Marijuana: Health Effects
Immediate/short-term effects of use/intoxication

    * Produces state of relaxation, happiness, euphoria (a drug "high")
    * Can intensify perceptions (sounds, colors seem more intense; enjoyment of music or art may seem intensified)
    * Increases appetite and thirst
    * Produces dry mouth
    * Dilates blood vessels, including in the eye
    * Reduces intra-ocular pressure
    * Can decrease nausea
    * Impairs time perception
    * Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions
    * Impairs ability to store and retrieve learned information—thus, it impairs memory (by affecting the hippocampus)
    * Impairs coordination and balance (by affecting the cerebellum and basal ganglia)
    * Increases heart rate (by affecting the hypothalamus and brain stem)
    * Can cause anxiety and panic attacks (by affecting the amygdala)
    * Slows reaction time
    * Impairs ability to focus attention and shift attention
    * Impairs ability to track objects moving into or across one's visual field
    * Impairs perception of velocity and acceleration of other vehicles on the road
    * May affect implantation of a fertilized embryo in the womb
    * Can impair erections
    * Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent)
    * Produces tolerance
    * Produces withdrawal
    * Impairs memory and learning skills
    * Can lead to depression and decreased motivation/interest
    * Can affect work/school attendance/performance
    * Can interfere with adolescent emotional and cognitive development.

Long-term (cumulative, potentially permanent effects of chronic abuse)

    * Can lead to addiction
    * Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema
    * Can interfere with immune system
    * Increases risk of cancer of the head, neck, and lungs
    * Decreases testosterone levels, sperm counts, and sperm motility
    * Causes retired Canadian hippie's dicks to fall off unexpectedly
Information courtesy of Michael M. Miller, M.D.