Is marijuana really that bad for you?

AUTHOR: Serj Sagan

When I originally started the research for this editorial I had the title of "The top 10 reasons to not smoke marijuana" in mind. However the more I researched, the more I realized that I would be hard pressed to find only 5 reasons to avoid marijuana and therefore surprisingly enough had to change the title to what it is now. I was especially surprised to learn that specific areas where I was "certain" that marijuana was bad for you, like pregnancy, were also misconceptions. Therefore we will cover the five major concerns with marijuana and the truth about its negative or not so negative effects on you.

- Addictive
I remember as a teenager smoking pot, I learned to create reasons to justify my habit. Reasons like "it's not addictive", "you never hear of a pothead beating up his wife or kids, unlike an alcoholic","$50 bag of weed will last you all week, and you can drop twice that or more in one night at the bar", and others. However the fact remains that although research proves that marijuana is not physically addictive, it is very addictive mentally. We begin to crave the euphoria of marijuana and what starts out as a once a week thing becomes a once a day thing, in the evenings after work; to potentially lead to an all day thing, including going to work or school stoned. This is not something that all marijuana smokers do, but it is very common. If you are confused about the difference between physical and mental addiction let me compare it to something more easier to understand. Take your own "addiction" such as a favorite video game (World of Warcraft), game system (PS3 or Xbox), TV show (American Idol, football), shopping, or other favorite activity that if you could be paid for doing then you would be in absolute heaven. Now imagine that you are barred from ever doing it again. That feeling that you are feeling is what marijuana addiction feels like when someone is trying to quit. You know you can do it, but you really, really, REALLY don't want to.

- Physical limitations
First of all the obvious stuff. If you drive while stoned you are more likely to cause a wreck then even drunk. You will get a DUI if pulled over. It is very dangerous so don't do it. Work where physical labor or operating machinery is involved is also something to be avoided especially if you work in dangerous conditions. Your speech is also affected. You talk slower. You take longer to think of a response. Your responses are sometimes, not to be offensive, stupid. Therefore if you are going to be giving a presentation in front of the whole class or you have a customer service job, then smoking weed before such an activity is a really bad idea. If you do decide to smoke weed then you should consider weed as an entertainment only, something like alcohol; if you wouldn't get drunk before going to work, then you shouldn't smoke weed before work either.

- Sexual function
Sexual function is probably the most widely known reason why weed "should" be avoided and per research is the most true. Research proves that while stoned and up to 3 days after your last intake of marijuana your ability to get an erection is significantly reduced. Then, even if you can get it up, your ability to keep it hard is also greatly reduced. This can lead to an embarrassing situation, obviously. There is some concern that perhaps there are long term effects associated with long term marijuana use, however all research studies so far have shown that after 15 to 30 days of the last intake of marijuana, sexual function is restored to that of prior to marijuana use, even in long term users. There is also some evidence that shows male enhancement, whether it be exercises or pills reduces some of the dysfunction, however there have yet to be formal studies done on this.

- Reproductive concerns
What I found out about marijuana's effect on the reproductive system was the biggest shockers to me. A major study done by Melanie C. Dreher, PhD; Kevin Nugent, PhD; and Rebekah Hudgins, MA showed that there was absolutely no negative impact on the development of a child whose mothers smoked marijuana during pregnancy, and some of these mothers smoked NINE joints per day every single day. It was hard to believe when you consider alcohol syndrome, the debilitating effect on kids whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. They tested these kids at 1 day old, 3 days old, 30 days old, then came back and tested them again at 3 years old, and again at 5 years old, and NONE of them showed any health defects, developmental problems or any other negative effect. Other studies done later confirm this finding. The negative effect that is a concern however is that a male's sperm production is reduced if he has been smoking marijuana, thus making it more difficult for a woman to become pregnant.

- Social issues
We will quickly touch on this subject as this may be obvious, but is the most important consideration for marijuana users. Marijuana use is illegal in the United States unless it is for medical purposes. This creates the situation of where you must consider whether it is "worth it" to use marijuana. If you get caught you go to jail, you may lose your job, your friends and family may be greatly disappointed. If you have children they may get taken away. You may potentially lose everything you have if you get caught. The other concern is if you have friends who do not do marijuana, they may have a difficult time relating to you while you are stoned, therefore you are potentially sacrificing these relationships.

As this information was originally gathered to discourage marijuana use, in the end it turned out more informational than anything. So if you choose to use marijuana or choose to avoid it, hopefully you now have a clearer idea as to the choice that is right for you.
About The Author

Serj Sagan is the CEO and owner of a Natural Male Enhancement company, Male Enhancement Research. Dedicated to find the real truth about male enhancement products and companies and expose it to the consumer. Copyright 2009 Serj Sagan of http://www.enhancementresearch.com. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.