The Harmful Effects of Marijuana and Alcohol to Health and the Mind - Essay Example

Suppliers of the drugs make huge profits from the sales of these drugs since for example; marijuana producers and suppliers do not pay taxes, as the drug is illegal in most parts of the world. Illicit brewers also do not pay taxes, as the government does not recognize their businesses.  However, what is of concern is that these drugs are harmful to the mind and the health of a person and what is even much worse is that use or consumption of a drug like alcohol is promoted on media and people are encouraged to consume it. Marijuana, on the other hand, has had debates on whether to legalize it while in other states it has already been legalized. This paper is a persuasive essay on the harmful effects of marijuana and alcohol on health and the mind and therefore it should not be used as a business product.

Drug abuse is harmful to one’s body and the mind too. For instance, after a night of heavy drinking, alcohol makes one feel a hangover, feel nauseated and irritated in the stomach, and at times diarrhea. Alcohol leaves one dehydrated and this explains the thumping headache one gets after consuming alcohol (Blum, 2009).  Other effects of alcohol on health include bloating, premature aging and this explains why people who consume alcohol tend to grow older than those who do not take or seldom consume alcohol. Adverse effects of alcohol include alcohol poisoning that leads to death at times, diseases such as liver diseases as well as liver cancer and mouth cancer. Alcohol can also result in damage to the pancreas and diabetes. Excessive consumption of alcohol can result in depression and psychosis and dependence where one cannot operate without taking alcohol first (Hannigan, 2007).

Marijuana releases a chemical known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which makes a person high. When THC interacts with brain cells, it releases dopamine – a good feeling substance in the brain’s reward structure. THC affects the hippocampus a brain part altering the manner in which information is handled and memories are fashioned. Marijuana, therefore, causes memory blockage. The use of cannabis could upsurge depression. Other common effects of cannabis include intense distrust, fear, panic and anxiety. Other effects include visual and audio hallucinations, insomnia and augmented heart rate (Kalant, 2010).