on for So long that Francis Zachary an anthropologist from South Africa has requested the opportunity to exume Shakespeare's grave and test his remains for any traces of cannabis they might be taking this a little

bit too seriously fact 21 weed might change how you think about money Studies have shown that cannabis reduces activity in the nucleus succumbent a reward center of the brain involved in dopamine production those under the influence of cannabis are less Likely to produce the kind of dopamine that motivates them toward external rewards like money that's why it can sometimes be difficult to get anything done while you're high that and the fact that you're spending too much time thinking about old SpongeBob SquarePants episodes where does he get those pants fact 20 why does weed give you

the famous Munchies it's all down to the three magic letters THC it stimulates the endocannabinoid receptors in the Brain which connect to regulation centers for everything from dopamine production to hunger in most users this triggers an appetite in increase that has them reaching for the potato chips while to most people this is just a little Annoying it can actually serve as a major medicinal effect for people undergoing a loss of appetite during chemotherapy medical marijuana can even get these intreatment cancer patients eating again which is a huge Boon for Their overall health and quality of

life fact 19 the Rastafarians aren't the only religious group who use cannabis in holy ceremonies and we do mean holy ceremonies with an eye during the Festival of Colors many Hindus enjoy a nice refreshing cup of tandai which literally means cooling off but for some the tandai is a little holier than others because it's spiked with bahong an edible strain of cannabis found in India partakers have reported feeling a Light Pleasant Buzz upon consumption the holy significance of the bahong trigger tandai links to an old tale about Lord Shiva but that's a little too much

to get into in a video about fun weed facts fact 18 cannabis can be used to treat epilepsy as a life-threatening chronic condition that's believed to affect around 50 million people globally doctors and scientists are always looking for new treatment options for sufferers thankfully certain synthetic Cannaboids have shown promise in reducing the severity of seizures the FDA approved drug epidex has been effective in treating two different extremely rare and dangerous forms of epilepsy Linux gasto syndrome and drave syndrome and as cannabis laws continue to relax even more of the medicinal possibilities of cannabis are likely

to be explored by researchers Fact 17 in some cases cannabis can actually help treat other addictions the lighter side Of the nucleus accumbent dulling comes with the fact that cannabis use can reduce cravings for other addictive substances if a person is trying to break their habit this is true for more common addictions like alcohol as well as some of the harder addictions in more extreme cases cannabis has even been an unexpected Boon in helping people affected by the opioid epidemic fact 16 if you're at genetic risk of schizophrenia you should keep off the Grass while

this won't be the case with most users multiple Studies have shown that people genetically predisposed to psychotic disorders like schizophrenia may see their chances of developing symptoms worsen especially if they use cannabis or are exposed to cannabis use earlier in life in addition to lowering cognitive function with extended use it increases the likelihood of hallucinations delusions and paranoia plenty of cannabis users report Temporary paranoia during use but but when you're still experiencing it between sessions then maybe it's time to lay off the leaf fact 15 one of the biggest steps back for America's marijuana legalization

came with one of its most controversial presidents tricky dick himself Richard Nixon as we know from the hours upon hours of rambling recordings he took of himself Nixon's War on Drugs was actually a war on disenfranchisement intended to lock up And take the voting rights from hippies and black people who generally opposed his policy positions and the racist Legacy of Nixon's War on Drugs still exists today black people are arrested at greater rates for weed possession than white people in America even in states where marijuana is legal all thanks to tricky dick fact 14 why

is an edible high so much different from a smoke eyee it's practically a meme among weed lovers that while smoke hits you Quicker Edibles wait for a bit and then hit you like a truck they give a more powerful body high that can endure for hours and leave you in a living dream or a waking nightmare so what's the difference why the Delayed Action and upped intensity according to neuroscientist Nick jomas the issue isn't that weed is metabolized differently it's that it's going to get metabolized to different degrees in different parts of the body depending

on The route of administration the real difference between Edibles and smoking or vaping is that with Edibles a much larger fraction of Delta 9thc makes it to the liver first there it gets converted to 11 hydroxy THC so in other words if you smoke or vape the ratio of 11 hydroxy THC to Delta 9 THC is quite low and if you take an edible it's much higher fact 13 weed will survive the apocalypse that's because cannabis seeds are just one of the many samples kept at Sard Global seed Vault they store over 21,500 cannabis seeds

from 17 different countries kept safe and sound in the event of an ecological collapse or a world-ending cataclysm so don't worry if you're part of of the post-apocalyptic tribe or a Mad Max style Raider gang in the Wasteland you can still enjoy a to at the end of the day fact 12 the inventor of weed brownies was a Plucky American activist Mary Jane Rathbun and no that isn't why weed is called Mary Jane it's just a funny coincidence was also known as brownie Mary and was a Pioneer for both cannabis legalization and the rights and

protections of people suffering from AIDS at the height of the AIDS crisis as part of her charity work for AIDS patients she' bake cannabis into brownies and give them out and in the process she noticed that it seemed to alleviate some of their suffering related to their illness her work is likely one of the many important Foundations for cannabis research and activism to this day and her work is still used despite her passing away from a heart attack in 1999 fact 11 in Bhutan the weed is as plentiful as it is illegal it naturally grows

there especially in the bhutanese countryside where it's so prolific that in some places it grows out of the cracks in Pavements it's illegal to cultivate it as a drug in Bhutan but Farmers often feed it to their pigs to fatten them up Maybe humans will someday get that privilege when the pigs get high enough to actually fly fact 10 a dangerous weed rumor about North Korea often does the rounds reported by a number of 420 friendly Publications like High Times and Mary Jane it was an urban legend that despite all the other dystopian restrictions the

North Korean government is surprisingly chill about cannabis use especially For Tourists while this is the kind of wacky North Korea fact that Does numbers on the internet it is something that might get you imprisoned or killed if you take it too seriously while hemp is cultivated as an industrial production material in North Korea cannabis is classified with the same drug restrictions as heroin and cocaine and given the horrible Fates undergone by tourists in North Korea for something as seemingly minor as stealing a political poster you really should not take your chances breaking any of their

Laws or better yet just don't go with there fact nine who has the world's cheapest and most expensive cannabis in a study conducted in 2018 it was found that Japan had the world's most expensive green coming in at $32 per gram if Flying high in the Land of the Rising Sun feels a little steep for your wallet then you'd be better off vacationing in keto Ecuador where the price of Marijuana averages $134 per gram fact dat Malaysia has some Of the most brutal anti-drug laws in the world planting a single cannabis seed will put you

in prison for the rest of your life being caught possessing 20 GS will get you lashed 50 g will get you 5 years in jail and a fine equating to almost $5,000 up until 2018 having 200 g was considered trafficking and you could get sentenced to death but now it'll only put you behind bars for the rest of your life yay fact seven Carl Jr once served a weed burger for 420 seriously Back in 2019 as part of a special promotion for 420 they released The Rock Mountain High cheeseburger Delight which had a special Santa

Fe sauce infused with a small quantity of CBD it was only available for a single day at one of their locations in Colorado but for any pot fans in the area it was a day to remember fact six ever been curious about the actual difference between a joint a spliff and a blunt but been too afraid to look lame if you ask the Difference is actually pretty simple joints are small quantities of cannabis wrapped in rolling paper spliffs aren't pure cannabis they're a mix of cannabis and tobacco in rolling paper and blunts if we can

be blunt about it are bigger loads of cannabis wrapped in cigar or blunt wraps which normally also contain tobacco now you're familiar with all the key weed smoking lingo fact five one man had the guts to smoke weed in the white house while weed was still illegal Everywhere in the United States it was none other than country music God Willie Nelson who during the Carter Administration snuck a joint into the White House and lit It Up on the Roof with the president's son chip Carter it was thought to be a stoner urban legend for years

until ex-president Jimmy Carter himself confirmed that the story was true rock on Willie fact four weed has been inspiring Hollywood movies for almost a century Stoner comedy is a Movie institution with stoned Adventures being seen in Pineapple Express dude wears my car and the Harald and Kumar trilogy but the first ever movie inspired by weed was 1936's Reefer Madness but this wasn't a comedy at least not intentionally it was a propaganda movie that implied smoking weed would turn you into a violent Psychopathic killer and lead your life to ruin ironically a lot of people get

high to watch and laugh at it today fact Three there are some negative side effects of smoking weed that you should look out for while a lot of weed's impacts have historically been overblown as part of government scare campaigns there are some scientifically proven negative effects these include increased heart rate which has been recorded as lasting for up to 3 hours after the user smoked breathing problems since putting any kind of smoke into your lungs is going to irritate your Airways chronic Weed users also experience the classic smoker's cough and experience unpleasant fle buildup that

leads to them coughing up gross Gunk and then there's the vomiting nausea paranoia and sometimes even hallucinations that we mentioned earlier and in the long run chronic cannabis users might find themselves struggling with sleep issues as well as difficulty self motivating this won't be true for all users but there's always a non zero chance Fact Two you can Actually experience weed withdrawals when trying to come off the stuff while experiencing the negative side effects of quitting weed is actually quite rare and is nothing like coming off of harder drugs like heroin there are a constant

set of symptoms for those who do suffer from weed withdrawals so what can you expect from experiencing weed withdrawals the most common symptoms include reduced appetite the opposite of the famous Munchies mood swings and a General sense of irritability difficulty sleeping including insomnia in strange dreams headaches an inability to focus weed Cravings chills and cold sweats digestive issues and a general feeling of depression that's why a lot of chronic users struggle to come off this stuff and of course Fact one the US Coast Guard seized 54 tons of marijuana in a single bust back in

1977 the Night Train seizure occurred off the coast of Florida and was the Beginning of operation stop Gap the first inter agency initiative to stop drug trafficking it was carried out by the Coast Guard the DEA and the Federal Marshals and remains one of the biggest weed busts in history it takes a couple of attempts but you manage to spark up a lighter and hold it up steadily in front of your face to light up a joint a familiar Woody smell fills the room and drifts out of your window on the afternoon Breeze you blink

steady Yourself inhale deeply and fill your lungs up with warmth but what happens next chemically speaking biologically speaking what is it about this little green plant that gets millions of people around the world to flock to it how long has Humanity been consuming it and what exactly is it doing inside your body inside your mind to start let's have a look at the chemical composition of the cannabis plant itself rolled up in a joint in your hand native to Central and South Asia the cannabis plant today is so popular it's now grown to be a

global economy of its own from smallscale rural farming operations all the way through to drug super Labs including any number of illegal weed Farms somewhere in the middle experts believe that there are well over 700 different strains of cannabis currently on the market and this number seems only set to increase being able to identify which strain of weed you have in your hand can be very Easy when buying from a legal dispensary but if you live in a country or a state where marijuana is still criminalized being able to verify exactly what it is your

smoking becomes more difficult looking down at the green Mossy balls in your hand do you know where in the world it's come from and what's inside it let's break it down a bit or rather grind it down you've likely heard of the two most well-known active ingredients in cannabis these are canabidol and Tetra Hydro cannabinol or as you probably know them CBD and THC over the last 10 years in the West in particular CBD has been championed as a potential medical breakthrough it's also been shown to have a calming effect on those with anxious disorders

and is currently being tested as a treatment for psychosis Sleep Disorders muscle spasticity and more you might have seen ads for CBD oil products popping up in your feed claiming that it can solve any Number of ailments research is ongoing however results vary in the case of curing cancer for example so far there's no evidence to support that CBD has any kind of effect on the disease despite what people on the internet might be saying so you smoke CBD to get high right no CBD is usually extracted as an oil and on its own it

will not get you high but it's still psychoactive meaning it Alters your mental state typically leaving you feeling more calm and mellow The feeling of being high comes from the main active component in marijuana THC typically found in much greater quantities than CBD THC can have a powerful psychoactive effect to see what that means in practice let's follow it as it enters the human body you're taking a deep breath of that joint and Let the Smoke fill your lungs in this example you're going to be our test subject and you will be smoking weed smoking

is one of the most direct and Quickest ways to get high this is because the smoke from your burning marijuana contains high levels of THC the smoke is then inhaled filling your lungs at this point you might experience some irritation manifesting in the iconic smoker's cough from introducing an alien substance into your lungs this however is not unique to smoking weed as you're likely to see the same from people smoking or vaping conventional tobacco the lungs are designed to Quickly and efficiently transfer oxygen into the bloodstream when we breathe therefore they have the capacity to

take in large quantities of gas in one breath and get any number of elements or compounds from that gas into our bloodstream and fast the lung aren't just empty chambers they're full of tiny little air pockets called alvioli the average human adult has roughly 480 million alvioli in their lungs constituting about 1,500 M of Airways That's the equivalent of driving from Miami to New Hampshire for our American viewers or Madrid to Copenhagen for our European viewers for everyone else it's roughly 13,636 363.50 bananas lying in to end anyway back to your lungs in each alvus

the THC from the smoke is transferred directly into your bloodstream which then carries it all over your body including to the critical area your brain as a result it Often only takes a matter of seconds for the user to start feeling the psychoactive effects of what they're smoking so let's crack your head open and see what's going on inside sorry this might hurt a little the THC and CBD bind themselves to receptors throughout your brain the amydala for example is responsible for anxiety emotional responses and fear CBD dulls the activity in this part of the

brain but the THC component can stimulate it while Many users feel calmer after having smoked weed others can feel a heightened sense of paranoia and worry particularly on the cown as the calming effects of the CBD wear off looking at other parts of the brain impacted by the CBD we have the basil ganglia which is involved with motor control and planning the neocortex which processes sensory information and the cerebellum which is the center of motor control all three of these areas are impacted by smoking weed resulting In you feeling slow in general reflexes are delayed

information takes more time to process and motor functions and speech slow down driving under the influence of marijuana can be very dangerous as a result one study in the UK found that fatal accidents are 1.65 times more likely to occur when the subject is under the influence of marijuana while another study in Canada found that accidents could be to four times as likely most countries have Strict laws for driving under the influence of weed with zero tolerance policies made stricter by the fact that it can take over 48 hours for weed to stop showing up

on a blood test if they're testing your saliva it can be up to 72 hours urine can be anywhere from 3 to 30 days and it can even be tested in your hair follicles for up to 90 days fortunately you won't find many traffic cops that are plucking out your arm hair for a routine traffic stop however it Would be reductive to think that all weed does is dull your brain THC is a very active component that stimulates a lot of neural activity colors look brighter sounds are louder music sounds more rich and layered food

often tastes better under the influence of THC giving the subject the illusion that they're really hungry that's right this is why so many people using cannabis experience the famous Munchies which is why having a stoner visit your home is potentially Extremely dangerous to the state of your snack pantry and Chip Supply many people report having heightened imagination being able to think outside the box or come up with fresh and exciting ideas artists all throughout history have partaken in recreational drugs in an attempt to broaden their Horizon Ding A lot of the negative Sensations such as

feeling pain and anxiety coupled with the stimulation from THC results in feelings of euphoria in short you our Human test subject have gotten high but what does this High actually look like here's where it gets really interesting let's bandage your head up and take a look so far we've only focused on the THC and CBD but there are hundreds of Active Components within cannabis which vary in quantity and intensity depending on which of the hundreds of strains the user is consuming on top of that there's the method of consumption while smoking or vaping gets the

chemicals into the Bloodstream quickly the high only lasts around 3 hours or so many users instead take gummies or bake brownies and cookies when weed is absorbed through the digestive system it takes a significantly longer time to kick in but when it does the user can experience highs that go on for hours even up to a day as the digestive system slowly releases the chemicals into the bloodstream all of this makes studying the effects of marijuana very difficult As with with almost any study there are the caveats of which strain is being used how the

test subject is ingesting it and who the test subject is the human brain is an incredibly complex thing indeed if you took a sample of the human brain that was the size of just one grain of sand that sample would contain 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapsis now multiply that by 860,000 and you've got a human brain just like the one that's sitting in your head watching This video and feeling very smug about itself being able to quantify and measure exactly what's happening in an organ far more advanced and complicated than the computers were studying

it on has been a challenge in medical science for decades and will likely continue to be one for a very long time while one individual might take one puff and spend the rest of the day feeling anxious their elderly grandma might smoke a Whole Bowl and feel nothing but Zen so For Nana's sake is it dangerous well on the whole consuming marijuana is relatively harmless as long as you aren't driving controlling heavy machinery or performing open heart surgery the risks of smoking the occasional joint with the right amount of weed in it are low so

why hasn't it been legalized worldwide already and why are there Skeptics out there including in the scientific Community as is often the case with controversial topics a lot Of the conflict comes from political and cultural differences to tell that whole story we need to wind all the way back to China in 2800 BC where we find the first recorded use of marijuana in history even that long ago the cannabis plant was being used for medicinal purposes emperor Shen n considered by many to be the grandfather of medicine recorded the plant in his writings as being

particularly useful from that point records of Canabis spread Throughout India Syria Greece and Rome various healing properties have been ascribed to it over the years including cures for inflammation depression arthritis and even asthma of course most early medicine is notoriously rather unreliable we're looking at you leeches and milk transfusions but there's always been something about this little green plant that's captured the attention of doctors and pharmacologists throughout the centur CES often there's a grain of Truth to the mythology that is sprung up around the drug in Hinduism for example the god Shiva is given the

title of Lord of bong because cannabis is his favorite food for centuries many Hindus believe that if you were suffering from a fever it was the god's hot breath of anger upon you rituals were conducted where you would be given a quantity of cannabis to consume so you would find favor with Shiva again and your fever would pass with modern Medical Science We know that THC acts in the hypothalamus of the brain were reducing the body's temperature and therefore counteracting fevers so where did it all go wrong for weed's PR team why is it that

many people in the west now include cannabis in the same conversation as crack cocaine and heroin as opposed to paracetamol and penicillin Well Medical Marijuana was first introduced in the West in 1841 by William Brook o shanesy an Irish physician who spent years Studying all kinds of different medicines in India but the real origins of the USA's problem with marijuana began 200 years before that in the Jamestown Colony in 16005 dissatisfied with the return on investment they were seeing the English and King James I first in particular demanded The Colony change up the crop they

produced to hemp a plant within the Cannabis family the crop was a massive success and became the key to the early expansion of the American Colonial settlements George Washington himself famously grew him as one of his three primary crops on Mount Vernon the plant was used to manufacture ropes and fabrics but following William Brook o Shan's findings from India Americans began to experiment with the plant's medicinal properties the USA was still in relative infancy with many laws and prohibitions being established drug laws at the time involved labeling products as being poisons which Restricted them to

being legal only if prescribed by a pharmacist even then the debate about cannabis varied from state to state with some issuing it with the poison status and others believing it was exempt from these rules at the time opium DS were Rife Across America and alongside them a number of hashish parlor up in which people would smoke various forms of hemp and cannabis by 1880 these establishments were seen as quite fashionable with many of the upper Classes frequenting them it's estimated that there were roughly 500 such parlors in New York City alone the laws needed to

be strengthened further still fraud and Corruption were Rife in the drug industry with many falsely labeling their products for the sake of profit the tighter that these restrictions got the more people looked for loopholes the government and the newly established Food and Drug Administration were pulling in different directions than a Lot of the American public who were looking to skirt prescriptions and drug laws in order to continue to get their highs in the move to close the loopholes cannabis was often grouped in with many of the much more addictive much more harmful drugs that were

plaguing the American population the solution the American government came to was a zero tolerance policy on recreational drug use including the prohibition of alcohol and the criminalization of marijuana Which at the time they were spelling with an H in 1971 President Nixon coined the term War on Drugs where he declared drug abuse to be Public Enemy Number One of the American people the approach was incarceration with an iron fist possession distribution and consumption of banned substances would result in jail time it's estimated that throughout this War on Drugs the USA spends roughly $51 billion annually

on its Endeavor to clean up the streets to illustrate with That money the USA could give each Canadian citizen $1,416 67 per year just as a little thank you for being such lovely neighbors alternatively they could give one lucky Canadian a dollar a minute for 97,000 32 years a large amount of this campaign against drugs has involved a level of fear-mongering there's a lot of false information swirling around the world about the negative effects these drugs have it rots the brain and causes Psychosis it's a gateway drug to stronger and more dangerous highs and it

is highly addictive but is there any truth to any of these claims let's examine them one by one firstly no marijuana does not rot the brain rotting is the decay of dead organic material as bacteria and fungi consume it that simply doesn't happen however the link to psychosis is a much more contested field with evidence for both sides of the argument firstly what is psychosis It's a term that is thrown around a lot especially in the world of drug use but very rarely defined meaning a lot of people attach their own fears worries and prejudices

to the word psychosis is when someone loses contact with reality the the image of the world around them that the brain is painting doesn't match up with the objective reality surrounding them the two main symptoms of psychosis are hallucinations and Illusions and it's important to know the Difference between the two a Hallucination is when a person experiences something that isn't actually happening most commonly this takes the form of hearing voices that aren't really there or sometimes seeing things that aren't really there in some cases people have reported smelling feeling and tasting their hallucinations too such

as tasting blood in their mouth despite their being none a delusion on the other hand is more abstract it could Be the feeling that you're being followed or that there's a conspiracy in your workplace to harm you delusional people are often highly susceptible to conspiracy theories as often the paranoid messaging chimes with their fearful delusions that their minds have already been generating so does marijuana cause psychosis it's complicated let's go back to the chemicals active in your brain we're going to need to crack that skull open Again sorry THC is highly psychoactive this is where

the feeling of euphoria from being high comes from while CBD can decrease the levels of panic and paranoia in the brain it's often present in much smaller quantities than THC mainly as many cannabis Farms compete with one another to grow stronger and stronger strains couple that with the fact that there are hundreds of active compounds within the cannabis plant and it goes back to our earlier point about This being a challenging area of study therefore many scientists rely on quite broad studies taking large sample sizes of drug users and non-drug users and comparing the development

of their brains over time looking most notably at teenagers and young people what they found is there is often a link between heav pot smoking and psychosis there are cases of people living with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders where the heavy use of marijuana is Linked to the onset of those symptoms what has not been proven however is that weed was the cause most scientists believe that weed can in some cases accelerate the development of underlying psychotic disorders the brain is a very complex and delicate thing if somebody has an underlying psychotic condition then the consumption

of drugs that alters their state of mind and heightens activities within certain sections of the brain can naturally lead to an Exacerbation of those symptoms schizophrenia is believed to affect one in 300 people while bipolar disorder affects 1 in 100 while these are quite small percentages they are not insignificant THC does carry the risk of triggering a psychotic episode if you're genetically predisposed to having a psychotic condition the chances are very low and won't affect the majority of the population but they are still there next is it a gateway drug the experience of a Chemical

buzz in the brain is a sensation that many of us try to chase in our lives you get up and sing in a concert at your high school and you get a rush from it you do it a second time and the high is worn off a bit so you need a bigger crowd and a bigger crowd and suddenly you're in a rock band on an arena tour chasing this type of bigger better high is an experience we're sure many of you are familiar with Studies have shown that in a minority of cases The the

same can happen with marijuana usage of the drug can prime the brain ready for more intense highs which it then craves this sounds bad Until you realize the same thing happens with cigarettes and alcohol both of these demonstrate a similar connection to being a gateway drug to harder substances as marijuana so why are those not held up to the same level of scrutiny one thing Studies have shown is that there is a much more powerful Gateway drug out there trauma a difficult childhood experiencing abuse and going through acute pain and suffering are all far more

likely to result in a person developing a dependence on hard substances weed is often a part of that Journey but in these cases it seems to be a symptom more than the cause of the problem but is it addictive let's take a similar look at this question you wake up one morning feeling tired so you make Yourself a cup of coffee it clears away the fog helps you focus on your job and gives you a little endorphin rush from a good day's work so the next day you do the same and the next and the

next until one day you run out of coffee you look in the jar and it's empty a storm cloud gathers over your head you go to work with a scowl snap at your co-workers have a headache by lunchtime and come home feeling miserable what's happened here well the human brain is incredibly Flexible your brain has gotten so used to the influx of caffeine each day that it's now rebalanced the chemicals inside itself to receive that caffeine boost it's ready and it's waiting so when the Boost doesn't come there's now a chemical imbalance the same thing

happens with weed if you burn one down at 420 smoke weed every day your brain's going to be sitting there at 419 rubbing its metaphorical hands together in anticipation coming off weed now feels Hard you have cravings for it you feel irritated when you don't have it you struggle to fall asleep you lose your appetite and you generally have a bad time for about 2 weeks then you're likely back to normal that's because what we've described here isn't an addiction it's dependence it's very common and can be broken fairly quickly up to 30% of wheat

smokers experience some level of dependence and it can be overcome by just taking an extended Break and giving your brain some rest that said there's a small risk of long-term addiction people under the age of 18 have brains that are still developing they're still growing and changing and adjusting to the world around them smoking weed regularly at this stage in your life could lead your brain to building itself around the expectation that it'll be receiving those chemical hits every day which may start as a dependence and could grow to Be much more deeply rooted and

could result in a lifelong addiction if there's one thing you learned from this video it's that marijuana much like life is complicated there may not always be a straight answer to every question anyone who tells you that something is totally amazing it has no downsides we'll always be lying even ice cream has downsides what's important is looking at the big picture is weed the devil's leaf that spells the end of society as we know it No of course not but neither is it a miracle cure all drug that everyone should take on a daily basis

weed cannabis The Good Kush sweet Mary Jane she's been around a long long time over 5,000 years in fact and in that time the infamous drug has racked up some incredible stories and uses how did this Bud ignite a war why does India have a weed milkshake and did you know that in the 1930s they made an infamously bad propaganda film about how weed would Turn you into a psychopathic killer Weir ganja tell you all this and more welcome to the wild wacky history of weed let's begin with the basics what exactly is weed marijuana

is a drug that comes from from the cannabis plant an ancient Flora that's been used all over the world for centuries for its medicinal spiritual and agricultural properties the latter is more commonly known as hemp the seeds of the plant can be used for food the oils and fibers produced by hemp can be Made into clothing paper and ropes which was very useful as those things were in high demand and one plant could do it all now we aren't really sure when exactly the cannabis plant popped out of the ground since we weren't alive back

then unless there's a secret Immortal hiding away the truth and if you're an immortal watching this please let us know in the comments we know it's incredibly old that much is certain lucky for us there are scientists Dedicated to finding out the answers they haven't found all of them yet but we hear they're still looking so for the sake of brevity let's keep this to weed's history with the human race our first stop on this dank Adventure brings us to China Cannabis sativa weed's ma in name had been established as a useful farming crop in

this region due to its fast growing nature and ability to produce textiles fiber and grain around 2700 BC legendary Chinese emperor Shen Nong whose name means divine farmer or Divine husbandman reportedly discovered the health benefits of the plant using it to treat a variety of ailments which were cataloged in a book known by many names still his friends call it Pensa ching The Divine husband men's Materia Meda the emperor earned a new title thanks to his teachings now considered the father of Chinese medicine most of us are lucky if we get one cool title in

our life good old Emperor Shen couldn't Get enough how MJ became Global after its debut is likely thanks to the infamous ancient trading route the Silk Road or silk route this 4,000m journey between China and Europe is believed to be the key in how cannabis spread its leafy wings and took people higher quite literally as one of the travel paths Merchants took up into the pamir mountains these mountains contain Jan K cemetery and ancient burial site that would unknowingly shine a light on some Massive weed Mysteries approximately 2500 years later these tombs were excavated and

you'll never guess what they found that's right bones bones that were carbon dated to about 500 BC but buried with the bones were wooden burners that would burn a special plant can you guess which one it was Cannabis sativa and if you guessed that feel free to take any prize from the middle shelf historians and archaeologists have extrapolated that ancient MERS in this Area would add cannabis seeds to the hot stones and inhale smoke while burying the deceased or visiting the oldest known evidence of humans smoking the herb we told you this stuff was old

school they don't call it the OG kush for nothing whether ritualistic or to Simply hide the rotting stench of the corpses with its distinctive smell the Cannabis found in those brazers was unique when compared to previously found specimens it contained a high level of Tetrahydrocannabinol now for those of us who can't afford $5 words THC the psychoactive chemical is what stimulates the brain and allows one to enter a higher plane while smoking a bowl metaphorically speaking in 440 BC Greek historian Herodotus was traveling the world around this time his travels led him to meet the

cians a fierce nomadic tribe that originated from what's now known as Siberia but spread across Central Asia from 900 BC until 200 BC Herodotus reported that the Warriors would build weed saunas using tents and Hot Rocks to inhale the fumes which made the cynthian cry out in ecstasy so we have anecdotal evidence that we can thank the cynthian for the original Hot Box weed has been a consistent part of many rituals ceremonies and festivals for centuries in India bahong is made from the cannabis plant and has deep religious ties to the Hindu god Shiva some

mythological accounts speak of Bahang being Lord shiva's favorite offering and the Hindu god is often depicted with the substance in portraits since the fifth century bahong has been consumed at the iconic celebrations hly and mahash Shati where it's typically infused in traditional drinks like lassi and tandai and in case you weren't aware tandai is a cold milky beverage that's right a weed milkshake as time when on cannabis became prominent in Asia Africa and Europe sailing across the seas which Was convenient as hemp was widely used for ships rigging and sales and did we already mention

rope hemp became popular among the white Settlers of the Americas in the mid 1600s for agricultural use in the colonies did you know that the first president of the United States George Washington grew his own hemp crop at Mount Vernon well now you do in 1833 an Irish physician named Dr William Brook o shanesy came to India where he would spend many years researching the medical Benefits after noting the locals using bahong as a remedy oasi believed cannabis was an untapped medical resource for Western medicine he used the plant in an attempt to cure patients

suffering from illnesses like rheumatism and chalera his experiments concluded that cannabis wasn't a cure but could be used as part of the treatment oasi also claimed cannabis to be anti-convulsive medication reportedly using it to stop seizures of a baby and ease the Tremors In tetanus patients enter cannabis andate cannabis indicia was a new strain of cannaboid getting the nickname Indian hemp or more famously ganja New Year new weed this strain was noted to have added relaxation effects with a side effect of increased delirium oy's research paved the way for cannabis to be recognized and used

in Western medicine it became widely accessible in the medical field and popular as an over-the-counter remedy a staple ingredient in all kinds Of concoctions and elixir some of those included other drugs such as POI opium and cocaine which was incredibly common during the 19th and 20th centuries in 1850 cannabis appeared for the first time in the United States pharmacopia a compendium of all the most important drugs in American Medicine meanwhile during that same decade in France the Club Des Sashi was formed which celebrated more recreational use of the aky toy but the story of weed

isn't all Sunshine and Roses while weed use got a head start anti-weed legislation had been carefully marching along behind it all the way back in 1378 over in the Sunny Land Of Arabia so Yun Shoni the Amir of xonia banned the smoking of hash in his domain which many historians seem to agree was the first time someone legislated against marijuana officially marijuana would have an easy ride for a few centuries after that until the king of Jamaica brought found the banhammer In 1787 yes Jamaica in the 1800s for all the advances in marijuana use both

medical and otherwise that it gave us there were plenty among the powers that be who were striking back to name a few Napoleon bonapart the municipal Council of Rio De Janeiro British colonies in the macius South Africa and India not to mention rulers in Greece Singapore the Ottoman Empire and Morocco it was only a matter of time before legislation against marijuana would hit the Americas Let's Jump Ahead to 1914 when the United States Congress passed the Harrison narcotic act which greatly impacted the opium trade opioids can no longer be dispensed without a prescription and all

narcotics manufacturers and Distributors had to be registered under the US Treasury Department soon after morphine cocaine heroin and other hard substances were completely prohibited by federal law despite cannabis being Untouched by this new law it undoubtedly foreshadowed Trouble on the horizon then came the volstad Act of 1919 more commonly known as the prohibition act while it didn't take effect until 1920 that new law was responsible for Banning the sale or distribution of all alcoholic beverages this lasted until 1933 America was running dry and crimes were running higher here's a little advice from us if you

happen to find yourself thrown back into this era watch out for Chicago thunder so how did all These new laws impact Mary Jane substances that were widely available now came with suffocating restrictions the rise in a addiction related crimes the beginnings and booming of Black Market drugs misinformation and exploitation was the perfect combination to stir up a growing fear amongst the general population marijuana's reputation as a safe substance had been flipped it didn't take long for the madness to spread Reefer Madness came to America's screens in 1936 the exploitation film attempted to portray a dark

cautionary tale to warn young people and their parents about the dangerous Devil's lettuce and get them back on the path of the straight and narrow it used highly exaggerated false claims about the drug to push its narrative the most infamous being that cannabis would get the user so high that it would drive them to Insanity causing them to commit heinous acts like murder The melodramatic picture with its bold iconic posters dripping with Ault imagery had a bit of an unintended effect with the target audience finding it more a comedy than a drama especially if you

were high at the time no wonder it gained a cult following jumping forward briefly we see decades later in the distant gear of 2005 a parody musical of Reefer Madness featuring a very special guest Jesus was born it was very popular with Stoners anyway back to The 1930s an article written by the head of the United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics Harry anslinger titled marijuana Assassin of Youth was published in 1937 just a year after Reefer Madness was released anslinger wrote that ignorance about the effects of cannabis was the cause of criminal activity murder and

insanity that sure sounds familiar in that same year the marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed a yearly tax was placed on All Imports Selling and distributing under regulation and failure to pay was met with prison time and a fine legal but heavily regulated the recreational use of weed started its decline at least not all was snubbed into an ashtray the hemp industry was still going medical marijuana was still accessible under the right circumstances but how long would that last in 1942 cannabis was was removed from the US pharmacopia despite the reputation of weed being

linked to The Shady underground of crime that didn't stop breakthroughs in research involving the herb Israeli chemist rapael mulam isolated and identified THC that little mind altering chemical we mentioned earlier and the structure of cannabinol CBD in 1964 this allowed more in-depth studies on just how weed affected the human brain by isolating THC and using CBD the medical benefits used for centuries were now accessible without the psychoactive High but don't count THC out yet more information was discovered during the study on how THC could be used in therapeutic treatments during the 60s a new era

of free love was emerging and Mary Jane became linked to the hippies who brought with them a wave of new Revolution against social norms through the use of fashion political Rebellion pushing the call for peace and love over war and of course music sexuality freedom of expression and psychedelics Cannabis use was extremely popular amongst those involved in the movement 1967 saw the Summer of Love hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of the height Ashbury District located in San Francisco in celebration of Freedom peace art music Good Vibes and getting blazed flower power this

unplanned but significant event caught mass media attention and not everyone was happy about this new movement enter stage left the 37th President of the United States Richard Nixon Nixon was primed to start a war and his Target was narcotics the War on Drugs was declared in 1971 Nixon stated drug abuse was the American public's greatest enemy while in private hoping to use cannabis as a cudgel against his predominantly hippie and black political opponents Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act which listed cannabis as schedule one narcotic putting it in the same category as hard substances like

heroin drugs in This category are deemed to have the highest risk of being abused and contain no medical value in 1973 the Drug Enforcement Administration was brought together by combining the office for drug abuse law enforcement the office of Narcotics intelligence and the Bureau of Narcotics and dangerous drugs to further crack down on these new laws how could it possibly escalate from here well the answer comes from the 1980s tricky dick was out of the pick and Ronald Reagan Was now the United States president during his presidency from 1981 to 1989 Reagan held his stands

firm that marijuana had no place amongst the American public the anti-drug Abuse Act of 1986 poured more US Federal funding into drug enforcement creating a minimum sentence for any drug rated crimes and increasing the monetary and incarceration penalties for those crimes heroin crack cocaine and marijuana were among the most common narcotics involved The arrests and incarcerations for drug crimes such as possession saw a massive spike a pretty intense sentence for a small herb but why marijuana was often called a gateway drug thus it was argued that it was just as dangerous as the other schedule

one narcotics it shared the list with President Reagan's wife Nancy rean was also heavily involved in this war privately funding a new campaign just say no in response to the concerns of rising drug abuse and crimes Against school-aged children then came the drug abuse resistance education program or Dare founded in 1983 in Los Angeles you might be familiar with it or at the very least familiar with its legendarily corny PSAs this program infiltrated schools across the US taught by police officers accompanied by a cartoon lion mascot called Darren the lion incorporating the just say no

campaign into its Works presenting the dangers of addiction and strategies to Combat peer pressure through speaking at schools Across America before they set off on a global campaign equipped with the aforementioned corny public service announcements one of the more bizarre but Infamous PSAs came from 1987 this is your brain on drugs it depicts a man picking up an egg claiming it to be the brain then cracking it into a hot Skillet the skillet of course the drugs the egg sizzles away while menacingly holding the frying pan asking the Audience if they have any questions needless

to say even today it's often referenced in parody in 1996 California became the first state to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis under proposition 215 the compassionate use Act of 1996 a historic milestone for the campaign to legalize medical marijuana in America just a year prior bills were approved by state legislator but were vetoed by the state Governor at the time Peter Wilson when this happened Advocates of the cause didn't back down they took the vote to the people and the people said yes 14 States soon legalized the use of medical cannabis and the times

were a changing not just in the US weed became legal for medical use in the Netherlands in 2000 followed by Canada in 2001 before later becoming legal at least for medical use in Austria Circa 2008 and Uruguay Italy Romania and the Czech Republic as well as France in 2013 there were plenty more after that but we Respect your time and figure you'd probably just get sick of us listing off different country names back to the old us OFA weed and pop culture became more mainstream in the 9s and 2000s even popularizing a previously Niche sub

genre of the film stoner comedies or Stoner films we think the title Explains It All N exploitation film surrounding marijuana can be dated back to the 60s with Easy Rider in 1969 but that film is far from giggles and Good Vibes the Comedy part of Stoner comedy started back in 1978 with Up in Smoke starring now iconic Duo Richard Anthony cheich Marin and Tommy Chong but what about the music man weed was heavily associated with music icon Snoop Dogg featuring references to the drug since his debut on Dr Dre's 1992 album titled The Chronic Snoop

wasn't shy about his love of marijuana speaking publicly about his personal use and support in the movement to legalize weed one of his most popular Singles came from 2001 with smoke weed every day still one of the world's most beloved Stoner anthems in 2015 Leaf spy Snoop was founded making its own cannabis strains and products like Edibles given the highly radicalized nature of the war on marijuana which we can thank Nixon for it's definitely a step in the right direction for black pop culture figures like Snoop do to finally profit off the plant that the

government was previously using to haul Them off to jail while the legalization of marijuana for medical use has a pretty illustrious history at this point the legal battles of recreational marijuana especially in the United States have been considerably more fra in 2012 Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational use of pot as of today despite marijuana still being forbidden on a federal level 38 US states three territories in the District of Columbia Allowed the use of medical cannabis but which was the first country to fully Legalize It that title belongs to Uruguay

in 2013 it completely legalized cannabis for medical and recreational use landmarking it as the first country in the world to make weed completely legal and since then it's been joined by some illustrious fellow weed Havens Georgia South Africa Canada Mexico Malta Thailand and Luxembourg and given that none of these countries have fully Collapsed into the purge like Anarchy since legis ation it's safe to say a lot of the fear-mongering of the past was probably overblown current United States President Joe Biden stated in 2022 that he would pardon prior offenses of possession of cannabis encouraging State

Governors to follow his example Biden asked for the cooperation of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources and the Attorney General to start the process needed to get a revision of that Decision progress for marijuana Advocates has been forced to take baby steps throughout most of recent history but if the waves of legalization across the 2010s remain an enduring Trend the 2020s are likely to be an extremely good decade for the dankest Among Us regardless of whether you partake yourself there's no denying that weed truly has a remarkable history from its humble rise as a

simple crop to its blazing fall as a narcotic to its Revival as medicine and maybe someday as a normalized drug like alcohol caffeine and tobacco there's so much history and mystery we still don't know about if only plants could talk yeah they might take over the world or something but as long as those plants can keep it mellow it's a small price to pay can smoking the devil's lettuce every day for a month be bad for you what happens to your body exactly or more importantly what happens to your mind and what if You suddenly

quit will you pay for your month of indulgence with nasty withdrawal Humanity has come a long way where weed is concerned it's now legal for recreational use in 25 States plus three territories and Washington DC a further seven states in the US have decriminalized it meaning it's not legal but you won't be prosecuted for taking it this trend toward General acceptance seems to align with the general public's opinion surface show that 88% of Americans think it should be legal for recreational and medical use the world is changing seems like it won't be long until weed

is legal or decriminalized in many more countries that's because words on the street that weed isn't half as bad as those Puritans from the past made it out to be even some of the strictest Nations where drugs are concerned have done an about turn on weed we imagine a few of our viewers have been to Thailand in the last year and seen what has been Nothing short of a weed explosion and this is a country that not long ago could have you put behind some very nasty looking bars for having a few grams of wheed

on your person entire streets these days in the tourist areas look like a fantasy dream of deceased Bob Marley weed shops are everywhere feels like walking through a weed Wonderland the BBC called it just that interviewing a guy who said the country is now Amsterdam on steroids but despite It being a veritable Cash Cow there have been people in including doctors calling for a reban the government doesn't look like it'll change its stance surely if this is happening in conservative Thailand weed can't be that bad for you that's what we'll try to figure out in

this video let's start day one by exploring some myths about this once demonized drug one theory states that weed can make you mad mad as in the angry type of mad and maybe even on your First day of smoking making it extremely relevant for our 30-day Journey there have already been news articles in Thailand saying someone viciously attacked someone else and the now legal weed was blamed some of those stories reminded people of long- gone era where misinformation about drugs came out of almost every politician's mouth in the past we humans absolutely got weed AKA

ganja pot grass herb all wrong you only need to look at anti-weed propaganda Films like 1937's Reefer Madness which told us that weed had its roots in hell and if it doesn't turn you into a killer or compel you to sleep with the first person you see walking down the street it'll render you in a state of hopeless Insanity here's a line from a doctor in the movie explaining what happened to some kid who got himself addicted to weed yes I remember just a young boy under the influence of the drug he killed his entire

family with an axe This line is the definition of nonsense you don't even need the numerous scientific studies to tell you we doesn't usually make people violent unlike the very legal alcohol as the American comedian Bill Hicks once joked pot is a better drug than alcohol I'll prove it to you you're at a ball game or a concert and someone's really violent and aggressive and obnoxious are they drunk or are they smoking pot that's hardly scientific it's just an Observation but the people of the world would very likely agree the answer is without a doubt

alcohol with weed there have been some studies that have suggested it could cause antisocial Behavior one such study published by the National Institutes of Health told us a metaanalysis found the risk of perpetrating violence was more than twice as high for young adults who used marijuana another piece of nonsense we like is when President Ronald dragan During his War on Drugs days said I now have absolute proof that smoking even one marijuana cigarette is equal in brain damage to being on Bikini Island during an hbomb blast he was speaking absolute balder Dash but that doesn't

mean weed is completely safe where the well-being of your body or your mind is concerned no drugs are 100% safe before we get into the effects of weed smoking after day one there's something we need to tell you about weed in general the Fact that it just isn't for everyone and we mean that some people might have a very bad reaction the first time they take it especially if they do as many impressionable teenagers do and get blasted before they've checked if they have a vehicle AKA a brain suitable for space travel you need to

know that weed is a psychoactive drug it affects your nervous system it can alter how you think what you see and what you hear it gets you high how high is up to your Tolerance if you have a tolerance and your unique body and of course what kind of weed you've been smoking it's well known that weed today is often about 10 times stronger than weed from half a century ago some people seem very sensitive to weed and being high can almost be like tripping on psychedelics not always very pleasant yet others might feel a

sense of well-being but not be all that out there we all react differently start slow is Our advice There are 483 known compounds in weed but the ones most talked about are tetrahydrocannabinol or THC the one that's mainly responsible for the the high and canabidol CBD the one that's presently being sold as a possible antidote to anxiety and depression or a cure for pain and various diseases we'll get back to that topic soon weed might not be for you at all and we mean for some people they're just too big of a risk there is

evidence that it can cause Psychotic experiences especially if you've had them before or they run in your family it's rare but be aware there are plenty of scientific papers that tell us cannabis is a known risk factor for schizophrenia still according to one such paper published by the National Institutes of Health biological events and a valid model of neurobiological mechanisms are lacking that means they weren't able to figure out what was going on in the brain when something Went wrong they couldn't find the actual cause nonetheless it is well established that people on weed may

become diluted paranoid if you smoke weed and you begin to think that all your friends are CIA agents who are trying to control your mind with a 21st century version of MK Ultra you might be one of those people who should stay away from weed we don't think the CIA does such things anymore for some the craziness is fleeting they might find it after a particularly large Dose that they tell their friends look my thumbs have gone weird my heart is beating like a bleeped up clock that's from an old cult classic comedy movie with

some really funny weed Parts it's a film but the writer obviously had experience with the drug in question put your hand up if you've ever sneakily felt your heartbeat on weed because you imagine something ain't right it can cause anxiet XY and with some people severe anxiety leading to outlandish Thoughts about something that's gone wrong with their body again we know some of you are now nodding your head Studies have shown long-term use of weed may increase the risk of heart issues but it doesn't cause your heart to beat fast enough that it fails after

just one smoke that's the anxiety talking others say weed makes them feel disconnected from themselves disassociative they may hallucinate or just have some really disturbing otherworldly thoughts and We're not trying to scare you but this stuff you ought to know it's hard to understand how many people in a population will have a negative weed experience in a Danish study consisting of thousands of people the researchers said 30% of participants who'd had a psychotic experience in their lives would likely not have had one had they not ever ingested weed still many people will not have such

negative psychological reactions especially when They take it in small amounts Millions will consume it every day and they a okay a world drug report in 2013 said 180 million people had tried weed in the last year it's thought that there are about 219 million weed smokers on the planet right now the CDC says about 11 and a half% of Americans smoke it or did so in 2021 in England and Wales A study said 13 1 12% of 16 to 24 year-olds had it in the past year 40% of those people said they'd used it at

least once a Month most of them would have been fine but some of them would have had negative experiences another study we found said people who smoke weed are three times more likely to to believe people will harm them than people who don't smoke weed then there was that study that tested people with an intravenous 1 and2 milligram dose of either THC or a placebo meaning nothing the researchers found that the weed consumers were 30% more likely to have some amount of Paranoia other negative experiences included lowered mood worry anxiety and negative thoughts about themselves

so with all that in mind you should start slowly with weed and see how it goes let's say you like it and you want to smoke it again day one of weed is over it's now day two you may have noticed some forgetfulness especially around the time you smoked the weed yesterday unlike those times you were wasted on alcohol you haven't woken up in a Strange bed with a penis scrolled on your cheek but your memory is a bit fuzzy from around the time you smoke there's a reason for that cannabis affects something called the

hippocampus it's a part of the brain that helps you process new memories studies on rats that were given regular doses of weed showed they struggled to remember how to do various tasks there was even long-term impairment but these rats were stoned throughout their entire young Lives you're not a rat and you haven't been smoking weed for years on end but this is something to bear in mind Studies have shown that regular weed use in young people can affect how the hippocampus develops but such cognitive impairment like many things related to weed needs to be studied

more your month on weed almost certainly isn't going to change the structure of your brain in any significant way for the rest of your life you may have had some short-term Memory problems when you got stoned again today but you don't need to sweat the long-term stuff yet in fact some Studies have shown regular weed use May saave off neurodegenerative diseases that affect memory like Alzheimer's and Huntington's Korea let's say you've now been hitting the weed for 5 days on the Trot sure you have some patchy memory days but in general since you're the kind

of person who likes weed and has positive experiences with it you Actually feel fine you haven't really experienced any changes we mean the middle-aged long-haired guy that's been selling it to you the one who always is wearing that old ween t-shirt says he's been sming it every day since 1997 he says he's fine well he does seem to have some motivation issues many people do which is why Afroman wrote the song lyrics I was going to clean my room until I got high I was going to get up and find the broom but then I

got high My room is still messed up and I know why again that's not scientific but many people have said such things we'll come back to that topic of motivation soon another thing you noticed is you put on a few pounds as the rapper Master P said in a song you you the captain I'm the crunch you got that dinner I got the lunch hit the weed pass the blunt your eyes red and you got the munchies a paper in the journal Nature again based on stoned rodents said the THC and weed Can cause changes

in the brain's hypothalamus tricking the rat into thinking it's hungry there's evidence that smoking weed can lead to an increase in the production of the hormone gin which can create hunger pangs not only that but weed leads to increases in the Feelgood chemical dopamine so the experience of eating that food could feel much more satisfying than normal if you're a weed smoker we don't need to tell you this You've all raided the fridge at 2: a.m. like a ravenous zombie after getting the weed Munchies still while you've put on a few pounds Studies have shown

that regular weed use does not generally lead to weight gain in the long run in fact some studies show pot smokers might have a lower body mass index on average we should just add here that there are so many studies out there and so many are contradictory that figuring out the mystery of weed is going to take a lot More work you literally spend all day Googling all the good stuff about weed and think it was the answer to all the world's problems then you could do the opposite and soon become scared out of your

wits it's always best to analyze various studies or at least know they exist let's also remember here that people wouldn't do it if it didn't make them feel good as the book and the movie train spotting said about an illegal substance not weed but it works for all Substances people think it's all about Misery and Desperation and death and all that which is not to be ignored but what they forget is the pleasure of it otherwise we wouldn't do it sticking with the positives for many people suffering from chronic pain weed has been a godsent

you yourself may have had neuropathic pain in your back for years but now you've been smoking weed for a few days and there's been a considerable reversal of pain levels the reason for This is that a person's peripheral nerves the nerves that detect pain Sensations contain a lot of receptors for cannaboids scientists now think that cannaboids might block peripheral nerve pain Studies have shown this to be true in animals still as you might know the Mind plays a big part when it comes to pain you may have heard of the no sio effect where people

feel pain when they shouldn't be feeling pain a good example is the case of the guy who went to the ER with a long nail stuck through his work boot he was screaming and telling doctors that even the opiates they were giving him weren't working when they finally s off his boot they saw the nail had actually gone through the gap between his toes embarrassed the guy was suddenly painfree but for him he really did feel that pain and with cannabis there's now good evidence that it can act as a placebo where pain is concerned

Studies have shown that when people with Pain took a placebo that looked smelled and tasted like weed they felt a reduction in their pain levels we've known for decades that when someone takes a placebo for pain certain neurotransmitters are released in the brain including what are called endocannabinoids but there have also been some negative reactions especially now that you've been smoking it for 10 days you seem to be less motivated Studies have shown that after wheat Consumption people can indeed be less motivated one study showed that participants who've had weed were less likely to press

buttons for a reward still this study showed that if people waited 12 hours their motivation returned now you've realized that taking a long break from weed smoking is sometimes good long-term smokers of weed don't need studies to tell them overdoing it can make them a bit sluggish and not exactly in the mood to Get things done as fast as possible it's the same with reaction times you've noticed that when you're stoned you might float like a butterfly but not exactly sting like a bee researchers have said that this might have something to do with the

brain's Thalamus cortical striatal circuit the nature Journal tells us that this controls movement execution habit formation and reward receptors inh here bind with the THC and this can slow down someone's perception Of time in a 2012 study scientists said 70% of participants who smoked weed experienced what seemed like a stretching of time time moved more slowly and this might have something to do with slowed reaction times Studies have showed that performance can be affected these are controversial studies given that people smoke weed and drive cars or operate planes or Machinery one study we found showed

that when users had to perform a task after ingesting Weed for 4 days they not only had slower reaction times on the first day of the experiment it seems that they got used to it another study a meta study concluded that some lower quality Studies have reported nextday effects of THC on cognitive function and safety sensitive tasks however most studies include some higher quality have found no such effect but you've been taking it easy so your reaction time's not much different from usual certainly after 12 Hours from your last smoke you also seemed much more

prone to slowness on the first few days that you did smoke this seemed to be getting better the more days you smoke like most people in the world the effects seem to completely go away between 2 and 4 hours but another thing you realized is that after 12 days on this stuff you started to get more anxious this is because part of your brain called the amydala is stimulated by weed the studies on Anxiety and cannabis use can be very contradictory for some people we' helped with their anxiety but for others they experienced an increase

in anxiety after long-term use although the Casual links were not clear in a 2017 survey consisting of 9,000 American regular weed smokers 70% said it gave them noticeable health benefits with almost 50% saying it relieved anxiety others said it helped with their PTSD some said it had a positive effect on their Phobias and some said it helped with sleep and so anxiety but others said it caused anxiety especially when they consumed weed with high levels of THC it's a bit of an each to their own situation in your case the anxiety has only been fleeting

and you only experienced it when you had consumed a lot more weed than usual it's around this point in your 30-day experience that you notice the effect weed is having on your lungs this is mostly a Silent effect although admittedly just the other day you cuffed up something that made you think in the movie Ghostbusters just be aware that chronic weed smoking can increase flim production you've been smoking for quite a while now and this might have affected the cell Linings of the large Airways in your body which has led to coughing up that ball

of slime still you don't mix the weed with tobacco as many people in the UK do when they often make those Huge baseball bat spliffs in their rizle based works of art the question is is smoking weed safe just because you don't mix it with tobacco a 2021 study showed that 44% of Americans believe that smoking weed every day is better for you than smoking cigarettes every day of course the amount you smoke matters people generally smoke way more cigarettes than weed joints still smoke from weed is still not great for you scientists say it

may still cause lung Cancer and osma the problem is scientists haven't figured out just how bad weed smoke is for you not enough Studies have been done something we've seen a thousand times while researching the show one of the studies was conducted at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada researchers compared 150 lung skans from weed smokers tobacco only smokers and non-smokers the research reported that rates of empyema meaning an inflammation of the airway were Higher in weed smokers than they were in tobacco smokers still we're talking about 75% compared to 70% only 5% of non-smokers have

it as for the Big C the Mayo Clinic says cannabis may cause lung cancer but there's not enough evidence right now to say it definitely does then again there's also evidence that the compounds and cannabis have in some instances been shown to kill certain type of cancer cells including those found in the breast lung prostate and Skin cancers again we must reiterate that there have been some very positive results but only with some people so we definitely can't say cannabis mainly CBD will help someone beat cancer one thing it seems to do for scores of

people is help with their cancer pain which is why more and more countries have given it the green light to be used in limited medical instances on the other hand you also have the genotoxic effects of oxidized hydrocarbons that occur when You burn burn cannabis which has been said to create genetic changes that could potentially lead to a carcinogenic State a paper published by the National Institutes of Health said weed joints deliver at least four times as much tar to the lungs as tobacco cigarettes of equivalent weight explaining that it's because in these joints there

are usually not any filters and people tend to hold the weed smoke in longer in short when you compare weed smokers or Cigarette smokers with non-smokers the incidence of respiratory problems is much Higher One study showed it was 1 in three compared to 1 in 12 but we still can't say for sure if cannabis causes cancer in one study a big one out of 65,000 people it seemed marijuana use might have had a negative effect on prostate cancer but not any other of the major cancers the participants were aged 15 to 49 only so more

studies looking at older people would have to be done since Cancer is more common in older folks we're not going to tell you that regularly smoking weed doesn't cause cancer answer but we're also not going to tell you it definitely can what we will say is your month on weed is certainly not the riskiest thing you'll ever do in your life but you are inhaling smoke and while it might not be as carcinogenic as some news articles might suggest it is very possible that this experience is damaging your lungs As things stand you now have

smoked weed daily for 3 weeks we don't think there'll be any substantial damage if you smoked joints every day for years well your lungs will suffer just how much we can't say it gets even more confusing when you read about vaping weed vaporizer devices activate cannaboids but they don't heat the goodness to the point of combustion you might read this and think well that's great Vape it is then but then you read Vaping articles such as this one from John's Hopkins medicine emerging data suggests links to Chronic lung disease and Asthma as well as associations

between dual use of ecigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular disease but that same article also said we still don't have a definitive answer as to how bad vaping is for your body we do know that when you do vape you also inhale harmful chemicals and some doctors in the US have said they've seen more and More people coming in to see them with conditions that could very well be related to their vaping habit you all probably know former smokers who now vape and they look like steam trains most of the day still no one fapes weed

in such high quantities you've now been smoking weed daily for almost the full month will it be hard to quit is wheed addictive yet again this question is not easy to answer not all substance addictions and withdrawals are the same If you have a physical addiction to alcohol or benzodiazapines like Valium Etc coming right off after a long time can actually be very dangerous you might not only have seizures that can and do kill but in terms of mental well-being you might think you've been plunged into anxiety hell and we do mean hell this is

related to the effect these drugs have on your Gaba receptors in layman's terms if a substance makes you very relaxed your brain might stop creating chemicals That usually make you chilled so when you stop the very opposite of relaxed happens to you it's the same for people who stop taking opiates and become incredibly restless and depressed but what about weed does that kick the poop out of you when your body no longer has it actually with cannabis withdrawal you're definitely not going to experience anything like we just mentioned but there is something called marijuana use

disorder people have been Known to become dependent on weed their body craves the psychological changes that weed's been giving to them they can develop a tolerance so they need more and more still it said only 10 to 20% of daily weed users will develop dependence there will be some mild withdrawal symptoms when they stop maybe lasting about 2 weeks these might include Cravings irritability decreased appetite mood and sleep difficulties restlessness and other kinds of physical discomfort a Paper in the National Institutes of drug abuse in the US stated in 2015 about 4 million people in

the United States met the diagnostic criteria for a marijuana use disorder 138,000 volunt sought treatment for their marijuana use with any psychoactive substance there's no clear line you can cross as to how long and how much you can actually consume before developing dependency everyone is different there are cases of people smoking weed for years and having zero Problem stopping or maybe just mild issues then you have people who smoked for shorter periods who feel pretty bad after stopping but on the whole in terms of withdrawal symptoms weed is far far less dangerous than many substances

we use to change the way we feel weed withdrawal is a gazillion times safer than if you were a regular consumer of things like Xanax peret or Johnny Walker still you should be aware that becoming dependent on weed is possible studies Showed that this is a disproportionately bigger problem for younger people okay so your month is up and to be honest since you've taken your weed sensibly you feel fine you are aware of all the psychological dangers some people face with weed consumption but it seems that for now you're not one of those people who

react badly to it that said if you keep this up there's a very real possibility you'll damage your lungs and there's also a real possibility you'll Develop a dependence still since you feel better you're sleeping well you have less social anxiety and your work hasn't been negatively affected you think you'll carry on although just to be safe you're going to limit your smoking to small doses just a few times a week many people don't even know why they smoke weed they might tell you the reasons there are no reasons who needs reasons when you've got

weed one person interviewed in the guardian felt that Way for 40 plus years she got to the point that she didn't even know if she enjoyed it anymore she said in an interview I smoked to go to work smoked to do the washing up smoked for chill time in the end she said her lungs started to hurt and her gums regularly bled she didn't know why she wanted it but she craved it when she didn't have it one day she realized she'd gone 2 days without weed and then just thought okay enough's enough she craved

it for Sure but with the help of meetings and counseling she stopped completely and guess what she started dreaming again that's something you noticed when you smoked for a month you didn't dream many people don't regularly smoke weed because it interrupts the amount of time people spend in rapid eye movement or REM sleep the time when most people dream dreaming was one of the big changes for her but everyone is different where cannabis withdrawal is Concerned these are some comments made by people who quit after many years of daily smoking I just quit after 10

years as well just cold turkeyed it no withdrawal symptoms the withdrawals have not been fun I've lost 4 lbs in 2 days because it's really hard to eat mentally I feel really clear and happy my boyfriend stopped smoking weed like 2 3 months ago and I'm noticing that his behavior is different he's more angry and not as sweet as he used to be and This one I quit after about 6 years of smoking every day it made me anxious and awkward in social situations I would overanalyze things and think really weird or delusional thoughts forget

about talking to girls I couldn't handle it since I quit all these things went away as it said on the walls of the Temple of Apollo in ancient Greece know thyself with weed you have to educate yourself and assess if it's good for your mental health while adding up the Pros and cons as to how it'll affect your body and life in general if you absolutely want to experience weed we suggest waiting in slowly rather than diving straight into the deep it can be a mysterious ocean out there and you never know what you might

find as we've told you many times today scientists haven't yet plumbed the deps of all of Mary Jane not entirely order order in the court today we're putting sweet Mary Jane on trial her other aliases include Can abis weed grass hash and ganja she's said by some to be an unfairly maligned miracle cure to a whole bunch of different illnesses While others accuse her of being an Express trip to becoming a burnout with anxiety and lung problems so what's the truth is weed good for you bad for you or somewhere in between we're going to

hear arguments from both the defense and the prosecution so pay close attention only you can decide if this plant is innocent or guilty let's Hear the evidence how exactly does wheed operate and we'll be talking about smoking it today so let's not worry about oils or edibles when you smoke weed you inhale the smoke down into your lungs where the chemicals pass through the alioli the 480 million tiny air pockets that you're liable to find in there and straight into the bloodstream the bloodstream is the express line straight to your brain where the real magic

happens the body's got an endoc Cannaboid system that's a fancy name for the network of neurotransmitters known as cannaboid receptors attached to all of the neurons in your brain these use chemicals like anandamide to communicate chemical signals in the body the anandamide has an uncanny similarity to THC the psychoactive chemical in our defendant today in sliding on in and attaching itself to the brain's cannaboid receptors it hijacks several Key Systems in the brain and the nervous System to produce its distinctive effect including the hippocampus the orbital frontal cortex the hypothalamus the basil ganglia and the

cerebellum the most important to the average cannabis user is its effects on the brain's reward system in the amydala and the ventral striatum it induces the body to release spurts of dopamine the neurochemical that gives you pleasurable feelings after activities like exercise good food and even sex and studies show That the dopamine released as a result of THC is even more intense than the regular batch so we know why it makes you feel good but so does beer and chocolate cake and no sane person is ever going to argue that those are any good for

you so now we have the proper context let's hear the back in fourth arguments is it a net good or a net bad to take up smoking the devil's lettuce before we get into the specifics of the body let's talk about the effects Cannabis use can have on your mental health starting with the defense many weed users will be quick to tell you that their habitual pot smoking helps regulate their mental health taking the edge off anxiety and mitigating depression CBD and low doses of THC have been shown to reduce anxiety in some smokers due

to its effects on the brain's lyic system in some cases it's also been shown to reduce the frequency of panic attacks in people suffering From PTSD however the prosecution would have a strong case in saying that this is a double-edged sword the effects of THC in particular can be vastly different from person to person and in some cases have some seriously detrimental effects on the user's mental health for some people suffering from bipolar disorder habitual weed smoking can make their symptoms worse but don't worry if you don't already have bipolar disorder there isn't any evidence

that Smoking weed will give it to you however that doesn't mean that chronic weed smoking might not open the door to other mental health struggles in some users because of chronic weed uses effects on their neural reward Pathways they might require more significant quantities of dopamine in order to stay at Baseline level of emotion resulting in depressive episodes these reward pathway issues might also result in feelings of listlessness low energy and an inability To feel motivated and while weed relieves anxiety for some it has the opposite effect in others causing edginess irritability and paranoia because

of the psychoactive effects of THC some brains predisposed to psychotic symptoms may see these exacerbated by habitual cannabis use if a user is predisposed to developing schizophrenia then smoking weed might push them in the wrong direction increasing their risk of psychotic episodes this is particularly True of people who started smoking weed too young but what about sleep sleep assistance is Ted as one of the benefits of marijuana but does the science stack up first the defense in the short term we seems to have this one because it suppresses physical arousal and promotes the creation of

the neurological chemical adenosine weed can make the user feel pleasantly sleepy though CBD is by far a more active part of the process than THC short-term weed use is Believed to allow the user to spend more time in deep Sleep which will leave them feeling more refreshed when they wake up however this comes at the cost of spending less time in rem or rapid eye movement sleep this is the part of the Sleep Cycle where the brain processes emotions encodes your memories and allows you to dream this is a huge benefit to people who take

weed to alleviate their PTSD symptoms as this will reduce the time they spend Experiencing nightmares and stop their traumatic memories from being cemented too deeply into their minds some have even reported that using synthetic cannabis medication has reduced both nightmares and daytime flashbacks however there is a reason we stressed in the shortterm earlier the prosecution can argue that long-term cannabis use actually makes sleep harder as the body can become accustomed to weed sedative effects meaning that the person is Forced to either take more or stronger cannabis strains in order to achieve the same effects in

turn this could lead to side effects like less overall sleep less time in deep sleep longer time to falling asleep and frequent nighttime wakings high doses of THC before bed can also lead to side effects the next day including lapses in memory and sleepiness and if you decide to stop taking cannabis after a long period of doing so you might experience cannabis Withdrawal which ironically can cause both insomnia and strange dreams bringing you right back to square one if you're an aspiring athlete the science says that taking up habitual weed smoking probably isn't the best

interest of your career aspirations and for more reasons than the extremely frequent drug testing in the athletic field long-term marijuana use has been linked with a decrease in reflexes and reaction times as well as physical coordination owing To weed's depressant effect on the cerebellum and the basil ganglia for that very same reason you shouldn't even think about driving while under the influence of wheed not only is it illegal but your impaired judgment and motor control will also make it incredibly dangerous so that's a strong point in favor of the prosecution one of the most critical

areas for discussion of the benefits versus drawbacks of smoking weed is pain management a Considerable number of medical or even self-medicating cannabis users do so to mitigate chronic pain and it's often touted as one of the significant benefits of marijuana use so do these claims hold up to scrutiny much like how cannaboids alter the function of the reward Pathways in our brain they do similar things to the brain's processing of pain it's why marijuana and CBD have been useful for people self-medicating against the effects of conditions like Fibromyalgia endometriosis and chronic migraines and any way

you slice it cannabis is undeniably a less risky form of pain relief than opioids which pose both a greater risk of Overdose and developing Addiction in addition to its effects on chronic pain weed is often have been praised for its anti-inflammatory properties Studies have found that by targeting A3 glycine receptors cannaboids have been effective in treating inflammatory bowel diseases Like Crohn's disease alterative colitis irritable bowel syndrome and even some severe autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis decreasing inflammation in the body also benefits General Health so there's no complaints here if you suffer from glyca where vision

is lost due to an increase in intraocular pressure on the optic nerve weed has also been been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms and it's been a cause for medical marijuana usage for Quite some time Studies have shown that smoking weed can also be helpful in mitigating the worst effects of a number of serious diseases one of the most prominent ones is multiple sclerosis Ms an autoimmune disease that corrodes the insulating covers of the nerve cells and slowly debilitates the sufferer there's an oral cannaboid spray called sax that has been approved for treating multiple

sclerosis spasticity in 25 different countries and it's been found to relieve Stiffness and spasming in adult patients who haven't been responding to other treatments however in some cases this has been shown to have the side effect of inducing depressive episodes in patients so like with many medications its use is best judged on a case-by Case basis to achieve the optimum results weed's tendency to counteract spasticity is also made it a useful tool for epilepsy patients looking to mitigate their seizures specifically cannaboid Medication has been shown to be effective against two specific subtypes of epilepsy Linux

gasto syndrome and dra syndrome but we're not just talking about treating epilepsy with a blunt CBD the other active ingredient in cannabis aside from THC has been shown to have the most beneficial effects that's why the cannaboid in question epidex is a highly purified form of CBD this however doesn't come without side effects including liver damage and suicidal Ideation once again there are no Silver Bullet miracle cures here something rarely discussed about weed use is is its negative effect on cardiovascular health and those who already suffer from heart disease because of weed's tendency to raise

the heart rate dilate blood vessels and make the heart pump harder which is incidentally why you feel your heart pounding in your chest while undergoing a weed induced panic attack because of these effects on the heart People with heart issues are likely to experience greater chest pains if they're also habitual cannabis smokers in some edge cases there have been links drawn between marijuana use and increased risks of heart attack especially among those who are already predisposed to heart attacks due to pre-existing conditions cannabis use is definitely more problematic among certain high-risk groups including all the

ones we discussed before and of Course children and pregnant women for pregnant women the risk post is mainly to the healthy development of the fetus strains of cannabis with THC can even damage a baby's development from breastfeeding from a habitual user pregnant women who are habitual users of high THC marijuana are 2.3 times more likely to experience a still birth according to some studies some reports have also indicated that pregnant mother smoking marijuana leads to lower birth Weights much like regular tobacco use children of chronic marijuana users are also far more likely to experience developmental

issues growing up this brings us to the risks present in younger people smoking weed strains of high THC cannabis have been known to stunt the cognitive development of young users impairing both attention and memory and leading to weaker work or school performance later in life some Studies have even found premature Marijuana used to be a risk factor for developing dependency in adulthood and of course a contentious point of argument for both sides cancer the so-called emperor of maladies killing almost 10 million people per year and ruining the lives of many more proponents of cannabis say

that it can relieve some of Cancer's worst effects critics will say it makes it worse let's take a look at the science one thing we should probably get out of the way first Is no smoking weed cannot cure cancer that would be a pretty horrific oversimplification of cancer and weed's effects on it while nobody should jump to conclusions on the human side of things here there have been some extremely promising studies involving cannaboid cancer treatments in animals some cannaboid compounds have even successfully slowed the growth or even killed off cancer cells in Petri dish tests

but again these small successes in Animals and lab conditions would still mean applying any of those advancements to humans would be years off if they came through at all regardless of any effects weed may or may not have on cancer itself the science is in on some types of cannabis helping to relieve the worst kinds of chemotherapy side effects the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved two different synthetic cannabinoids dronabinol and naalone to take the edge Off of the nausea and vomiting that's often caused by chemotherapy treatment for some undergoing chemotherapy there's an

even more unpleasant side effect peripheral neuropathy a form of nerve damage that affects the nerves outside of the brain and the spinal column it can result in tingling burning stions numbness weakness and cramps in the hands and feet some Studies have shown that smoking or vaping weed is able to ease neuropathic pain in chemotherapy Patients so it is a common form of self-medication Studies have also shown that weed can counteract the appetite suppressant effects experienced by some chemotherapy patients as well as people suffering from HIV and AIDS normally people find the appetite increase caused by

weed to be a detrimental effect but for some people experiencing dangerous weight loss as a result of their illness or treatment for their illness it is a godsend the American Cancer Society has Urged further research into the relationship between cannaboids and cancer treatment seeing as doctors and scientists are always looking to add new potential weapons to their Arsenal in the seemingly endless fight against cancer but we know what the prosecution is thinking can weed cause cancer of course smoking weed while not as dangerous to the lungs as tobacco smoking is still smoking and the lungs

aren't designed to take in any anything Other than air smoking weed habitually has been shown to increase the risk of bronchitis and even lung cancer there's even been some pretty limited research that Drew a conclusion between chronic weed usage and non-seminoma type testicular cancer Which is far from overwhelming but still probably worth taking into account if you're the kind of person who inhales as much weed as oxygen on a daily basis the evidence is in and now it's time for you to make Your verdict people of the jury is weed a blessing a curse or

something in between let us know in the comments altering perceptions and laws alike marijuana is at the Forefront of many discussions these days in order to unpack some of the safety aspects surrounding the drug we'll follow Alicia through her weed journey and dispel some of the common myths associated with the drug the concept of overdosing on weed often shrouded in misconceptions and Myths will be the focus of today's discussion with Alicia as our guide we'll dissect what it means to overdose how cannabis interacts with our body IES and the realities versus the myths of cannabis

consumption unlike substances like opioids where overdose definitions are Stark and often fatal cannabis presents a different spectrum of effects and risks let's start with a basic definition what does overdose mean the concept of an overdose is often Misunderstood with many associating it exclusively with fatal outcomes however in the medical community an overdose refers to the intake of a substance in quantities greater than the recommended or generally practiced leading to adverse health effects this can vary significantly across different substances for instance opioids due to their ability to suppress respiratory function have a well documented risk of

fatal overdose cannabis on the other Hand interacts with the body in a fundamentally different way according to studies while it is possible to consume cannabis in amounts that exceed comfortable or safe levels the risk of a fatal overdose is remarkably low compared to opioids or alcohol this distinction is crucial in understanding the unique safety profile of cannabis and its compounds in Alicia's journey into the world of cannabis understanding what an overdose means is an important Step traditional Notions of overdosing don't align neatly with cannabis use why well the body's endocannabinoid system which is what the

THC in weed interacts with plays a key role in regulating physiological processes without directly influencing the brain stem areas responsible for vital functions such as breathing this biological Safeguard explains why despite cases of overc consumption cannabis does not induce the same lethal risk as substances that can Depress central nervous system activity to a life-threatening degree while the discomfort and the anxiety of consuming too much cannabis can be distressing these experiences are fundamentally different from the dire often life-threatening consequences of opioid or alcohol overdose this distinction is vital not only for users like Alicia to understand

but also for shaping Public Health messages and harm reduction strategies as cannabis becomes more Integrated into societal Norms dispelling these kinds of myths is essential for policy makers and users alike to make sure that they stay informed and know how to safely use the drug Alicia's first foray into the world of cannabis was a journey filled with anticipation and curiosity surrounded by friends in a comfortable setting she lit up a joint and embarked on this new experience she expected did a wave of relaxation maybe a touch of euphoria Common expectations fueled by pop culture however

the reality of her first encounter with THC the main psychoactive component in cannabis was both enlightening and a tad underwhelming this discrepancy between expectation and experience is one of the nuanced effects of cannabis coming from the body's endocannabinoid system this biological system plays a pivotal role in moderating the effects of THC ensuring that for users these effects are subtle And manageable rather than overwhelming but everyone's body is different and this is why there is no one high that all cannabis users experience the endocannabinoid system is a complex network of receptors and neurotransmitters that regulate tons

of physiological processes including mood appetite and pain sensation thc's interaction with this system is what leads to the high associated with cannabis use unlike substances that may Produce immediate and overwhelming effects th se's engagement with the endocannabinoid system is more akin to a gentle nudge rather than a forceful push this results in a range of experiences that can vary greatly from person to person start low and go slow is a recommended approach for those new to cannabis this approach prioritizes low Doses and patience to understand one's personal tolerance and the delayed onset of effects which

is especially relevant For methods of consumption like Edibles after her initial brush with weed Alicia's curiosity LED to are exploring some of the nuances of cannabis's components particularly THC Tetra hydr cannabol and CBD canabidol THC is the primary psychoactive ingredient that provides the euphoric and intoxicating effects associated with marijuana use in contrast CBD is non- psychoactive and has been touted for its potential therapeutic benefits including reducing Anxiety and mitigating pain without producing a high this is why CBD can be found in products like like coffees and teas baked goods personal care and wellness products and

more as Alicia experimented with different strains she quickly realized that the ratio of THC to CBD could significantly influence her overall experience this realization was a turning point for her strains with a higher THC to CBD ratio tended to produce more pronounced psychoactive Effects which while enjoyable to some could lead to discomfort and anxiety in others especially novices like Alicia conversely strains with a higher CBD content offered a more subdued experience potentially alleviating Stress and Anxiety without the intense Euphoria or potential paranoia associated with high THC strains all this talk about THC and CBD ratios

leads us to a broader conversation about cannabis customization and its Therapeutic potential the Cannabis industry has seen as serogen products tailored to specific effects leveraging varying ratios of THC and CBD to cater to Consumer preferences for relaxation creativity pain relief or minimal psychoactivity one evening Alicia's Journey with cannabis took a memorable turn after years of hearing about them she finally decided to experiment with Edibles unlike smoking or vaping where the effects manifest almost immediately There is a notorious delay with Edibles leading many to underestimate their potency Alicia unfamiliar with this delayed effect consumed more than

the recommended serving size expecting instant gratification this common mistake among edible newcomers set the stage for a night of intense and we mean intense discomfort why well the body processes cannabis different when ingested resulting in a more intense and prolonged experience this distinction is Crucial unless you want to spend hours dealing with unpleasant consequences the effects of the Edibles crept up on Alicia unexpectedly transforming what was intended to be a relaxing night into an overwhelming ordeal she experienced heightened anxiety disorientation and an uncomfortable sense of paranoia symptoms that are significantly less common or intense with

other methods of consumption both dosage and Patience are crucial when delving into the world of Cannabis Edibles there's a critical difference in how THC is metabolized when ingested leading to a more potent and longer lasting effect as THC is converted into 11 hydroxy THC in the liver a metabolite that is more potent and has has a longer halflife than THC itself remember start low and go slow this approach is vital for avoiding the discomfort and negative experiences associated with overc consumption while ensuring that you don't experience the Effects of weed overdose let's dive a little

deeper the concept of a lethal overdose is a significant concern when discussing substance use including cannabis however when it comes to cannabis this discussion is wrapped in all sorts of myths and misunderstandings the notion that one can die from consuming too much cannabis is a topic fraught with misinformation scientific research suggests that while cannabis can lead to uncomfortable and sometimes Severe adverse effects the likelihood of a fatal overdose is exceptionally low as we mentioned in the intro this is because of the way THC interacts with the brain unlike opioids which can suppress the brain's ability

to control vital functions like breathing THC does not affect these critical brain stem areas this fundamental difference significantly reduces the risk of lethal outcome from the overc consumption of cannabis while Alicia had experienced Overc consuming edles and facing an uncomfortable ordeal it was not life-threatening the absence of cannaboid receptors in the brain stem areas responsible for controlling vital life support functions explains why there has never been a documented case of a fatal cannabis overdose but here's the thing addressing the myth of lethal overdose is not meant to trivialize the potential IAL negative impacts of cannabis

use non-lethal overdose Symptoms such as severe anxiety paranoia and panic attacks can be profoundly distressing and have immediate mental health implications plus these experiences can deter individuals from further cannabis use and contribute to stigmatization and misinformation remember the liver converts THC to 11 hydroxy THC a more potent form of the cannaboid which can lead to unexpected intense effects if one consumes too much this biochemistry plays a crucial role In why individuals might experience severe but still non-lethal symptoms once again highlighting the need for patience and respect for recommended dosages Alicia's ordeal is a textbook example

of how exceeding one's threshold can lead to a night of distress and can be categorized as an experience close to overdosing on wheat given that medically speaking not every overdose is lethal let's talk about those non-lethal overdose symptoms in in terms of public Health and safety emergency rooms and medical professionals are increasingly encountering individuals presenting with acute cannabis intoxication particularly in regions where cannabis has been legalized or decriminalized while these encounters are rarely life-threatening they require resources and attention and show that there is a real need for better public education on the effects of cannabis

safe consumption practices and the importance of understanding Personal tolerance levels now our exploration of cannabis and its effects takes a more cautionary turn when delving into the realm of synthetic cannaboids unlike natural compounds found in the cannabis plant synthetic cannaboids are man-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of THC the primary psychoactive component of cannabis however the similarities often end there synthetic cannaboids sometimes misleadingly marketed as safe or legal Alternatives to cannabis can bind to the same cannaboid receptors in the brain but with much greater intensity this increased potency raises significant health risks leading to

severe and unpredictable effects several Studies have shown the dangers associated with these substances including acute kidney injury cardiovascular complications and severe psychotic episodes which starkly contrast the relatively benign safety profile of natural cannabis Alicia's Curiosity about the broader spectrum of cannabis related products led her to learn about the risks associated with synthetic cannabis oids stories of individuals experiencing extreme anxiety violent behavior and even life-threatening conditions after using these substances scared her as she read them unlike real cannabis which has a centuries long history of human consumption with a relatively low risk of serious adverse effects

synthetic Cannaboids have been linked to numerous hospitalizations and in some tragic cases death as Alicia's relationship with cannabis evolved so did her awareness of the potential long-term term effects and the risk of dependency while cannabis is often celebrated for its therapeutic benefits and relative safety compared to other substances regular and heavy use can lead to a condition known as cannabis use disorder or cud this condition is characterized By an inability to reduce or control cannabis use despite negative consequences yes weed can be a medicinal Ally but it can also be a potential source of dependency

the criteria for diagnosing cu D includes Cravings withdrawal symptoms upon cessation and interference with personal obligations beyond the risk of dependency there are potential long-term effects of frequent cannabis use Studies have shown that prolonged heavy use of cannabis can Impact cognitive functions such as memory attention and decision-making while these effects are generally reversible upon cessation of use they raise concerns about the impact of long-term cannabis consumption on daily functioning and quality of life there's also the potential for altered brain development in younger users whose brains are still in a critical period of maturation so how

about the social and psychological aspects of long-term Cannabis use while cannabis can enhance social interactions and provide relief from Stress and Anxiety in the short term dependency can lead to social withdrawal reduced motivation and diminished interest in activities once found enjoyable this paradoxical effect where the substance initially used for its positive effects become becomes a hindrance to well-being is a critical consideration for anyone navigating their relationship with cannabis now Let's turn to Alicia's story as we discuss some of the shifting societal and legal paradigms the recent wave of legalization and decriminalization efforts across various jurisdictions

has significantly altered The public's perception of cannabis these legal changes are often reflective of a growing acknowledgement of cannabis's therapeutic potential they've contributed to normalizing cannabis use in society for Alicia living in an area Where cannabis has been legalized meant navigating a new world where purchasing cannabis came with the same ease and regulation as buying alcohol this shift in legal status removed a layer of stigma but it also introduced new challenges in understanding responsible use in a legal landscape the societal impacts of those legal changes are profound influencing everything from Individual Behavior to public health

strategies as cannabis becomes more Accepted there's a greater need for comprehensive education of its effects risks and benefits Alicia observed that with legalization more people felt comfortable sharing their experiences and seeking information leading to a more informed community of users however she also noticed a tendency to underestimate the risks associated with cannabis use particularly among the younger individuals who might see legalization as an endorsement of safety And when it comes to regulating the Cannabis Market to ensure product safety and and consumer protection things aren't so straightforward Alicia's experience highlights how legal access to cannabis is

beneficial as it comes with the Assurance of product testing for contaminants and clear labeling of THC and CBD content however the legal Market also faces challenges such as the increase in unregulated products and the need for ongoing Research into Cannabis's long-term effects these issues reflect the evolving nature of cannabis regulation and continuous efforts required to balance accessibility with public health and safety Alicia had to take stock of her own perceptions of risk and responsibility as she explored using weed in multiple forms finding balance with cannabis as she discovered is a personal Journey that requires mindfulness

self-awareness and ongoing Commitment to education after navigating the highs and lows of her cannabis experiences Alicia realized that the key to a positive relationship with cannabis lay in understanding its effects on her body and mind and in recognizing the importance of moderation this balance is not a one-size fits-all formula but a personalized approach that considers individual tolerance lifestyle and the reasons behind cannabis use for Alicia this meant setting clear boundaries for Her consumption such as limiting it to the weekends or as a reward after meeting personal and professional goals this way she could limit her

dependence on it and ensure that weed always enhanced rather than detracted from her quality of life Alicia also learned the importance of listening to her body and being attuned to the subtle signals it provides in response to cannabis recognizing the signs of overc consumption early on like her increased Anxiety or a feeling of unease became crucial in adjusting her use to maintain balance pursuing a balanced and safe cannabis Journey Alicia gathered several practical tips that served as guideposts for responsible consumption first and foremost was the adage start low and go slow especially important for newcomers

to cannabis or those experimenting with new products remember this is all about beginning with low doses particularly with potent methods of consumption like Edibles which have a delayed onset of effects understanding personal tolerance levels is another important key just as individuals vary in their responses to caffeine or alcohol reactions to cannabis differ from one person to another Alicia learned to pay close attention to how different strains and consumption methods affected her using this knowledge to make informed choices about her use this personalized approach to cannabis consumption is vital as Respects the body's unique reactions to

THC and CBD allowing for a more tailored and enjoyable experience another big tip avoid synthetic cannaboids or unregulated products stick to Natural regulated cannabis products legal markets offer the advantage of tested and labeled products providing transparency about strain potency and the presence of any additives if you want to avoid any of the nasty side effects of consuming weed stick to the Natural stuff most importantly though keep educating yourself staying informed about the latest cannabis research and legal changes is essential for safe use the Cannabis landscape is continually evolving with new studies shedding light on its

effects benefits and risks if you follow these tips you'll end up having a positive relationship with weed and most importantly you'll avoid any of the nasty side effects of a non-lethal weed overdose have you ever pondered the Workings of CBD and THC curious about how two such distinct compounds can originate from the same cannabis plant today we're delving into this fascinating topic but with a unique musical twist in this video we'll explore the roles of CBD and THC using the analogy of an orchestra where every component plays a crucial part in creating Harmony and Discord

this approach not only simplifies the complex interactions of these compounds within Our bodies but also adds an element of fun to our learning experience so tune your instruments and ready your ears as we conduct our way through the symphonic landscape of CB D and THC uncovering the science behind their effects and their uses in a Melody that resonates with both novices and seasoned enthusiasts alike join us for an educational Journey that promises to be as enlightening as it is entertaining okay so imagine your body's internal systems as a grand Orchestra its complex with lots of

different instruments working together to create well you the system that helps regulate things like mood pain and sleep is called the endocannabinoid system let's consider it our Orchestra for today this Orchestra isn't just about sounds it's a symphony of chemical signals and reactions every instrument your organs your nerves and immune system plays a vital part sometimes things get a bit Out Of Tune maybe the Brass section is too loud representing anxiety or the strings are playing too slow mimicking sluggishness or fatigue the endoc cannaboid system helps to retune this Orchestra its special receptors like little

volume knobs scattered throughout your body ready to adjust how different instruments play these receptors are what THC and CBD interact with but in very different ways think of these receptors as sensitive microphones placed within your body's Orchestra some microphones are attuned to pick up certain instruments more clearly TC has a powerful signal that certain microphones lock on to blasting that input to the rest of your brain CBD however sends a much gentler signal it doesn't blast specific microphones but it seems to influence the overall sound of the orchestra encouraging a smoother more balanced performance let's

dive in a little deeper meet THC the conductor of the Cannabis plant TC loves taking control it directly targets specific receptors in your brain like a conductor signaling the entire Orchestra to play louder faster or more intensely that's the high feeling your whole internal Orchestra is going wild THC is the rock star of the plant and it's not shy about its power when THC enters your system it zeros in on specific receptors in your brain called CB1 receptors these receptors are essentially plentiful in areas that Control things like pleasure movement memory and thinking it's like

the conductor hijacking the orchestra's communication system suddenly the signals for Feelgood and boost creativity are cranked up to full volume and that's where the euphoric feeling comes from your perception of time might warp colors might seem brighter your inner Orchestra is playing a totally different tune but the conductor can be unpredictable thc's influence extends Beyond the classic High it has the potential to disrupt short-term memory formation particularly in areas of the brain like the hippocampus that might explain why it can be tough to remember your train of thought or recall events clearly when you're under

the influence of THC additionally THC interacts with the brain's reward system releasing a surge of dopamine the feel-good chemical this dopamine Rush reinforces the desire to repeat the experience which plays a Role in how some individuals can develop a dependence on THC sometimes the orchestra speeds up making your thoughts race or your heart pound other times the music becomes slow and dreamy making you feel sleepy or uncoordinated THC can have a big impact on your appetite too it's like the conductor tells your stomach play louder leading to those famous munchies and remember the conductor's influence

is temporary as THC levels fade your Internal Orchestra starts to return to its regular programming and that's why the high eventually wears off the conductor's impact also can vary depending on how much THC you take how often you use it and even your own individual body chemistry it's a complex concert to be sure now here's CBD CBD prefers a more subtle approach than its attention grabbing cousin the conductor CBD is more like a single influential musician perhaps a calming chist it Doesn't take Center Stage but it subtly interacts with the orchestra as a whole it's

like encouraging the flute to play more softly or suggesting the percussionists E on off a bit essentially promoting a mellower atmosphere it doesn't bind as strongly to CB1 receptors that THC loves instead it seems to interact with a whole network of receptors and other systems in the body think of CBD like that chist who isn't trying to lead the orchestra But is content to contribute its Rich mellow sound it might gently influence how your body produces certain internal cannaboids which are signaling molecules similar to those found in the cannabis plant CBD also seems to have

a hand in regulating serotonin levels serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a huge role in mood and anxiety it's like the gel is subtly encouraging the flute section to play a calming Melody while it doesn't cause a high CBD might create A sense of overall relaxation and well-being some research suggest CBD has the potential to reduce anxiety making stressful situations feel a bit more manageable it's like the chist influence helps dampen the Frantic energy of the orchestra CBD might also have pain relieving properties it seems to work along onside the body's natural pain signaling systems

potentially helping to turn the volume down of those uncomfortable Sensations think of it as The chalis soothing the percussion section after an intense Crescendo cbd's potential benefits don't stop there it's also being explored for its role in sleep regulation inflammation reduction and even managing conditions like epilepsy like the chis influence extends Beyond any single section of the orchestra promoting overall Harmony it's important to note that the research on CBD is still evolving scientists aren't entirely sure about all of cbd's Mechanisms of action however one interesting Avenue involves how CBD interacts with the receptor known as

trpv1 this receptor is involved in sensing pain and inflammation so cbd's potential influence here could be a factor in its pain relieving effects CBD also seems to modulate the activity of Gaba receptors in the brain Gaba is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter it helps calm things down by tweaking Gaba signaling CB D might help ease feelings Of anxiety and promote relaxation the potential benefits of CBD are exciting but it's important to remember CBD isn't a miracle cure the effects can vary from person to person and more research is needed to understand its applications and limitations fully

it's always best to talk to your doctor before trying CBD especially if you take other medications while THC and CBD come from the same plant their effects can feel Worlds Apart understanding the differences is Key when deciding if one both or neither might be right for you THC causes Euphoria altered senses and sometimes even increased appetite CBD on the other hand is associated with potential benefits like easing anxiety managing pain and promoting a sense of calm without the intoxicating High thc's powerful effects on perception and mood are why it's historically been associated with recreational use

however researchers are also exploring thc's Potential therapeutic benefits including pain management nausea reduction and appetite imulation for medical conditions CBD on the other hand is often sought out for its calming and potentially therapeutic effects without the intoxicating high of THC it's gaining popularity for managing everyday stress promoting restful sleep and potentially easing muscle aches and pains sometimes THC and CBD are used together this is where things get Interesting some research suggests that CBD might actually buffer some of thc's less desirable effects like anxiety or paranoia that's the chalous subtly taming the conductors more chaotic Tendencies

the ratios of THC to CBD matter a product with mostly THC and very little CBD will likely create a very different experience than one with a balance of both or even primarily CBD think of it like changing how much emphasis you put on certain sections of Your Orchestra it's crucial to remember that everybody's body chemistry is different what feels subtly relaxing to one person might have a more potent effect on another it's always best to start with a low dose and gradually increase as needed especially if you're new to THC or CBD products now that

we understand how THC and CBD play their parts in the body's Orchestra let's explore the various ways these compounds can be administered each method of use Affects not only the onset and duration of the effects but also the experience itself first up inhalation in our Orchestra analogy let's think of inhalation as The Soloist this method includes smoking or vaping and it's like a quick solo that rapidly delivers THC and CBD into your bloodstream when you inhale the compounds are absorbed through the lungs and quickly make their way to your brain this results in almost immediate

effects which can be quite Intense depending on the THC content smoking is the traditional route using dried cannabis flowers vaping on the other hand uses concentrated cannabis oils which can be either high in THC high in CBD or balanced these methods are akin to a trumpet's blast loud and immediate moving on to a different section of our Orchestra we find out Edibles involve consuming cannabis infused foods and drinks the method's like a slow Crescendo it takes longer For the effects to start typically 30 minutes to 2 hours but the resulting performance can last much longer

often several hours this is because the liver metabolizes THC to a more potent form which prolongs the effects CBD Edibles which include gummies chocolates and beverages are popular for those seeking prolonged relief from anxiety pain or inflammation without the high they provide a gentle sustained note that enhances the background Harmony without Overwhelming the senses then we have topicals these are cannabis infused lotions balms and oils applied directly to your skin topical are unique because they generally don't produce a systemic effect or a high instead they work locally think of them as a percussionist who focuses

on a specific beat targeting areas of pain or inflammation this makes them ideal for localized relief such as soothing sore muscles or calming irritated skin sublinguals are another Method involving tinctures or sprays administered under the tongue this method is like adding a steady Rhythm to your music the compounds are absorbed quickly through the mucous membranes in your mouth leading to faster effects than edibles but slower than inhalation sublinguals are particularly favored for their ease of dosing and the ability to fine-tune the effects making it easier to maintain a consistent Tempo in our body's Orchestra lastly

we have capsules Which are swallowed and absorbed through the digestive tract much like Edibles however capsules are often a very measured and precise dosage think of them as the metronome of the orchestra this method provides a controlled release of effects ideal for those who need consistent relief throughout the day each method of administration offers a different instrument in the grand Symphony of effects that THC and CBD can provide whether you're looking for a Quick onset prolonged relief localized targeting or precise dosing there's a method tailored to your needs as you consider these various meth methods

remember the experience can vary wildly based on the concentration of THC and CBD your own body chemistry and even the specific strains used it's like choosing the right instrument for the right piece of music it all depends on the kind of performance you're looking for so experiment cautiously and find the Method that best harmonizes with your body's unique Orchestra and always consult with a healthc care professional to ensure a safe and effective experience next up let's dive into the medical applications of THC and CBD highlighting how these compounds are not just about Recreation but also

about relief and recovery from chronic pain to complex neurological disorders the range of conditions these cannaboids might address is both wide and profound Chronic pain is one of the most common ailments treated with both CBD and THC patients often turn to those compounds when traditional pain medications fail or cause undesirable side effects THC works by binding to cannaboid receptors in the brain and body potentially altering pain perception and providing relief while CBD does not bind as directly to those receptors it may help reduce inflammation which is a common cause of chronic pain for instance a

few Studies published found that patients with arthritis who used a CBD infused topical experience significant pain reduction enabling them to resume daily activities with improved Comfort one of the most significant medical breakthroughs for CBD has been its use in treating epilepsy particularly severe forms that do not respond well to standard medications the FDA approved drug epidex which is a purified form of CBD has been used to treat rare forms of Epilepsy in children such as dra syndrome and Linux gustau syndrome clinical trials have demonstrated that CBD can substantially reduce the frequency of seizures and in

some cases stop them allog together multiple sclerosis a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord results in muscle spasms pain and Tremors medical cannabis rich in THC and CBD has shown promise in reducing these symptoms the oral spray satif effect which contains both THC and CBD is approved in several countries to treat Ms related muscle spasticity patients report reduced spasticity and pain which significantly enhances quality of life cannabis compounds particularly CBD are also explored for their potential in treating mental health disorders such as anxiety depression and PTSD CBD is valued for its anti-anxiety effects

without the psychoactive High associated with th C studies suggest CBD may help reduce Anxiety in real life situations like public speaking and could also offer a benefits for depression by enhancing serotonin receptor activity a compelling case study involves a veteran with PTSD who found traditional medications ineffective and coping strategies difficult to maintain after beginning a regimen of CBD oil he reported a significant decrease in nightmares and flashbacks a common symptom of PTSD this anecdotal evidence is supported by Research suggesting that CBD can help regulate fear memory which plays a significant role in PTSD these examples

only scratch the surface of how THC and CBD are being integrated into Medical Treatments as research continues and laws evolve the potential for these cannaboids in the medical field seem poised for further expansion remember if you're considering cannabis based treatments it's essential to consult Health Care Professionals and discuss The best options for your specific condition as the popularity of THC and CBD products continues to grow so does the need for robust consumer education and safety understanding what you're putting into your body how to use these compounds safely and where to buy them are crucial steps

in ensuring a positive experience let's break down the essentials of navigating this evolving landscape the first step to Safe consumption is knowing how to read Product labels this is vital as it helps you understand exactly what you purchase and consume labels on cannabis products typically include information on THC and and CBD content dosage per serving suggested use and whether the product contains full spectrum broadspectrum or isolate extracts checking for a product's certificate of analysis or COA which should be available from reputable sellers can also inform you about potential contaminants and the exact Cannaboid profile understanding

dosages is key to a safe and enjoyable experience with cannabis products THC and CBD can affect everyone differently factors like body weight metabolism and tolerance can influence how a person reacts start with a low dose especially if you're new to cannabis or trying a new product for THC this might mean starting with a product that contains under 5 Mig per serving and for CBD starting doses are usually around 10 to 20 Mig monitor how you feel over a few hours as the effects of THC can be immediate while CBD might take longer to notice keep

in mind that purchasing your products from reputable sources is essential this means selecting products from vendors who provide transparent information and third party testing results avoid buying products from informal sources like social media platforms or unlicensed dispensaries as these Products may not be tested and could contain harmful contaminants always look for well-established brands that are compliant with state regulations and have positive consumer reviews and of course there are many misconceptions surrounding THC and CBD for instance a common myth is that CBD cures everything while CBD is associated with several health benefits it's not a cure

all and should not be treated as such another myth is that THC always causes anxiety And paranoia however the reality is the effects vary widely among individuals and some strains or products are specifically bred to minimize those side effects educating yourself about the nuances of each compound can help mitigate unexpected experiences Beyond understanding labels and dosages knowing safe consumption practices is critical this includes recognizing the signs of overc consumption such as dizziness nausea or extreme anxiety and knowing How to respond It's always important to be aware of the potential for interactions with other medications always

discuss your cannabis use with a health care provider especially if you're taking prescription medications or have underlying health conditions remember an informed consumer is a safe consumer as the market for THC and CBD products expands staying educated on these topics will help you make informed decisions ensuring a safe and beneficial Experience whether you're using these products for wellness medical purposes or recreational enjoyment knowledge is the key to unlocking their full potential responsibly as you consider diving into the world of THC and CBD understanding the legal landscape is also crucial cannabis Lots vary significantly across different

regions affecting everything from possession to consumption and even research let's explore the complex legal tapestry that Governs those compounds globally the legality of cannabis THC and CBD varies widely some countries such as Canada and Uruguay have legalized cannabis for recreation use allowing for both THC and CBD products to be sold in regulated markets in contrast to many countries in Asia and the Middle East impose strict penalties for cannabis possession and use with no distinctions between THC and CBD European countries often have nuanced policies for example the Netherlands tolerates cannabis use in coffee shops while CBD

is widely legal in the UK as long as it contains less than 0.2% THC in the United States the legal status of cannabis is particularly complex due to the differences between federal and state laws federally cannabis remains classified as a schedule one drug under the Controlled Substances Act making it illegal for all forms of possession sale and distribution however many states have Moved to legalize or decriminalize cannabis to varying degrees for instance States like Colorado or California allow recreational use While others like Texas have extremely limited medical programs the legal variability significantly impacts the ability

to research cannabis and its components in regions where cannabis is illegal research is often restricted limiting scientific understanding and the development of potential treatments conversely in Countries or states where cannabis is legal researchers can more freely explore its effects leading to advances in medical therapies and a better understanding of its risks and benefits for CBD legal nuances can be equally complex in the United States the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp derived CBD products containing less than 0.3% THC on a federal level yet some states have their own regulations that restrict the sale and the use

of CBD in Europe the Situation varies as well while CBD is legal in most Parts the regulations around labeling and the maximum amount of THC content allowed can differ from one country to another the legal status of cannabis is continuously evolving new domestic and international legislation is regularly introduced impacting how these products can be marketed sold or used advocacy and changes in public opinion often Drive the legal changes resulting in a growing recognition of The medical benefits of cannabis and its derivatives as you navigate the shifting legal landscape staying informed is key whether you're a

consumer a health care provider a researcher understanding the current laws and regulations is essential for safe and legal engagement with cannabis products always check the latest local and National regulations before purchasing purching or using THC and CBD products as these laws can directly impact your experience and your Opportunities so imagine your body as a sophisticated Orchestra THC serves as the energetic conductor amplifying intensity and excitement while CBD acts as a calming musician fostering Harmony and Tranquility during the show together they contribute to a fascinating Symphony of effects that can enhance how we experience and interact

with the world around us today we're diving into a Hot Topic in the world of cannabis smoking weed versus eating it we've all Heard about those methods but what exactly sets them apart from how quickly they hit you to their effects on the body there's a lot to unpack as we delve deeper into the topic it's important to understand that the way our bodies processed cannabis can significantly alter our experiences with it smoking and eating weed aren't just different in terms of consumption methods they engage with our biology in distinct ways whether you're a seasoned

smoker or just Cannabis curious knowing these differences is key to making informed choices about your consumption first meet Sarah Sarah's in her late 20s and works as a graphic designer in a bustling City she's always been open-minded and curious about different experiences including the world of cannabis Sarah's exposure to weed has primarily been through social Gatherings and occasional use but her experiences have been limited to smoking usually Sparking a joint or hitting a bong lately she's been hearing a lot about Edibles from her friends and a few online forums so she's intrigued Sarah's journey into

exploring the differences between smoking and eating cannabis begins with a visit to a local dispensary when Sarah visits the local dispensary for the first time she's both excited and a bit overwhelmed the dispensary with its wide variety of products and knowledgeable staff offers A welcoming atmosphere for both newcomers and experienced users Sarah takes her time to talk with the bud tenders who are eager to educate her about the different strains THC and CBD content and the effects of various products they emphasize the importance of starting with low doses especially with the ad and suggest trying

a few different strains to understand which works best for her needs determining the quality of The dispensary is easy for Sarah the clean well organized space clear labeling and transparency about product sourcing and testing give her confidence in her choices she appreciates the dispensary's commitment to customer education and safety which is evident in their detailed product descriptions and willingness to answer all of her questions this visit not only provides Sarah with the product she's curious about but also arms her with the Knowledge and understanding standing necessary for a responsible and enjoyable cannabis experience Sarah is

still a bit apprehensive but she's excited to learn more throughout our video we'll check in on Sarah at Key moments of her exploration she'll be our guide through the real world application of the facts we discuss so let's take along with Sarah as she embarks on this enlightening journey into the diverse world of cannabis consumption let's dive Right into the speed and duration of the effects you experience when you light up a joint and inhale the sensation of calmness or Bliss washes over you almost instantaneously typically hitting within a few short minutes the rapid onset

of effects while smoking cannabis is a result of the efficient route THC takes from the lungs to the bloodstream when you inhale cannabis smoke the THC tetrahydrocannabinol the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana is Immediately absorbed by the alvioli in the lungs the alveoli tiny air sacks in the lungs have a vast network of blood vessels or capillaries which are extremely efficient at absorbing oxygen and in this case THC into the blood once the THC enters these capillaries it quickly travels through the bloodstream and reaches the brain within seconds to minutes the Swift Journey from the

lungs to the brain is what leads to the almost immediate onset of effects when smoking Cannabis the bloodb brain barrier a protective layer around the brain's blood vessels is easily penetrated by THC due to its lipid soluble nature upon crossing the barrier THC interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the brain particularly binding to cannaboid receptors which which results in the psychoactive effects commonly associated with cannabis use such as Euphoria relaxation altered sensory perception and in some cases increased appetite on The flip side when you opt for Edibles patience is key the journey from ingestion to

feeling the effects is considerably longer ranging from about 30 minutes to even a couple hours this delay happens because the THC has to navigate through your entire digestive system getting processed along the way before finally entering your bloodstream but once the the effects of Edibles do start to surface they come with a robust intensity and Longevity that far Surpasses smoking Edibles are known for their sustained and Powerful High often lingering for several hours providing a prolonged experience that can vary significantly in intensity and duration compared to smoking in Sarah's first experiment she decides to start

with what she knows smoking weed she opts for a joint as she's already familiar with the almost immediate effects that come with a few Puffs as she inhales the THC travels directly to her blood stream Through her lungs and within minutes she feels The Familiar wave of relaxation and Euphoria this quick onset of effects is typical of smoking cannabis as several Studies have shown it's a direct route to the bloodstream ensuring the effects are felt rapidly however Sarah is curious about how this contrasts with Edibles a week later she tries a THC infused brownie remembering

advice from the dispensary she starts with a small dose unlike smoking she doesn't feel the Effects immediately it takes about an hour and a half before she starts noticing a change a delay caused by the THC needing to pass through her digestive system and then get metabolized in her liver this slow onset is something many firsttime edible users aren't prepared for often leading to the common mistake of consuming too much too soon what Sarah also notices is the difference in intensity the high from Edibles feels stronger and more body Oriented this is due to the

THC being converted to 11 hydroxy THC in the liver a metabolite that's more potent and has longer lasting effects on the brain this transformation is what often makes the experience of eating in edible more intense and prolonged compared to smoking the duration of the high from edibl surprises Sarah while the effects of smoking usually taper off after a couple hours for her the brownie keeps her in a prolonged state of relaxation And altered sensory perception for several hours the difference in duration also impacts Sarah's day after smoking she's able to continue with her regular activities

once the effects wear off but with the edible she finds herself needing to clear her schedule for the rest of the day as the intensity and duration of the high are more than she anticipated there are three main takeaways from Sarah's first edible experiment one is to start low and go Slow the golden rule of Edibles starting with a small dose about 5 to 10 Mig of THC is key Sarah now understands that the effects of Edibles can sneak up on you and overdoing it is easier than one might think so she patiently waits for

at least 2 hours to fully feel the effects before even considering taking more this approach not only helped helps her avoid an uncomfortably intense high but also allows her to understand how her body reacts to different dosages Another key tip Sarah picks up is the importance of not consuming Edibles on an empty stomach before indulging in her THC infused treat she makes sure to eat a balanced meal she learns that having food in her stomach especially healthy fats can Aid in the more gradual absorption of THC leading to a smoother experience with fewer spikes and

intensity this approach helps mitigate the potential of an overly intense high and AIDS in stabilizing Iz ing the Effects over a longer period Sarah finds that eating a meal before she takes her edible not only enhances her overall experience but also helps her in maintaining her comfort and well-being throughout the high Sarah also realizes the setting and the environment are key when trying Edibles for the first time she chooses a comfortable familiar place where she feels safe and relaxed she makes sure she doesn't have any pressing tasks or responsibilities for the next Few hours as

she's seen firsthand that the effects of Edibles can last much longer than smoking Sarah ALS o keeps herself hydrated and has some snacks on hand just in case she needs them by creating a calm and controlled environment she ensures her first experience with Edibles is as pleasant and stress-free as possible when it comes to managing the intensity and dosage of cannabis the approach varies significantly between smoking and Consuming Edibles for smoking the control over dosage is much more straightforward the immediate onset of the effects when THC is inhaled allows users to gauge how much they've

consumed quite quickly typically a standard dose for for smoking might be a few Puffs for a casual user with each puff delivering a relatively known quantity of THC this immediate feedback loop enables users to stop at the point where they feel comfortable minimizing their risk of Overc consumption when defining a standard dose for smoking marijuana the quantity of THC in each puff can vary based on the device or method used so let's look at a few examples first let's examine the joint or a marijuana cigarette a common choice for consuming cannabis a joint typically contains

about 0 3 to 0.5 G of cannabis for a casual user a standard dose might be one or two Puffs from a joint considering that an average joint has a THC Concentration of around 10 to 20% each puff could deliver a variable amount of THC but it's generally a small and manageable dose for most users next let's look at a pipe pipes offer a bit more control over the dosage as users can load in a smaller amount of marijuana typically around 0.2 to 0.3 G per Bowl each inhalation from a pipe can be considered to

dose with the THC content depending on the strain and the quality of the marijuana what about Those much talked about bong rips bongs are known for their ability to cool and filter smoke providing a smoother experience a single hit from a bong can be quite potent as the chamber allows for a larger volume of smoke to be inhaled for the Casual user one hit from a bong could be enough especially if the marijuana used has a high THC content next there's the vaporizer not to be confused with a vape or any cigarette vaporizing cannabis is

seen as more Efficient method of inhalation vaporizers work in a similar way to an oven heating up the Cannabis to just below burning temperature but enough for cannaboids to be released this process is much healthier than burning and inhaling cannabis as it reduces the amount of harmful byproducts you inhale the dosage from a vaporizer can be more precise as many devices allow for temperature control and meter dosing a few inhalations from a vaporizer can be Enough to deliver a standard dose with each puff delivering a consistent amount of THC with all that said it's also

important to note that the individual tolerance the strain of Marana and the THC concentration massively influences how much THC is delivered with each method new users should always start with a small amount and wait to understand how they react before consuming more now let's talk about Edibles these products present a wildly Different challenge in dosage control the effects of Edibles are not immediately felt since the THC must first pass through the digestive system this delay can often lead to inadvertent overc consumption as users might consume more thinking the initial dose wasn't enough standard dosages for

Edibles usually starts at 5 to 10 Mig of THC this is considered a low dose remember when THC is ingested it undergoes a transformation in the liver converting To 11 hydroxy THC a compound that's more potent and crosses the blood brain barrier more efficiently than THC so don't be tricked by Edibles that seem to have a lower THC content the potency and prolonged effects of Edibles can be attributed to both the conversion process in the liver and the sustained release of the THC into the bloodstream during digestion it's crucial for users especially those new to

Edibles to adhere to that start low and go slow Mantra Sarah learned from her pot brownie understanding those nuances in dosage and the body's metabolic response is key to a safe and enjoyable cannabis experience whether you continue to smoke it or consume it in edible form as Sarah continues her exploration she becomes more aware of the challenges in controlling the dosage with Edibles she recalls how easy it was to take one hit at a time when smoking gaing how she felt before deciding whether to continue However with Edibles Sarah quickly realizes it's a different ball

game after her first experience with a longer lasting high she understands why dosage control with Edibles is more complicated the delayed onset of effects with Edibles means it's easy to consume too much before the initial dose takes effect in her next experiment with Edibles Sarah decides to to be more cautious she cuts a small piece of a cannabis infused cookie mindful of the Recommended dosage she waits for 2 hours resisting the urge to consume more and finds that the smaller dose is more manageable and enjoyable this practice of patience is crucial with Edibles to avoid

the discomfort of overc consumption this approach leads Sarah to a better understanding of how different factors can influence the effects of Edibles she learns factors like her metabolic rate the last time she ate and even her body chemistry can affect how Quickly and intensely she feels the effects of Edibles these variables make dosing with Edibles less predictable compared to smoking where the effects are more uniform and consistent now let's not forget about the health side of things smoking weed like smoking anything can irritate your lungs and throat in the long term this could lead to

some respiratory issues but Edibles don't have this problem since there's no smoke involved however they do come with Their own set of risks like the chance of overc consumption we mentioned earlier as Sarah delves deeper into her cannabis exploration she becomes increasing in ly mindful of the health implications associated with different methods of consumption her experiences with smoking weed while enjoyable raise concerns about the potential respiratory issues Sarah is aware that smoking in any form can lead to Long irritation and coughing she recalls reading studies That suggest regular smoking of cannabis can lead to similar

respiratory issues as tobacco such as bronchitis or increased mucus production this knowledge makes her more cautious about frequently choosing to smoke switching to Edibles Sarah notices an iMed imediate difference in how her body reacts without the smoke entering her lungs she doesn't experience the coughing or the throat irritation that sometimes comes after smoking Edibles Provide a smoke-free alternative which from a respiratory standpoint feels like a healthier option for her however Sarah also learns that Edibles come with their own set of Health considerations the delayed onset of effects and the potential of overc consumption can lead

to an uncomfortable experience often referred to as Greening out where a person who ate a bit too much of an edible might feel extreme anxiety discomfort or even nausea Sarah's Journey also leads her to consider the long-term cognitive effects of regular cannabis use while research is ongoing on the subject she understands that heavy and prolonged use especially when started at a younger age may be linked to certain cognitive impairments this piece of information makes her more conscious of her consumption frequency and quantity as she wants to ensure that she remains within a safe limit in

terms of Digestive Health Sarah finds Edibles Do not negatively affect her however she learns that this might not be the case for everyone for individuals with certain gastrointestinal conditions ingesting cannabis can lead to different effects or discomforts the way Edibles are metabolized in the liver and the gastrointestinal system means they can interact differently with the body compared to inhaled cannabis however certain types of Edibles are easier on the digestion system than others Depending largely on their composition and the individual's Digestive Health here are some factors to consider what types of ingredients does the edible contain

turn out edibles made with fewer and simpler ingredients tend to be easier to digest products that avoid complex heavy or overly processed ingredients will generally be gentler on the stomach high fat foods can slow digestion and may cause discomfort especially for those with certain Digestive issues Edibles with a lower fat content like lowfat gummies or hard candies can be easier on the digestive system compared to Rich buttery baked goods for individuals with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease gluten-free Edibles are a must similarly vegan EDI avoid Dairy and animal products which can be beneficial for those

with lactose intolerance or certain dietary restrictions tinctures or Oils are also excellent Alternatives These Alternatives can be easier to digest as they're often taken sublingually meaning under your tongue allowing for absorption directly into the bloodstream without going through the digestive process Edibles that incorporate dietary fiber often known simply as high fiber Edibles can aid in digestion fiber helps regulate the digestive system but it's important to cons fiber within your dietary limits as too much can cause bloating or Discomfort finally for those sensitive to THC or its psychoactive effects CBD dominant Edibles might offer a gentler

alternative CBD is known for its calming effects and is less likely to cause the digestive upset sometimes associated with high doses of THC it's important for individuals to consider their own digestive health and dietary restrictions when choosing Edibles starting with a small dose to gauge how your body reacts is always a good Practice if you have specific digestive concerns or dietary restrictions Consulting with a healthc care provider or a knowledgeable dispensary staff member can help guide your choices throughout her exploration Sarah gains a comprehensive understanding of the health impacts of both smoking and eating cannabis

she realizes the importance of balancing her enjoyment with her health and well-being this journey through different methods of Cannabis consumption teaches her to be more attentive to her body's responses and to make informed choices based on both pleasures and the possible Health implications of her cannabis use so let's say cannabis is working well for you like it is Sarah and you're starting to think about long-term use well regular and heavy use of cannabis no matter the method might be linked to some cognitive changes especially if you start young however the research is Still ongoing so

be sure to keep doing your due diligence on looking into the health effects of cannabis in the weeks following her cannabis experimentation Sarah begins to notice subtle differences in her cognitive functions depending on the method of consumption she chooses when she smokes weed the effects on her cognition are immediate but fleeting she experiences a short-lived alteration in perception a slight haziness that lifts as the high Wears off this immediate but short-term impact on our cognition is in line with the typical effects of smoking cannabis as the THC is rapidly absorbed and then quickly metabolized however

with Edibles Sarah observes a different cognitive trajectory the prolonged and more intense high that comes with Edibles leads to longer periods where she feels her cognitive abilities are slightly altered she experiences more pronounced changes in her sensory perception and Time awareness this extended cognitive impact aligns with research indicating that the effects of Edibles can last much longer sometimes resulting in prolonged alterations in perception and cognitive function due to the longer-lasting presence of THC in the system on the digestive front Sarah's experience with Edibles is relatively smooth but she learns that this isn't the case for

everyone remember the process of digestion and liver Metabolism of THC can vary significantly among individuals affecting how one's body reacts to Edibles this variability is a crucial consideration for those exploring Edibles especially For the First Time Sarah also becomes aware of the potential for long-term cognitive effects with regular and heavy cannabis use while the research is ongoing studies suggest that persistent heavy use might be linked to long-term cognitive changes this knowledge makes Sarah more mindful of her consumption habits as she wants to ensure her use remains within safe and moderate limits to avoid any potential

long-term cognitive risks throughout her journey Sarah's understanding of the cognitive and digestive effects of smoking and eating weed deepens she learns to respect the power of cannabis and The Importance of Being attentive to her body's responses her experiences with both methods of consumption highlight The need for responsible use and an awareness of the varying effects cannabis can have on different aspects of her mental and physical health the contrast between smoking and eating cannabis is indeed Stark almost like comparing night and day with each method offering a distinctively different experience while smoking cannabis offers a more

controlled social and cerebral High Edibles can transport you on a longer more intense and often Introspective Journey this fundamental difference in experience is crucial for users to understand as it can help inform not only the choice of consumption method but also the setting and context in which cannabis is used whether opting for the immediate effects of smoking or the delayed but profound effects of Edibles understanding and respecting these differences ensures a safer more enjoyable cannabis experience as she continues to navigate her way Through the experiences of smoking and eating cannabis Sarah begins to appreciate the

unique characteristics each method offers when smoking Sarah finds the experience to be more sociable and communal especially when she's with friends the act of passing around a joint and sharing the moment adds a social Dimension to the experience which she enjoys the effects of smoking are more predictable for her and she feels more in control able to stop when she Feels like she's reached her desired State conversely Sarah's experience with Edibles is markedly different it's more of a solitary Journey introspective and tends to be deeply personal she finds the longer lasting more intense effects of

Edibles lend themselves to a reflective experience often leading her to deeper thoughts or creative bursts this is something many users report a sense of profound introspection or heightened creativity When consuming Edibles likely due to the stronger and more prolonged psychoactive effects Sarah also notices the difference in the physical Sensations between the two methods smoking gives her an immediate head highe a lightness that feels centered around her mind and eyes in contrast Edibles provide a more body focused tie a deep sense of physical relaxation that seems to emanate from her core and spread outward through her

exploration Sarah gains a Newfound respect for the diverse experiences that cannabis in its various forms can offer she learns to choose her method of consumption based on the kind of experience she seeks whether it's the social controlled high of smoking or the introspective prolonged journey of Edibles her journey underscores the import importance of understanding not just the physical and cognitive effects but also the qualitative differences in the Cannabis experience through Sarah's Story we've seen the importance of education and personal responsibility in cannabis use remember everyone is different when it comes to weed it's about finding

the right balance and method that suits your individual needs and preferences all while being mindful of the potential Health implications and cognitive effects a shot of liquid courage a shared moment of bonding and escapism even drugged up zombie solders violence and mind-altering substances Have always gone hand inand the truth is countless Wars throughout history have been fought while soldiers were drunk or high and military conflicts through the ages including the modern day have been shaped by the insane drugs soldiers are fed to win Wars drinking and drugging rituals have long been a part of the

culture of warfare indulging in alcohol or drugs together can help soldiers Bond before going into battle provide a much needed way to cope with the trauma of War and even enhance combat performance alcohol is the oldest most tried and true drug of choice for warriors around the world and armies have issued alcohol rations to their troops throughout history the Russians favored vodka while the British preferred Rome Germans have turned to beer while ancient Romans and Greeks relied on wine for liquid courage but armies from ancient times all the way up to today have often relied

on even stronger drugs to win Wars According to the ancient legends Nordic Berserkers the legendary Viking warriors who fought ferociously and without fear were said to get their animalistic fighting powers from the animal skins they wore in battle recently though modern researchers have come to believe that their ferocity came from another source altogether the black henbane plant the plant's leaves could be dried and smoked or used to make wine and beer the plant was a powerful hallucinogen Causing users to see and perceive things that aren't there Berserkers believed that they were calling upon their gods

and harnessing the powers of the spirit world to help them thrive on the battlefield and it's likely that the trans-like state caused by ingesting the black hen Bane contributed to this feeling while herbal drugs May usually be associated with a calm peaceful High they've also been known to cause intense anxiety paranoia and even Panic given That these warriors were psyching themselves up for battle when they took the black handen Bane it's highly likely that the effects were less mellow and more aggressive they probably felt agitated and ready to fight and felt dissociated from reality making

it easier for them to fight like wild animals and kill with abandoned Viking Berserkers weren't the only ancient figures to tap into the powers of natural herbs Eurasian Warriors Especially Siberian tribes like the chukchi and kaks use psilocybin more commonly known as magic mushrooms to allow them to fight fearlessly and give them an edge in battle and they even went so far as to drink the urine of the Warriors who had previously ingested the mushrooms to take advantage of the residual psychoactive effects use of magic mushrooms and other natural psychoactive herbs continued into the 19th

and 20th centuries in 1879 when the British tried to subdue the Zulu tribe of Africa they faced an enemy that seemed immune to fear even in the face of Britain's far more advanced weapons though the Zulu only carried Spears and shields they seemed unnervingly unafraid of the british's rifles and bullets they likely had a little medicinal help in this department the Zulu warriors had a multitude of mind-altering substances at their disposal from medicated beer to Daga a South African variety of cannabis To a powerful painkiller made from the Bushman poison bulb plant which also had

hallucinogenic properties thanks to the psychoactive properties of these drugs the Zulu warriors would have felt disconnected from the reality of battle allowing them to fight ferociously and without fear though the Zulus would unfortunately go on to lose the war they did impress the British with their willingness to face death without fear thanks to the help of pharmacology as The nature of warfare changed in weapons and Technology advance so too did the drugs that were used to fuel soldiers and win Wars World War I saw the first documented and widespread use of cocaine in battle both

the British and Germans issued cocaine rations to their Air Force fighter pilots to give them a boost before they engaged in incredibly dangerous dog fights World War I fighter pilots were tasked with a nearly impossible mission they had to engage Other aircraft in close combat in midair they needed to dodge enemy planes while simultaneously trying to get the enemy in their crosshairs so their Gunner could take them out all while making sure not to crash their planes it was a chaotic and terrifying environment and cocaine helped the pilots keep their energy up and helped them

focus on the job at hand without getting carried away by the very real fear that death could come at any moment The Canadian infantry men who also relied on cocaine called it forced March since that was exactly what it was used for infantry troops that needed to be mobilized and moved long distances during the war often had to do so on their own two feet enduring grueling marches through desolate War torn Landscapes knowing all the while the enemy could be anywhere waiting to attack these marches could last for hours or even days and once again

Cocaine was their secret to success the forced March pills which were a combination of cocaine and caffeine gave Soldiers the energy and endurance to withstand hours of marching through difficult terrain to get to where they were needed but also helped to blunt the fear that the enemy could be waiting for them around the next Corner the most famous stories of soldiers on drugs might have come from World War II which is fitting considering that the entire Six-year conflict was largely fueled by speed a favorite of the Frontline soldiers on both sides the Nazis drug of

choice was called pervitin it was an early version of crystal meth and the German company tler Vera supplied the German military with 29 million of these so-called attack pills not to be outdone by their enemies the Allies followed suit and issued millions of benzin tablets to their soldiers the British are estimated to have consumed around 72 Million tablets while the pentagon's official estimat is that US soldiers consumed between 250 and 500 million pills during the war Benny's as they were known were even included in emergency kits for American bomber Crews both the German attack pills

and the Allied Benny's provided their users with a boost of energy to help them cope with drawn out battles and long-distance marches it increased alertness and combed fatigue which was helpful for Keeping Vigilant during long periods of watch Duty and bolstered already exhausted soldiers who were about to go into battle it also created a strong sense of confidence and bravado in the soldiers allowing them to rush into enemy fire with little regard for their own life or safety the role that speed played in World War II cannot be overstated experts now say that many of

the Germans early and decisive victories in the war were thanks in large part to The rampant use of providing the drug helped German soldiers March for hours past their Breaking Point allowing them to capture huge amounts of territory relatively quickly historical accounts from early battles in Belgium described crazed German soldiers fearlessly charging directly towards machine gun nests seemingly unaware of the hail of automatic gunfire raining down on them this Behavior understandably frightened the Belgian Defenders and it might have Led to the widespread rumor that Germany had created unbeatable super soldiers even as these harder drugs

entered the fry they didn't fully replace the moreon natural substances of past centuries the Soviets were rumored to have been on magic mushrooms during the Battle of sesar in 1945 where they performed fearlessly and succeeded in capturing the city from the well-entrenched and much better equipped Nazis authorized drug use by American soldiers continued Into the Korean war from 1950 to 1953 and the Vietnam War from 55 to 73 though it was now combined with rampant non-sanctioned drug use speed continued to be the approved drug of choice but now soldiers gained access to illicit drugs like

heroin desperate soldiers would combine these two powerful drugs to create their own homemade injectable speed balls this potent combination creates a push pull effect both boosting energy and helping them relax the high From these speed balls was stronger and more lasting than the high they could get from using either drug on its own and it helped the soldiers deal with the brutal conditions of War as well as cope with the horrible atrocities they witnessed and even committed during these wars drug use during the Vietnam war reached epidemic levels according to the Pentagon by the time

the US withdrew from the war in 1973 some 70% of All American soldiers in Vietnam had taken Drugs shockingly the authorized use of drugs by soldiers in combat continues around the world to this day modern-day terrorists have no qualms about using drugs to motivate their Fighters and achieve their heinous missions the terrorist group Isis promotes the use of hashish and opioid painkillers within their ranks and they're also well known for the pervasive use of the drug captagon a powerful stimulant that metabolizes the body to form an Amphetamine this drug increases alertness goms fear and induces

a sense of courage and bravado and so it's incredibly popular with jihadists undertaking suicide missions the drugs also reported to increase strength and there have been reports of Fighters taking so much of the drug that even after being shot multiple times they refuse to drop and continue to fight through their injuries even smaller terrorist organizations have capitalized On the power of drugs to create seemingly Invincible soldiers in his book A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Ishmael Bay describes his horrendous experience as a Child Soldier in Sierra Leon and the rampant use of

drugs to control and manipulate child soldiers in these Loosely organized armies according to ba the commanders would strategically keep their child soldiers high on what they called Brown Browns a potent and highly addictive Combination of cocaine and gunpowder gunpowder contains nitroglycerin which helps the cocaine to spread more quickly through the bloodstream and delivers a faster more intense high once these child soldiers were high on Brown Browns they would essentially be immune to fear and would have little to no conscience their commanders would take advantage of this altered state and force the children to commit terrible

atrocities while they were high this knowledge and Shame that they done such horrible things while high combined with a heavy dependence on the addictive drugs kept the child soldiers loyal obedient and easy to control and it's not just the so-called bad guys still feeding the drugs to their soldiers the present day as long as all procedures are followed to a te the US military still issues amphetamines to Pilots assigned to 8 plus hourong flight missions these dexadrin pills known as go pills promote Wakefulness and keep their pilots alert on Long endurance missions to help soldiers

calm down after battle and to combat the energy boosting effects of the dexadrin pills the US military also issues what they call nogo pills or sleeping pills to help soldiers recover and be ready for their next mission other countries are following suit in the UK France and India the drug Madonna Phil has recently replaced amphetamines for use in endurance missions and to Combat sleep deprivation among pil pilots and other members of the military the history of warfare and the history of drug use are inextricably linked and with modern militaries continuing to use substances to alter

their soldiers and enhance their performance this is a trend that shows no signs of slowing down it'll certainly be fascinating to see what kind of insane drugs soldiers are fed to win wars in the years to come nose candy snow blow this powder is so Ancient that scientists have found traces of it in Millennia old mummies it even used to be a common ingredient in over the counter medicine but now it's worth billions on the black market and is responsible for thousands of overdoses every year it could only be cocaine cocaine is one of the

most popular recreational drugs but like with a lot of illegal substances it can be hard to get straight answers about it what effect does cocaine have on your Body where does cocaine even come from how does a cocaine High feel and if you're addicted to cocaine how can you get better you've got the questions we've got the answers and we recommend you listen closely you don't want to become another tragic statistic let's start off by answering the most important question what is cocaine at its most basic level it's a type of naturally occurring chemical known

as a tropane alkaloid derived from the leaves Of the South American Coca plant once it's extracted from the plant it's typically processed into a powdered form called cocaine hydrochloride cocaine is a nervous system stimulant a class of substances that also includes MDMA caffeine nicotine and prescription medications like rlin and adderal like all stimulants its main effect is that it gives the user an energy boost and stimulates the brain's reward pathway this as you might guess from the name is One of the parts of the brain that produces dopamine a chemical that the brain releases as

a form of positive reinforcement normally the reward pathway is activated by what the brain deems to be positive actions exercise eating your favorite foods finishing a complex task and listening to music all things that cause your brain to produce dopamine but cocaine ends the reward pathway into overdrive resulting in intense excitement as well as an Inflated sense of self-confidence on the extreme end a cocaine user might also experience psychotic delusions and all that excess energy can cause heightened aggression other side effects of cocaine use include raised blood pressure raised body temperature and photosensitivity due to

pupil dilation the high doesn't go on for very long on average user start to come down after 15 minutes to a half hour even if the high is worn off the drug isn't immediately flushed out Of your system traces of cocaine can be picked up in Blood and saliva samples for up to 2 days after use and in urine samples for up to 4 days after cocaine use can even be detected by testing hair samples metabolized cocaine can be found in your hair for up to 3 months after taking it which is just another reason

to be suspicious of your boss if he asks for a hair sample before we get into some of the even more severe side effects of cocaine some of which have Had extremely devastating consequences for huge swats of the American population let's rewind the clock to see how this prolific drug made its way into modern hands in the first place cocaine has had a long history as a medical treatment going all the way back to the indigenous people in the Andes mountains in South America evidence recovered from mummies in the region suggests that cocaine has been

used in the area since at least 1,000 BC the wari and Inca People frequently used the cocoa Leaf as a stimulant painkiller and as treatment for altitude sickness when climbing up and down the Andes Mountains cocoa leaves are still used in the same way to this day by the people who live in and around the anes typically the leaves are chewed or boiled in a kind of medicinal tea it can also be used to treat mouth ulcers and toothaches by wrapping cocoa leaves around alkaline burnt ashes and placing the sachche inside your mouth Cocoa leaves

were also consumed to lessen the effects of cold and hunger which are common problems for people living in remote high altitude locations when the Spanish first invaded South America they saw the locals using cocoa leaves and immediately knew they wanted some of those magic leaves for themselves when Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca people in 1532 the Spanish Empire began exploiting the cocoa plant forcing the natives to farm It in mass quantities so it could be exported back to Europe cocaine really took off in the West in the 19th century after chemists figured out how to

isolate cocaine from the plant itself in this new powdered form it became a very common ingredient in medicines to treat fatigue depression chronic pain and even poor sexual per performance in a totally crazy move that really could have only happened during the 19th century in 1863 a corsan chemist named Angelo marani Started selling a drug called Vin marani a mix of cocaine and wine and of course cocaine was also an ingredient in Coca-Cola like a lot of soda fountain Classics Coke was originally sold as a patent medicine a type of brand name over-the-counter drug that

was very popular in the 19th century and had dubious health benefits in the early 1900s however FDA Crackdown on quack medicine and a push for cleaner labeling on consumer products led to a lot of Patent medicines disappearing from shelves the ones that did survive did so by drastically changing their formulas and rebranding as soft drinks including Coca-Cola which was totally cocaine-free by 1929 cocaine was phased out of a lot of medicines over the course of the 20th century though its Effectiveness as a numbing agent in a Vaso constricted means it's still used as a topical

anesthetic to this day it's most common in nose eye and throat surgery where the Blood vessels are very delicate and need to be shrunk to avoid damage in terms of recreational use cocaine exploded in popularity in the 1970s and ' 80s when it became associated with the clubbing culture and gained a glamorous reputation for being the drug of choice for Rich playboys and rock stars cocaine's pretty versatile as far as drugs go and it can be taken in a number of ways most commonly the powder is rubbed onto the gums or inhaled through The nose

but it can also be dissolved in water and taken via injection its free base form known colloquially as crack cocaine we'll talk about crack again later is also smoked cocaine usually isn't taken orally though with a pka of 8.6 cocaine is a weak base which interacts with the digestive acid in a way that makes it absorb poorly through the stomach you can still get high from ingesting cocaine but the effect is weaker and it takes longer to kick in Conversely absorption of cocaine through the gums or nostrils means means the chemical crosses the bloodb brain

barrier faster than other methods when taken this way the cocaine high will hit within only a couple of minutes of taking the drug the Quick Fix nature of cocaine is one of the biggest drawbacks of taking it it's addictive like we said earlier the high only tends to last about 30 minutes and You Begin developing a tolerance to the drugs Effects from the very first dose on top of this as is the case with a lot of stimulants the users experience an unpleasant mood and energy crash when its effects start wearing off so in order

to delay the come down users might keep taking bumps to prolong the high even though each bump will have less and less of a positive effect each time meaning that more and more doses are required to reach the desired High given what cocaine does to your blood pressure This can have extremely deadly consequences cocaine overdose can cause heart attacks or stroke and habitual cocaine use can lead to all kinds of serious heart conditions as well as the onset of stress related disorders and psychosis Coke bugs is a common delusion suffering Ed by cocaine users going

through psychotic episodes where the sufferer believes that bugs are crawling under their skin most people who use cocaine only do so casually in no small Part because of how expensive the pur strains of cocaine can get they might try it once or twice while at a party or a club and may never do it again but that doesn't mean they're totally off the hook as even casual cocaine use has its negative effects snorting cocaine can cause damage to your nasal passages in the short term a blocked or runny nose on the mild end and nose

bleeds on the more severe end remember when we said that cocaine will shrink the blood Vessels when it's applied well when you combine that with a rise in blood pressure it means that more blood is trying to get through the veins that are becoming thinner and thinner leading to blood vessels in the nose rupturing and leaving you with a bloody nose the Damage Done by infrequent cocaine use can heal on its own but habitual users can often suffer from a constantly runny nose chronic nose bleeds complete loss of their sense of smell and a weakened

Immune system in extreme cases people who regularly snort cocaine can contract something called invasive fungal sinusitis a nasty infection that causes parts of the nose to rot even if you don't catch invasive fungal sinusitis cocaine abuse can still make part of your nose rot off the powdered form of cocaine is cocaine hydrochloride so when you absorb the cocaine you're left with the hydrochloride if too much hydrochloride Builds up in your nose it can form hydrochloric acid which breaks down the cells in the nose over time ouch cocaine isn't very good for your teeth either much

like taking it through your nose taking it via your gums can leave you open to infections like all stimulants it has a dehydrating effect and can lower the production of saliva which leads to a loss of tooth enamel cocaine use can also cause involuntary tooth grinding which can further damage your Teeth and gums taking cocaine intravenously is probably the most dangerous way to take it as on top of the risk of stroke heart attack and psychotic breakdowns you also have to worry about fun things like embolism and needle contamination incidentally Sherlock Holmes the famous Detective

from the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a periodic user of injected cocaine goes without saying that this was a little more normalized during the Victorian era than it is now strangely enough people who consume cocaine this way also often report getting tontis straight after injecting which usually lasts for a couple of minutes those who inject cocaine are more likely to overdose as the high wears off a lot faster than it does when taken through the nose or gums cocaine is also sometimes mixed with Heroin to create something called a speedball which is extremely

dangerous as the complimentary Effects of the two drugs together make it hard to recognize symptoms of Overdose a lot of people have died as a result of a speedball overdose including a number of celebrities such as John Belushi River Phenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman combining cocaine and alcohol is also a pretty bad idea since the the chemicals combine and form a substance called cocaethylene in your liver cocaethylene produces a more euphoric high but it increases your risk of Developing heart problems significantly the fact that cocaine is a social drug also means it's often associated with

bloodborn illnesses like hepatitis C people tend to do cocaine in groups and when they snort lines with the same straw or inject it with the same needle it greatly increases the likelihood of illnesses spreading from person to person now that we've covered the effects of cocaine let's Circle back to its free base form crack cocaine in its Powdered form can't be smoked as it burns too completely and too quickly but in its solid or free base form it has a melting point of 98° C which means it can be sublimated and inhaled as a vapor

cracked cocaine is made by boiling cocaine powder and water over a constant heat and mixing in some base such as baking soda the mixture then cools into a brittle crack rock that can be broken into smaller pieces and smoked using a pipe like any drug taken by smoking Crack can cause long-term damage to lungs to the point that crack users cough up blood crack comes with its own unique side effects compared to say cigarettes or marijuana due to the unique way it has to be smoked unlike weed or cigarettes The Vapor produced from melting a

crack rock loses its potency very quickly crack pipes are typically very short to reduce the time it takes for the substance to travel from the pipe to the user's lungs as Much as possible and since crack pipes are normally made of glass they tend to get very hot very quickly because of this people who smoke crack will develop blisters on their lips and fingers from touching the hot glass too much crack became such a hot button issue in American culture that in its Heyday bizarre public service announcements featuring a wide range of public figures such

as movie star Clint Eastwood and Children's Entertainment character PeeWee Herman were televised across the US hoping to discourage people from taking the drug during the moral Panic around crack cocaine in the 1980s and 90s when the drug became popular in low-income neighborhoods Across America concerns were raised about the health of children born to parents who smoked crack the term crack baby arose as part of that moral panic and many anti-drug groups argue that crack usage in pregnant people would lead to a Generation of children with poor health low intelligence and underdeveloped social skills this turned

out to be a greatly exaggerated fear based mainly on racism and classism studies done since have shown that compared to the effects of nicotine and alcohol use during pregnancy the effects of cocaine on fetal development were negligible however cocaine abuse during pregnancy can cause a miscarriage and can in some cases trigger premature labor crack is Also cheaper than powdered cocaine which means it's more likely to be cut with other drugs and potentially poisonous substances this is not to say that powdered cocaine is never cut with any hidden nasties though cheap cocaine is often cut with

baking soda quinine or sugar which can cause blockages in blood vessels when injected or respiratory infections when inhaled it can also be cut with a drug called lamisol which heightens the Drug's effects but has Been associated with the development of autoimmune disease cocaine's also increasingly being contaminated with fentanyl and extremely potent synthetic opioid while many have speculated that drug manufacturers combine the two drugs intentionally tests done on seized Cocaine by police suggest that fentanyl is usually only present in Trace elements fentanyls become a very popular drug in the past decade and it's likely that cross-contamination

occurs simply As a result of the two drugs being processed in the same lab or from them being stored in the same places but because of how potent fentol is consuming drugs with even Trace elements of it can have noticeable negative consequences like a speedball the mix of Fentanyl and cocaine can have deadly effects if the signs of Overdose aren't spotted quickly given that cocaine addiction can lead to all of these horrible effects it might give you some Comfort to know that the physical effects of cocaine withdrawal are fairly minor cocaine withdrawal can cause Disturbed

sleep schedules increased appetite slower reaction time and fatigue these physical symptoms usually start to go away a few days after quitting however the psychological effects can be much more severe cocaine withdrawal can often cause severe depression and anxiety as the brain's reward pathway needs time to repair Itself from over stimulation therapy can help to alleviate these psychological symptoms but the process of recovery can take years and during that time the person may feel compelled to relapse and start taking cocaine again that's why it's important for people trying to quit cocaine to have a social support

network and why group therapy is so important in cocaine Addiction Rehab because while many have survived and moved on from cocaine use it only takes one unlucky Session for things to take a turn for the worst according to the Center for Disease Control and prevention smoking causes nearly 6 million deaths around the world each year and current trends show that tobacco use will be resp responsible for more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030 it is the leading cause of preventable death in America and as many as 16 million people are living with a disease

caused by smoking including cancer heart disease Stroke lung disease and diabetes so what if you quit the Habit how reversible are these risks that's what we'll be exploring today in this episode of the infographic show what happens to your body when you stop smoking apart from the fact that it's bad for your health there are many other reasons to quit smoking it's expensive it makes your hair and clothes stink and in many places in the world it's considered unsociable with bands and bars and Restaurants meaning you'll need to leave the crowd and head outside for

a puff there are plenty of pluses to kicking the habit but what will the health results be let's take a look at how your body will change as time passes once you've quit smoking 20 minutes and less time than it takes to commute to work your body will already be fixing itself 20 minutes after the last cigarette is stubbed out your pulse and blood pressure start to drop back to normal Circulation will start to improve and your hands and feet will warm to their usual temperature 12 hours cigarettes contain a lot of known toxins including

a harmful gas carbon monoxide this gas can be fatal in high doses as it prevents oxygen from entering the lungs and blood at 12 hours halfway through your first day your carbon monoxide level is back to normal which is great for your heart as it doesn't have to pump as hard to get enough oxygen to Your body unfortunately though it's at this point you'll be feeling the withdrawal and Cravings a couple of ways to fight these feelings are by chewing gum or sipping water 24 hours well done you've hit the 1 day Mark and the

good news is that after just 24 hours a person's blood pressure begins to drop decreasing the risk of heart disease and blood clots that can lead to stroke if you smoke a pack a day you're twice as likely to have a heart attack as a Non-smoker and that risk has already been reduced considerably after just 24 hours and with oxygen levels on the rise physical activity and exercise will already feel easier 48 Hours 2 Days in is a good time for a tasty snack smoking damages the nerve endings which decreases your ability to smell and

taste properly and after only 48 Hours your senses will get sharper as nerve endings begin to heal your body will also enter a detoxification phase with Your lungs kicking out mucus left from cigarettes the downside is that this is when the toughest withdrawal symptoms show up if you are a heavy smoker you might feel dizzy anxious or tired and you may also crave more food than usual 3 days after 3 days the nicotine levels in a person's body are depleted ridding the body of nicotine leaves a person much healthier but initially this also adds to

the effects of withdrawal at the 3-day Mark many people will become Moody And irritable experiencing severe headaches and Cravings as the body readjusts on the positive side energy levels will increase and you will breathe more easily during the first 3 months this is when the major improvements start after a couple of weeks the Cravings will subside and the chance of going back to the Habit is far less likely your lungs become stronger and clearer your blood flow has greatly improved you can exercise without Huffing and puffing so much and the risk of a heart attack

goes down even more 9 months 9 months after quitting there will be major physical changes and improvements in the body the lungs have significantly healed themselves the delicate hair-like structures inside the lungs known as cyia which help to fight infections will have recovered from the toll of cigarette smoke around this time many former smokers notice a decrease in the frequency of lung infections because The healed cyia can do their job more easily you'll also be able to take deeper breaths and energy levels will be a lot higher and back to normal one year a big

milestone with the Habit in the distant past time to celebrate the achievement the risk of heart disease has decreased by half and will continue to drop Beyond this oneyear Mark 5 years after 5 years without smoking the body has healed itself so that the arteries and blood vessels begin to widen again This means blood is less likely to clot which lowers the risk of stroke to the same level as a non-smoker and compared to when you first quit your half as likely to get cancer of the mouth throat esophagus or bladder 10 years lung cancer

is one of the greatest risks a smoker faces and after 10 years a person's chances of developing lung cancer and dying from it are about half compared to a smoker 15 years and finally after 15 years of not smoking The chances that you'll get heart disease are the same as if you've never smoked at all your body has done a huge amount of recovery and healing rejuvenating the tissue and cells from the first few weeks of headaches and discomfort to a fully healed body a long path but the rewards are very real and very clear

there's no real argument to be made for continuing to smoke as well as the changes to your health your immune system will also improve your Hair may become thicker and Fuller and your skin will age less quickly you're at your local Watering Hole you order your favorite drink tip the bartender and take your first sip the cool liquid hits your lips and enters your body in the next few minutes a bunch of crazy chemical reactions will occur over the next several minutes and hours your body will swell you'll lose control of your bladder and bowels

and you could black out and die 1 minute after you drink Alcohol the alcohol flows down your throat and into your stomach what happens next depends on who you are what you've done that day and if you've eaten recently when the alcohol enters your stomach it's either absorbed through your stomach lining into your bloodstream or released into your intestines where it'll diffuse into your circulatory system either way the alcohol will be spreading around your body in a matter of minutes if you ate Recently this processes slowed down as some of the alcohol is absorbed by

the food being digested in your stomach however your stomach and intestines cannot metabolize or break down alcohol so it will eventually end up in your bloodstream anyway 3 minutes after you drink alcohol more and more alcohol from your drink seeps into your bloodstream and enters cells through your body this causes several reactions to occur but it's unlikely you'll feel their effects At this point however some pretty strange stuff will happen to your body in the minutes to come some will feel good While others will make you wish you've never put a drop of booze into

your body the alcohol percentage in your drink plays a role in how quickly it diffuses into your bloodstream surprisingly Liquors that have an alcohol percentage between 20 and 30% are absorbed more quickly than drinks with a higher alcohol percentage this Means a glass of Port which is around 20% alcohol will get you drunker faster than a drink with whiskey vodka or Rum in it these types of Liquors tend to be above 35% alcohol they will most certainly get you drunk but they're not absorbed into your bloodstream as quickly as drinks with alcohol percentages in the

20% range 5 minutes after you drink alcohol you're starting to feel the effects of the alcohol on your body the fact that you mix your Alcohol with a carbonated beverage means it enters your bloodstream slightly faster than other drinks cocktails like rum and coke aen and tonics and vodka sodas will all be absorbed into your bloodstream quicker than if those Liquors were consumed without a mixer it's at this point your brain starts to feel the effects of the alcohol you're not quite drunk yet but you are definitely on your way chemical changes are happening in

your body and they will Alter your mood senses and balance 10 minutes after you drink alcohol you gulp down the last remnants of your bever fridge and order another one while you wait the alcohol from your first drink is changing the size of your blood vessels they begin to widen which causes your skin to become flush and turn a reddish color it looks like you're blushing or having a slight allergic reaction but this is all just a normal reaction to drinking alcohol you pull at Your shirt as you begin to feel warmer this is because

alcohol is a Vaso dilator meaning it opens up blood vessels such as capillaries just under the surface of your skin the more blood that flows to the surface of your body the warmer you feel at the same time your blood pressure begins to drop for a short period of time and even though you initially feel warmer the changes to your blood flow are actually causing your internal temperature to drop as Blood moves away from your body's core the female body reacts slightly differently than the male body when alcohol is consumed the average female has less

body water in their system to dilute the alcohol that's being absorbed into their bloodstream this results in a higher blood alcohol concentration occurring more quickly in women than men females also produce less alcohol dehydrogenase on average which is an important enzyme the liver creates to Break down ethanol this means that if a male and female around the same weight and size start drinking the same alcoholic beverage simultaneously the woman will likely begin to feel the effects of the alcohol first 15 minutes after you drink alcohol now you start to feel pretty good the alcohol is

playing mind games with you it's caused the release of dopamine and serotonin which make you feel happy more confident and ready to try new things this is because Both dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters that allow for more connections between brain cells serotonin is known to make people feel calm and content while dopamine is associated with feelings of being rewarded or motivated the alcohol causes your body to release these hormones in higher concentrations than normal which then Alters your mood at the same time it suppresses certain parts of your nervous system this is the reason why

Your speech begins to slur you feel less coordinated and your vision becomes impaired as you sip on another drink the levels of the hormones inside your body become even more imbalanced you begin to make decisions and do things that you wouldn't normally while sober you become Boulder and throw inhibition to the wind it's at this point you start to feel buzzed or drunk this is your body's way of telling you something is not quite right but since it feels good at the Time you ignore those warning signs you begin to stagger around as your balance

is thrown off the influx of dopamine and serotonin allows you to come out of your cocoon and you soon become a social butterfly 20 minutes after you drink alcohol your liver has now started to process the alcohol flowing through your body it's a slow process which is why the effects of drinking can last so long on average the liver can metabolize around 1 oz of alcohol every hour in Most mixed drinks you're consuming at least 2 O of alcohol and chances are you're having more than one drink during a night out this means that if

your blood alcohol level reaches 08 which is the legal limit it can take around 5 and 1/2 hours for your liver to remove all of it from your system as your liver works over time to break down the poison you're putting into your body you continue to talk to everyone you come across and make new friends with every Breath you exhale some of the alcohol in your system this is why you can literally smell alcohol on someone's breath after they've been drinking by the time your body completely breaks down the alcohol flowing through your bloodstream

you will have breathed out around 8% of the total alcohol you consumed the alcohol gets into your breath by diffusing out of the blood and passing through your lungs this is the same way that your body releases carbon Dioxide it's this evaporated alcohol that's released by your respiratory system that breathalizer use to calculate blood alcohol levels even if you mask the scent of the alcohol using gum or mints the molecules are still being released in your breath you might be able to hide the smell from another person but this will never trick a breathalizer 25

minutes after you drink alcohol you now look a little red in the cheeks you have a slight cognitive Impairment and are releasing alcohol from your lungs like a fire breathing dragon but while all this is happening you also have the irresistible urge to go pee you race to the bathroom before you have an accident in your pants to relieve yourself if you don't make it in time you can blame it on the alcohol but you'll still need to change clothes the alcohol in your blood suppresses the creation of the anti-diuretic hormone or ADH that's produced

by the body ADH Signals the kidneys to reduce the amount of water they're releasing and now that there's less of this important molecule being produced your kidneys are flooding your systems with more and more water this causes you to have to urinate frequently as a way of excreting the excess water however it also can cause another nasty side effect other than being at risk of peeing your pants the suppression of ADH by alcohol can also lead to dehydration as you release more And more fluids by peeing constantly your body is unable to retain the water

it needs for cellular and life processes this is one of the reasons it's important to drink water with every alcoholic beverage you have if you don't replenish your fluids while drinking it can lead to headaches exhaustion and a nasty hangover the next day it's also important to note that even if you are mixing your alcohol with another liquid this will never be enough to keep you Hydrated you should also steer clear of sodas and sugary drinks as they can only exacerbate the hidden problem of dehydration your best bet for replenishing your body's fluids is to

drink water and lots of it yes this might cause you to even more but as long as you keep drinking water your body will be able to break down and excrete the alcohol in your system while maintaining somewhat stable fluid levels 30 minutes after you drink alcohol now That your body has released some of your water stores it makes it slightly more difficult for some cellular processes to occur H2O is a vital component in most reactions in your body your liver is the only organ that can actually break down the alcohol and it is working

over time to try to eliminate the poison that's circulating through your system because that's what alcohol is you're essentially poisoning yourself it just happens to make you feel good that being Said almost anything in moderation is okay and that goes for alcohol as well too much alcohol can definitely kill you but so can too much sugar salt and water at this point your liver starts to oxidize the alcohol and convert it into water and AET alahh this molecule can cause problems for your body later on in life but right now it's the only way that

the alcohol can be removed from your system the more you drink the longer this process takes and the higher Your blood alcohol content will be it's the inab ability of your liver to keep up with the amount of alcohol you're consuming that leads to alcohol poisoning as you continue to drink your body continues to try to keep you alive something terrible is happening to your brain at first the alcohol makes you feel good but behind this illusion damage is being done to your brain cells what happens next could determine whether you live or die 45

minutes after You drink alcohol your choices while drinking matter if you've consumed several drinks very quickly your blood alcohol levels will be high if you have been sipping on a drink or two throughout your time at the bar your blood alcohol levels will be relatively low this doesn't mean you won't become drunk it just means you've given your body time to break down some of the alcohol before consuming more your blood alcohol level determines how much damage Is being done to your brain subliminal intoxication is the first stage of being drunk it occurs when your

blood alcohol content reaches between 01 and 05 you might not look intoxicated at this point but you are definitely getting there your reaction time has slowed and your judgment has been altered slightly everyone's body is different which means people will respond differently to the amount of alcohol in their system but as you pass this first stage you will Develop the telltale signs of someone who is intoxicated and a blood alcohol content of between 012 and 03 you're in the Euphoria stage of becoming drunk this is when the body has raised dopamine levels and you're feeling

pretty good it's at this point that you feel buzzed or Tipsy your reasoning and memory become impaired and you feel confident and relaxed many people try to achieve this by having a drink to wind down after work however if you continue Drinking you will inevitably pass into the next zone of inebriation as your body reaches a blood alcohol content of over 08 you're now considered legally intoxicated it's when your blood alcohol content reaches 09 to .25 that the connections within your occipital lobe temporal lobe and your frontal lobe are highly affected this can cause blurred

vision and impaired decision-making your reaction time becomes immensely slower than normal which makes doing basic Tasks more difficult and even dangerous you should not be driving a car or engaging in any activities that could potentially put yourself or others at risk it's around this level that you might begin to feel nauseous as your body tries to lower the amount of alcohol in your system any way possible if you reach a blood alcohol content of between .18 and3 many parts of your brain struggle to function properly the cerebellum which is the area responsible For coordination is

especially impacted negatively this is why when your blood alcohol content reaches these levels you might have trouble walking you might even black out or have short-term memory loss due to damage to your hippocampus anything over a blood alcohol level of 0.25 means you're in danger of developing alcohol poisoning every one of your senses is impaired and there's a chance you could suffocate or sustain internal injuries once you reach levels Of 35 you're at risk of entering a coma this is because your breathing and circulation have become compromised due to your nervous system shutting down it's

at this point you could actually die as critical areas of the brain that control breathing and heart rate stop functioning properly again the time it takes to reach these different levels of intoxication is determined by a person's body the type and quantity of alcohol they consumed and how fast they've been Drinking but regardless of all that if someone has been going hard on the booze for close to an hour their blood alcohol levels will likely be pretty high 60 minutes after you drink alcohol your body has been working over time to break down the alcohol

in your system the shot of liquor you had at the beginning of the night has been dealt with however your liver still needs another hour to deal with the alcohol in that beer you drank luckily you didn't have a large Glass of wine as the alcohol in that beverage can take up to 3 hours to completely be broken down if you have been drinking consistently for an hour and you continue to do so your blood alcohol level is sure to rise you'll feel the levels of intoxication and if you aren't careful you could do serious

damage to your body 3 hours after you drink alcohol you're home now you feel exhausted your body aches slightly and all you want to do is go to bed Unfortunately as you lie awake staring at the ceiling you find you're having trouble falling asleep the room is spinning which makes you nauseous and even if you don't throw up it'll be a restless night the alcohol in your system interferes with your brain transitioning from being awake to REM sleep that's when your body does a lot of its repairs and the Brain converts short-term memories to long-term

ones one of the reasons you can't remember Everything that happened after a night of drinking is because the alcohol you consumed disrupts the process Rim sleep is also the stage of sleep when you dream and alcohol has been shown to do some incredibly weird things to your dreams consuming alcohol before sleeping has been connected to people having more vivid dreams and even nightmares it's not clear why this happens but it likely has to do with Dam damage caused to brain cells or interference between Neural Pathways you might have had a fun night out drinking with

your friends but as you toss and turn all night and have strange dreams you will likely curse your past self for making such bad decisions the morning after you drink alcohol you wake up feeling like crap you definitely overdid it the night before to be fair if you had only had a drink or two spaced out over the evening you'd probably feel completely fine but you went hard and drank a bit past your Limit your blood sugar is low and you're dehydrated these factors put a lot of stress on your brain causing a killer headache

to develop another side effect of the imbalances in your body is an increase in anxiety levels you may have thrown inhibition to the wind the previous night but now you're questioning every decision you made and hating yourself for overindulging even though you didn't black out you can't remember the entire night this is not Because the alcohol causes you to forget memories but it impedes your brain's ability to create new memories while you're drunk as you struggle to remember what happened the night before your stomach starts to Grumble your eyes open wide you run to the

bathroom room and make it just in time an explosion of diarrhea escapes your body the alcohol you consumed the previous day has increased acid in your stomach which has caused your stomach lining to become Inflamed on top of that your body has been suppressing the production of the anti-diuretic hormone for several hours this has caused more and more liquid to build up in the intestines which results in bad diarrhea the morning after a night of drinking now you have one mission in life drink lots of water and force yourself to eat something you need to

make sure you replenish any fluids that are either lost from vomiting or diarrhea on top of that you need to Consume some form of food preferably something starchy to soak up any remaining alcohol in your digestive system the following days weeks and months after you drink alcohol having an alcoholic drink every now and then will likely have very minimal effects on your body even if you have a drink a few times a week as long as it's in moderation your body probably won't develop any adverse health conditions however having multiple drinks every day Or binge

drinking on weekends has been linked to several severe health problems consuming large large amounts of alcohol can greatly increase your risk for certain types of cancers the most well-known ones are liver and colon cancer however alcohol also increases your chances of developing throat larynx and cancer of the esophagus ethanol the molecule that makes up alcohol is not a carcinogen in and of itself however when your body breaks down the alcohol into a Seat alahh this is where things can get dicey the international Agency for research on cancer identifies acid alahh as a group two carcinogen

this means that when you're drinking too much your body produces a known carcinogen and if you do this too often you're rolling the dice with cancer your body can remove dangerous molecules such as acid alide from your system but only if you give it enough time to carry out the process the more alcohol you consume in a short Period of time the more acid aldhy builds up in your body and the more likely you are to develop cancer heavy drinking has also been connected to an increased risk of high blood pressure heart disease and stroke

all of these things can be life-threatening it's the stress you put on your brain and body when consuming large quantities of alcohol that leads to these factors developing when drinking your heart needs to work harder to circulate the Blood around your body so the alcohol can be broken down and removed at the same time alcoholic drinks can contain high amounts of calories and carbohydrates this can lead to weight gain as a result of drinking too much all of these factors combined put even more stress on the heart the Damage Done to brain cells and Pathways

within the brain by alcohol can lead to memory problems and dementia and this is in full grown adults children and teens Whose minds are still developing can become stunted if they consume alcohol this can lead to learning disabilities and the underdevelopment of their brains these side effects are one of the main reasons why the drinking age is 21 in the US it's around this age that the brain has been fully developed although this is still debated many scientists believe the brain isn't fully developed until you turn 25 regardless even a developed brain can be damaged

by Drinking too much alcohol there's also some research that suggests drinking can weaken your immune system this could leave you vulnerable to viruses and bacteria that often frequent bars or anywhere where large numbers of people gather and even if you're drinking at home alcohol can inhibit your immune system to the point where you become more susceptible to colds or the flu normally your body would easily fight off these pathogens but overc Consumption of alcohol can hinder your immune system to the point that even a small cold makes you very sick alcoholism is a disease and

an addiction alcohol can fundamentally change your brain chemistry making you dependent on the substance this addiction can happen to anyone and is influenced by genetic psychological social and environmental factors if you or someone you know is dependent on Al alcohol or overc consuming the substance on a regular Basis you should talk to a medical professional immediately drinking socially or having an alcoholic beverage every now and then and in moderation will probably not cause you any harm however it's important to know exactly how it affects your body and what signs to look out for remember your

body needs time to break down alcohol this is a slow process and it's why you should pace yourself and drink a lot of water during a night of drinking the Eternal Vape versus cigarettes debate is still raging on in the Red Corner you have cigarettes the established foul smelling way to intake your nicotine with years of research behind its effects in the blue corner you have the newcomer Vapes with little research behind their effects and nice smelling clouds of nicotine to mask their dangerous nature they've become a crowd favorite but which alternative is worse for

your health first let's take a look at Smoking you can smoke lots of things obviously since we here at the infographic show don't want to condone anything illegal let's assume smoking means regular tobacco cigarettes tobacco is the common name for plants in the nicana genus a type of leafy herbaceous plant native to North and South America the one tobacco subspecies nicana suaveolens is found on the East Coast of Australia tobacco plants are a member of the nightshade family a group of plants That also includes tomatoes and eggplants the leaves contain a type of neurotoxin called

nicotine which acts as a natural insecticide and makes the plant unappealing to most Plante eating animals but as we've seen throughout history with things like like magic mushrooms and ghost peppers a plant being poisonous and tasting unpleasant has never deterred humans from putting it in their mouths tobacco leaves have always been incredibly popular among the Indigenous people of the Americas with archaeological evidence suggesting that medicinal recreational and spiritual use of the plant dates back over 12,000 years even today tobacco is an important part of religious rights and political agreements for the Native Americans you've probably

seen the native characters in cowboy movies smoking peace pipes before well that's only one ceremonial use of tobacco in Native American culture it's also given as an Offering to the gods or as a gift to tribal leaders and among the cre and oji people it's a crucial part of their purification rituals performed in a sweat lodge when Europeans first colonized the new world tobacco was one of the many discoveries they brought back with them and it was an instant hit like the Native Americans Europeans took to using it as a stimulant decongestant and topical painkiller

but they also started smoking it recreationally Doctors raved about its effects in medical journals one Spanish doctor even claimed it could cure 36 different illnesses in 1571 in the 1600s there was even a popular song by Tobias Hume called tobacco is like love but like a lot of things that were used medically in the 1600s tobacco's supposed benefits would later be shown to come with some pretty serious side effects you're not watching this video from the 1600s presumably so we probably don't need to Tell you that smoking tobacco is actually really really really bad for

you so let's go through all the negative health effects of smoking tobacco first off while nicotine is a very effective stimulant and a painkiller it's extremely poisonous if consumed in large enough Doses and considering the leaf of niana tobacum the tobacco plant most often used to make cigarettes contains about 20,000 parts per million of nicotine it's very possible to feel some Of these effects if you smoke enough on the mild end nicotine poisoning can cause nausea lightheadedness nightmares uncontrollable hick uping and flatulence on the severe end it can cause Vaso constriction the shrinking of blood

vessels heart palpitations diarrhea severe anxiety and even death that's bad enough on its own but when you combine that with the fact that nicotine is also highly addictive you got yourself a potentially lethal cocktail even if you Decide to quit you're still not out of the woods you can still get nicotine poisoning from chewing nicotine gum and topical patches that smokers use to wean themselves off cigarettes worse than the nicotine itself is the slew of other chemicals introduced into the cigarette by the curing process tobacco has to be dried in the sun before being sold

this decreases the potency of the nicotine and makes it safer to consume however that decreased potency is quickly Canceled out by the chemicals that are added during the curing process these chemicals are meant to improve the smoking experience by doing things like helping the tobacco and cigarette wrapper burn at a more even rate and helping the body process the nicotine but most of these chemicals are also poisonous in their own right according to the American Lung Association among the 600 chemicals that make up your average cigarette are ammonia acetone Methanol butane and carbon monoxide some

of those chemicals might sound familiar so let's quickly elaborate ammonia is one of the chemicals that your body flushes out when you pee it's typically also used to bleach hair and as a component of explosives acetone is commonly available as a paint remover butane is highly flammable and normally sold as barbecue fuel carbon monoxide isn't really used for anything but it it is a byproduct of gas stoves and Fireplaces that is so toxic you rarely hear about it outside of the sentence make sure to replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector cigarettes also contain

for Malahide a preservative used to embalm dead bodies and Museum specimens these chemicals are already pretty scary but the addition of fire to the equation makes things even more sketchy as it causes those 600 chemicals to combine and remix into more than 7,000 new compounds at least 69 of these Chemicals are proven to be cogenic which is just a fancy way of saying they cause cancer one of these compounds is known as freebased nicotine which reaches your brain much faster than normal nicotine when inhaled in addition to the increased risk for pretty much every type

of cancer smoking also increases your risk of stroke heart disease osteoporosis vision problems and diabetes that's a result of the Vaso constriction that we mentioned earlier When your veins shrink oxygen can be distributed through your body as efficiently and that leads to a whole host of chronic health conditions one of the most most gruesome side effects of smoking is the fact that a lot of those chemical compounds stick around in your lungs even after you've exhaled these compounds bind together with burnt particulates that enter your lungs along with the smoke combining together into a sticky

black substance called tar which Can seriously clog up your lungs and cause long-term breathing problems another big health risk of smoking tobacco is secondhand smoke this is the reason why smoking indoors is banned in most places and public smoking is restricted to specific places once there's a lit cigarette in an enclosed area all those fun chemicals dissipate into the air meaning that if you smoke indoors you expose everyone around you to the same chemicals that you're Putting into your own body obviously it's a much smaller amount but it can still be a significant health risk

Studies have shown that repeated exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the risk of Stroke by 20 to 30% and increase the risk of heart disease by 25 to 30% and if that wasn't bad enough a study published in the National Library of medicine has suggested that there might even be such a thing as thirdhand smoke it sounds crazy but it's True according to the researchers you can even be exposed to carcinogens left behind on surfaces that someone has recently smoked around so yeah your school's health class teacher was not lying and those scary PSAs you

saw on YouTube weren't exaggerating smoking is actually bad for you no wonder so many people are now quitting smoking and switching to Vapes it's so much cleaner and less addictive and oh most Vape juices still contain nicotine even some Of the ones that advertise themselves as nicotine-free well that's a bummer already that's a mark against vaping since everything we already said about the nicotine and cigarettes is also true for the majority of Vapes the history of vaping is much shorter than the history of cigarettes while tobacco companies had been researching nicotine vaporizers and smokeless alternatives

to cigarettes since the 60s the first commercially available electronic cigarette was Invented in 2003 by pharmacist Han lick Han was a heavy smoker but after his father's death from lung cancer he decided to quit but like a lot of people he struggled to quit in 2001 he had the idea to patent an electronic alternative to cigarettes that would vaporize nicotine and give people trying to quit something to mimic the sensation of holding a cigarette Han had lofty goals for his invention hoping that someday it would replace cigarettes entirely Unfortunately it seems that might not work

out as of the writing of this video Han lick has still not successfully quit smoking since their invention in 20 3 ecigarettes are now more commonly known as Vapes and have evolved into a variety of styles ranging from those designed to look like cigars or pipes to more futuristic designs that can cost up to 200 bucks regardless of what they look like most Vapes work the same way they have a mouthpiece a heating element a Microprocessor a battery and a cartridge which is loaded with E-liquid or vape juice the atomizer contains a heating element and

a wicking material that draws the juice out of the cartridge where it gets vaporized by the heating element hence the name once the liquid is vaporized it can be inhaled just like regular cigarette smoke on the face of it it sounds a lot cleaner than smoking it's basically just breathing in Steam with a bit of nicotine right well just Like with cigarettes it's not just the nicotine that you have to worry about vaping really took off in the West in the 2010s when it evolved its own subculture the explosion of popularity was so fast despite

most countries not yet having regulations in place bootleg e-i liquid started showing up on the market and just like with alcohol during prohibition most of the bootleg stuff wasn't exactly made with consumer safety In mind back in 2019 the United States experienced an outbreak of over 1,600 cases of unexplained lung injury 34 of which were fatal the victims of this mystery illness had one major thing in common they were all Vapors 92% of patients admitted they' been using Black Market THC vape cartridges while the remainder reported only smoking nicotine the CDC notes that this might

not be entire irely reflective of the truth since many of these victims lived in States where cannabis was illegal at the time the lung injury which Doctors Now call ecigarette or vaping Associated lung injury or evali for short is primarily caused by an additive called vitamin E acetate which is a type of synthetic vitamin E typically used in topical skin cream research has suggested that while vitamin E acetate is harmless when applied externally it might have adverse effects on lung functionality if inhaled though this is The the prevailing Theory the reality is iali could really

be caused by any number of chemicals and additives that you can find in vape juice at first glance Vape Juice's typical ingredients seem pretty simple most e-liquids contain propylene glycol which is pretty common in foods and medicine as a solvent it serves as a base liquid that suspends the nicotine and flavoring if the e-i liquid doesn't use propylene it'll probably use vegetable glycerin a Food thickening agent which serves the same purpose but creates a denser Vapor with those as a base the rest of the ingredients are nicotine and whatever food coloring and flavoring the manufacturers

feel like adding a lot of people would look at those ingredients and not see a problem the kinds of flavorings and additives in E Liquids are probably also found in most kinds of soda so what's the issue well what they're not taking into account is that Even though fapes use electronic atomizers instead of fire they still create carcinogenic substances even out of non-toxic materials since there's still so little regulation on the ingredients of E Liquids there's always the risk that two perfectly innocent elements when vaporized could combine together to create something toxic there are also

plenty of things that while they're safe to eat you really shouldn't be inhaling take dietal for example it's Got a scary sounding name but it's fairly common in artificial flavoring used in the US to flavor things like instant coffee caramel fruity drinks and to add a butter-like flavor to microwave popcorn it also occurs naturally in some wines sounds pretty tasty but trust us when we say you do not want this stuff getting in your lungs that's because if it does you might develop a chronic condition called bronchiolitis obliterans this nasty illness is Colloquially known as

popcorn lung due to the fact that the first recognized cases of it were all employees at a microwave popcorn factory in Jasper Missouri they spent so much time around the dietal that they ended up breathing in enough of it to become toxic following the discovery of the disease a lot of food companies have switched out dietal for Less harmful flavor compounds but since it's still approved by the FDA still Finds Its way into a few products As you can probably guess flavored Vape juice is one of them a 2016 study published in environmental health perspectives

reported that out of 51 E-liquid flavors 39 contained dietal another chemical cinam Malahide which as you can probably guess is found naturally in cinnamon has been shown to impair lung function in a study done by the University of North Carolina these are just two examples and given how inconsistent Vape liquid production Tends to be that could just be the tip of the iceberg overwhelmingly the advice from medical professionals tends to be that if it's not air it shouldn't be going in your lungs this is because it can disrupt movements of the lung Celia Celia are

the little hairlike structures inside the lungs that move in regular wave patterns their job is to push bacteria and other nasties up and out of the lungs so they can be coughed out cinam Malahide formaldahyde and a bunch Of other chemicals that end in alahh can have a paralytic effect on the lung Celia which can take weeks to recover from during dur that time your lungs are missing a crucial line of defense against infection like we said before falah is often added to cigarettes and the effects of that on lung Celia of regular smokers have

been well documented the fact that other aldah even the ones that are safe to eat can have the same effect when added to vape Liquid and inhaled is a relatively new discovery all right so now we've explained the science behind the effects of both it's time to answer the question is vaping really healthier than smoking cigarettes if you asked most experts would probably tell you yes but only barely E-liquid contains less nicotine than your average cigarette and it usually doesn't contain any acetone or butane but that doesn't automatically make it a healthier alternative in fact

Given that the effects of vaping still aren't fully understood it is likely that new information could come out sometime in the future that proves it's just as bad for you as cigarettes what about the commonly heard claim that vaping can help people quit smoking unfortunately despite his hopes that his invention would make smoking obsolete hli's ability to quit himself is pretty typical for a vapor most Vapors continue to smoke cigarettes even after they Start vaping emilyy Banks from the Australian National University Center for epidemiology has said that based on her research there was limited evidence

to suggest that vaping can help people quit smoking as for secondhand smoke there's not much research currently on whether or not walking through that guy's hot dog scented Vape Cloud at the bus stop is going to put you at risk for lung disease but a lot of people have theorized that we ought to air on the Safe side and restrict vaping in public the same way we restrict smoking ultimately ecigarettes are still such a new technology it's impossible to know the full extent to which they can be harmful to your health the fact of the

matter is there's probably no fully safe way to consume nicotine on a regular basis when it comes to the question of which one is the least bad the World Health organization's website probably sums it up best both tobacco products And ecigarettes pose risk to health the safest approach is to use neither now check out this is what happens to your body when you stop smoking tobacco or watch this video instead