SCIENCE JOURNAL 2018

‘high’ feeling, creates a feeling of elevation above others and invincibility altering a person’s behaviour. For example, a user may jump of tall structures or cause violent fights thinking as they view themselves as dominant over others, not considering any consequences such as injury and even death. Hence, smoking marijuana is harmful to society. Magnifying Thoughts & Hyperfocus Another reason why smoking marijuana is hazardous is also due to delta-9- tetrahydrocannibinol. THC is similar to another cannabinoid naturally generated in our brains known as anandamide, which regulates our mood, sleep, memory and appetite. This means both consuming THC and producing anandamide will enlarge these regulating effects. In turn, this magnifies thoughts and causes the brain to hyper focus on these thoughts. This is dangerous when executing complex tasks as it becomes unsafe. For example, when driving, the brain may only focus on the car’s speed and not the surrounding vehicles potentially resulting in dangerous accidents. Furthermore, a lapse in concentration as a result of THC when operating advanced machinery could result in major injuries. These instances both harm the user and endanger others and the surrounding environment. Clearly, THC causes users to become hyperfocused and unaware. As a result, smoking marijuana is dangerous to our world. Mental Disorders Smoking marijuana is hazardous to our society as it causes mental disorders. According to scientific studies, people who are dependent on marijuana frequently experience other mental disorders (American College of Pediatricians, 2017). These illnesses include anxiety, depres- sion, personality disorders and a lack of motiva- tion to engage in rewarding activities. More precisely, according to Graph 1 and Table 1, 24% of the population who use marijuana

develop mania, a disorder associated with periods of excessive euphoria and over-activity. That is eight times the amount the general population suffers from mania (3%). Moreover, 20% of users suffer from dysthymia, a mild depression, compared to 4% of the general population. In addition, marijuana usage is associated with a sevenfold increase in the risk of depression for users compared to the standard population and ninefold when used with other drugs (American College of Pediatricians, 2017). Marijuana may also cause psychosis whereby the user experiences false perceptions of things are non-existent, known as hallucina- tions, as well as delusions and paranoia. Regular marijuana usage, increases the risk of another disorder known as schizophrenia, continuous psychosis. It is certainly evident that marijuana usage is linked to an increase in mental disor- ders among users. Thus, marijuana poses a threat to our society.

Graph 1: Mental Disorders (American College of Pediatricians, 2017)

Social Factor Marijuana usage poses a major social threat to Australian society. This is because marijuana causes people to experience antisocial behaviour (Bates, 2016). Users are inclined to steal items from and tell lies to others. Also, the drug is linked to an increased crime rate as it prevents users from considering the consequences of their potentially illegal actions. Unfortunately,

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Somerset College Journal of Scientific Issues

Year 10