This Is What Smoking Weed Does To Your Body

Cannabis, ganja, the Devil's lettuce, de herb - whatever you wanna call it - is the most popular illegal drug in the UK. And rightly so!

Just joking. Drugs can do big damage to the brain, heart and internal organs.

But have you ever wondered what this class B drug in particular does to them? Did you know, for instance, that weed lingers in your system longer than most other drugs and can still be detected in your urine, blood and hair for up to 90 days after chonging down?

BRAIN

weed

Smoking weed fucks up the way your brain processes information. It contains about 60 types of cannabinoids, chemical compounds that act on receptors throughout our brain.

These make the neurons go off on one, making you ask questions like "If you were born deaf, what language would you think in?"

But having too much makes you ask questions like "What if finding the meaning of life is the meaning of life?" and leaves you feeling paranoid and sketchy.

HEART

Only minutes after hitting the blunt, your heart rate increases by 20 to 50 beats per minute.

This can continue from 20 minutes to three hours later, which for reference, is either the length of a sitcom, or The Wolf Of Wall Street.

EYES

Credit: Getty

Weed makes blood vessels expand, which then makes your eyes go red and dilates your pupils.

It also affects the parts of your brain that processes what you see, resulting in hilarious hallucinations.

Depending on the strength, this can range from moving wallpaper to a dancing slice of pizza.

STOMACH

Credit: Getty

People who smoke weed - known on the street as cannabis-enthusiasts or weed-lovers - get what's called the "munchies", making them capable of eating an entire crisps aisle in ASDA.

A study that looked into weed's effect on mice discovered that the drug flips a switch in the brain that is usually responsible for controlling your appetite.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

Credit: Getty

Zoot-crazed users who blaze it at least three times a day have smaller grey matter volumes in their orbitofrontal cortex - the part of the brain linked to addiction.

Caucasian users in particular are prone to growing dreadlocks and convincing themselves George Bush did 9/11.

However, keen usage does go hand-in-hand with greater connectivity in the brain.

Perhaps the most notable effect of marijuana is how medical forms improves the appetite of those experiencing sickness through chemotherapy.

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So then, lads. Legalise or demonise?

Words by Josh Teal

Josh Teal

Josh Teal is a journalist at LADbible. He has contributed to the 'Knowing Me, Knowing EU' and 'UOKM8?' campaigns interviewing everyone from student drug dealers to climate change activists.

@tealioni