Effects on Other Parts of the Body

 Effects on the Heart

Some immediate effects of marijuana include a faster heartbeat and pulse rate. A study has indicated that the risk of the user getting a heart attack is more than four times in the first hour after smoking marijuana. The people who researched this think that this might be caused from marijuana's effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.

 Effects on the Stomach

Marijuana is reported to settle the stomach and to reduce nausea and vomiting. People who take marijuana have reported an increased appetite - they say they have the "munchies."

Effects on the Eyes

Glaucoma causes blindness from increased pressure in the eyeball. Marijauna, when smoked, reduces the pressure within the eye.

Are other body systems affected?

They sure seem to be. Take the endocrine system, for example. It produces body hormones, the internal chemicals that control how and when we develop. Here's what pot does there:

·         Triggers a short-term drop in the hormones that direct growth and development.

·         Lowers sperm production in males, resulting in fewer normal sperm cells.

·         Tinkers with the balance of hormones that control the menstrual cycles of girls and women.

In adults, these changes are temporary. But researchers suspect that young people risk possible long-range developmental problems. As a precaution, they warn kids to avoid Marijuana to reduce the risk.

Can marijuana cause birth defects?

It doesn't cause full-blown birth defects, but that doesn't mean it's okay to smoke if you're pregnant. Because the fact is that pregnancy and unnecessary drug use just don't go together at all.

Not only that, but with Marijuana there's some evidence that use during pregnancy could lead to unnecessary problems for a developing fetus, even raising levels of miscarriage and stillbirth.

That's because THC metabolites (remember them?) freely cross the placenta, where they interact with developing body systems.

Possible effects include lowered birth weight, nervous system changes, and delayed learning.

And if you're pregnant (or you're planning to be), risks like those are too real to disregard -- and too