Comparison And Contrast Essay
Comparisons and Contrast between Alcohol and Marijuana
The Effects on the Brain
Michael Smith, Jr.
Morehouse College, Department of Psychology
Author Note:
This paper was prepared for Psychology 102G, section 01, taught by Professor Chris Markham. Cannabis is a plant that can be grown all over the world. Many people use the common term marijuana instead of Cannabis. Moreover, in today’s society, marijuana can be defined as a political movement, legal issue, agriculture crop, medical drug, or as a recreational intoxication. In more simple terms, marijuana is a bunch of leaves. Many would think that a bunch of leaves could not be harmful. However, marijuana contains a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol …show more content…
commonly known as THC. (Goldberg, n.d.) This ingredient is the main psychoactive (i.e. mind altering) product. Alcohol, however, is not a bunch of leaves. Alcohol has been used for centuries in social, medical, cultural and religious settings. In America, most individuals believe that adults consume alcohol responsibly compared to adolescents. Alcohol is classified as a depressant. It is classified as a depressant because it causes sedation and drowsiness. Alcohol that is in alcoholic beverages is called ethanol. (Parsons, 1996) Ethanol is molecule that has a 2-carbon backbone with 5-attached hydrogen. (Parsons, 1996) Along with the carbons and hydrogen there is also a hydroxyl group at one end. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is not frequently used among teens. Statistics indicate that 6.5% of 8th graders, 17% of 10th graders, and 22.9% of 12 graders had used marijuana in a one-month period. (US Government Statistics, 2013) However, according to US government statistics on adult marijuana users, 51.3% of 18-25 year old use marijuana. 49.8% of people in the age of 26-34 use marijuana. However, according to US statistics, 78% of people of teens had drank alcohol before and two out of three adults drink alcohol. (Chudler, 1996) This paper will compare and contrast alcohol and marijuana and the ways it affects the brain. It will focus on the short and long terms effects on the brain showing the areas of which the brain is affected, conditions it causes, and abilities and disabilities caused by the drug. When drinking alcohol, it alters levels of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are messengers that transmit the signals/ messages throughout the body that control thought process, behavior, and emotions.
Although there are many types of neurotransmitters, two classes of which are called excitatory and inhibitory. Excitatory neurotransmitters have effects that increase the likelihood of a neuron firing at action potential; however, inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease the likelihood of a neuron firing at action potential. One major inhibitory neurotransmitter is Gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA. Alcohol inhibits neurotransmitter GABA that is responsible for movement and speech. (Jacobson, 1986) When alcohol inhibits this neurotransmitter, it results in sluggish movement and slurred speech. However, alcohol inhibits the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. (Parson, 1996) It increases the chemical dopamine, which results in the feeling of pleasure when taking drinks. (Parson, 1996) Many parts of the brain are affected when consuming alcohol. As an individual’s blood alcohol content, BAC, increases, more parts of the brain are affected. (Parson, 1996) BAC alludes to the amount of alcohol contained in a person’s blood. Normally, BAC is measured as a weight per unit that is converted to a percentage such as 10% or .08%. For example, 10% represents that one-tenth of a
percent of a person’s blood is alcohol. (Highway Safety Research Center, n.d.) For example, at a lower level BAC, only the cerebral cortex is affected. When this area is affected, the alcohol depresses the behavior and slows down the process of processing information. As your BAC is increased, other parts of brain are affected such as: corpus callosum, cerebellum, hypothalamus, and brain stem. (Parson, 1996) The cerebellum is responsible for movement and balance. When this area is affected it results in staggering and off balance. Most American’s called this either “fallen down drunk” or “sloppy drunk”. Another part of the brain is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for the 4-F’s: Flight, Fight, Sex, and Feeding. While drinking this part of brain releases sex hormones that increases the urges for having sex. (Jacobson, 1986) Although you may have high urges of having sex it is very difficult because the part of the brain that control movement and balance, cerebellum, has been altered causing difficulties to properly having sex. After consuming a very high amount of liquor, the medulla is altered which controls automatic functions such as breathing, consciousness, and body temperature. (Parson, 1996) Alcohol induces sleepiness, slows breathing, and lowers body temperatures. Affecting this part of the brain leads to the short terms effects of drinking alcohol which are black outs and memory short-term loss. Short terms effects are all dependent upon how much and how long alcohol is consumed. Some of the other short term effects are: slurped speech, diarrhea, drowsiness, vomiting, breathing difficulties, impaired judgment, unconsciousness, coma, black out (memory lapses), anemia, headaches, and upset stomachs. (Parson, 1996) Long-term effects are dependent on many things such as: how much, how often a person drinks, age first began drinking, how long, and general health status. Some of the long-term effects are liver damage, nerve damage, sexual problems, permanent damage to brain, and Vitamin B-1 deficiency. (Jacobson, 1986) Having permanent damage to brain could lead to plethora of problems within it self. The person could encounter problems with drowsiness on a daily basis and loss of productivity, which will affect their work ethics and job duties. Most long-term effects come from binge drinking which are typically for adults five or more drinks in less than two hours for men and four or more drinks in less than two hours for women. As an individual’s BAC increases, it affects many different parts of the brain; however, with marijuana there is a different system within you brain that is affected by smoking marijuana. Within your brain there is an important communication system called the endocannabinoid system. This system is found throughout many parts of the brain that controls how neurons communicate by the cannabinoid receptors. (Wilson & Nicoll, 2002) Cannabinoid receptors act like a “dimmer switch.” It is able to slow down the communication between cells. However, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC) is the main ingredient in marijuana that interferes with normal functioning of the endocannabinoid system. (The Science of Marijuana, 2011) THC enters the brain rapidly and attaches to cannabinoid receptors. Normally, the endocannabinoid system is complexly tuned to react to incoming information; however, when THC enters the brain it overwhelms the system interfering with its functions. Depending on where the cannabinoid receptors are it affects many parts of the brain. The amygdala, which is responsible for emotions, fear, and anxiety, is one area of the brain the THC affects which results in the smoker panicking and paranoia activity. Another part of the brain that is affected by THC is the basal ganglia that is responsible for starting movements. (Iversen, 2003) Because this area of the brain if altered individuals have slow reaction times. For example, if you were to ask a person who is smoking marijuana a question their reaction time would be slower than usual. It would take longer for them to comprehend the question because the neocortex brain area has been altered which is responsible for complex thinking. Other parts of the brain that are affected are: brain stem, cerebellum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, and spinal chord. (Iversen, 2003) THC affecting these parts of the brain results in impaired coordination, impaired memory, increased appetite, and antinausea effects. Specifically, the nucleus accumbent is responsible for motivation and reward, which is why individuals have euphoria feelings as they are smoking. Short terms effects are based on the amount of doses. When a lose dose of marijuana has been consumed the following short term effects are prevalent: relaxation, reduced coordination, reduced blood pressure, sleepiness, and disruption in attention. When consuming high doses of marijuana individuals are prone to experience hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory, disorientation, and depression. However, the long-term effects of smoking marijuana are cancer, breathing problems, and immune deficiency. Both alcohol and marijuana affect the same parts of the brain such as the hypothalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum. However, marijuana affects more parts of the brain including the amygdala, basal ganglia, hippocampus, neocortex, nucleus accumbent, and spinal chord. Effects on the brain from both marijuana and alcohol are based on how long and how much is consumed. For example, at a low dosage marijuana has the short-term effects of relaxation, reduced coordination and blood pleasure, and sleepiness; although, at high dosages the effects are hallucinations, delusions, and impaired memory. Alcohol, on the other hand, has the short-term effects of slurred speech and vomiting. Long-term effects of alcohol with high amount of consumption are blackouts, comas, liver and nerve damage. Based on research, although marijuana affects more parts of the brain than alcohol, marijuana has more short terms effects that are less harmful. Alcohol has severe long-term effects that interfere with personal health. April the 20th is a day during the year that many people smoke marijuana. Subsequently, I found myself doing research in the cafeteria on this day about marijuana and how THC affects the brain. As I sat and continued to write, a young man sat at the same table as I. The smell coming from his clothing allowed me to recognize that he had been smoking marijuana. Therefore, I began to watch him carefully; true enough, he displayed most of the short-term characteristics such as relaxation, appetite, reduced coordination, and sleepiness. But based on the research that I had done, I was not upset that he had been smoking because alcohol is tremendously way more dangerous than smoking.
Work Cited
(). Alcohol Alert . National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , 63.
Chudler, E. (1996, January 1). Neuroscience For Kids. - marijuana. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/mari.html
Goldberg, J. (). Marijuana Use and Its Effects. Substance Abuse and Addiction Health Center, .
Iversen, L. (2003) Cannabis and the Brain. A Journal of Neurology , 126, 1252-1270.
Jacobson, R. The contributions of sex and drinking history to the CT brain scan changes in alcoholics. Psychological Medicine 16:547–559, 1986.
Parsons, O.A. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism. In: Nixon, S.J., ed. Neuropsychology for Clinical Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Press, 1996. pp. 175–201.
(). Peripheral Signals Conveying Metabolic Information to the Brain: Short-Term and Long- Term Regulation of Food Intake and Energy Homeostasis. Sage Journals , 226, 963-977.
. (2014, January 1). Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/stopteendui/teens/resources/substances/alcohol/short-and- long-term-effects.cfm
The Science of Marijuana: How THC Affects the Brain. (2011). Heads Up for Students. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://headsup.scholastic.com/articles/the-science-of- marijuana
Wilson, R., & Nicoll, R. Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Brain. Science Magazine , 296, 678-682 .
The Effects on the Brain
Michael Smith, Jr.
Morehouse College, Department of Psychology
Author Note:
This paper was prepared for Psychology 102G, section 01, taught by Professor Chris Markham. Cannabis is a plant that can be grown all over the world. Many people use the common term marijuana instead of Cannabis. Moreover, in today’s society, marijuana can be defined as a political movement, legal issue, agriculture crop, medical drug, or as a recreational intoxication. In more simple terms, marijuana is a bunch of leaves. Many would think that a bunch of leaves could not be harmful. However, marijuana contains a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol …show more content…
commonly known as THC. (Goldberg, n.d.) This ingredient is the main psychoactive (i.e. mind altering) product. Alcohol, however, is not a bunch of leaves. Alcohol has been used for centuries in social, medical, cultural and religious settings. In America, most individuals believe that adults consume alcohol responsibly compared to adolescents. Alcohol is classified as a depressant. It is classified as a depressant because it causes sedation and drowsiness. Alcohol that is in alcoholic beverages is called ethanol. (Parsons, 1996) Ethanol is molecule that has a 2-carbon backbone with 5-attached hydrogen. (Parsons, 1996) Along with the carbons and hydrogen there is also a hydroxyl group at one end. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is not frequently used among teens. Statistics indicate that 6.5% of 8th graders, 17% of 10th graders, and 22.9% of 12 graders had used marijuana in a one-month period. (US Government Statistics, 2013) However, according to US government statistics on adult marijuana users, 51.3% of 18-25 year old use marijuana. 49.8% of people in the age of 26-34 use marijuana. However, according to US statistics, 78% of people of teens had drank alcohol before and two out of three adults drink alcohol. (Chudler, 1996) This paper will compare and contrast alcohol and marijuana and the ways it affects the brain. It will focus on the short and long terms effects on the brain showing the areas of which the brain is affected, conditions it causes, and abilities and disabilities caused by the drug. When drinking alcohol, it alters levels of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are messengers that transmit the signals/ messages throughout the body that control thought process, behavior, and emotions.
Although there are many types of neurotransmitters, two classes of which are called excitatory and inhibitory. Excitatory neurotransmitters have effects that increase the likelihood of a neuron firing at action potential; however, inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease the likelihood of a neuron firing at action potential. One major inhibitory neurotransmitter is Gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA. Alcohol inhibits neurotransmitter GABA that is responsible for movement and speech. (Jacobson, 1986) When alcohol inhibits this neurotransmitter, it results in sluggish movement and slurred speech. However, alcohol inhibits the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. (Parson, 1996) It increases the chemical dopamine, which results in the feeling of pleasure when taking drinks. (Parson, 1996) Many parts of the brain are affected when consuming alcohol. As an individual’s blood alcohol content, BAC, increases, more parts of the brain are affected. (Parson, 1996) BAC alludes to the amount of alcohol contained in a person’s blood. Normally, BAC is measured as a weight per unit that is converted to a percentage such as 10% or .08%. For example, 10% represents that one-tenth of a
percent of a person’s blood is alcohol. (Highway Safety Research Center, n.d.) For example, at a lower level BAC, only the cerebral cortex is affected. When this area is affected, the alcohol depresses the behavior and slows down the process of processing information. As your BAC is increased, other parts of brain are affected such as: corpus callosum, cerebellum, hypothalamus, and brain stem. (Parson, 1996) The cerebellum is responsible for movement and balance. When this area is affected it results in staggering and off balance. Most American’s called this either “fallen down drunk” or “sloppy drunk”. Another part of the brain is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for the 4-F’s: Flight, Fight, Sex, and Feeding. While drinking this part of brain releases sex hormones that increases the urges for having sex. (Jacobson, 1986) Although you may have high urges of having sex it is very difficult because the part of the brain that control movement and balance, cerebellum, has been altered causing difficulties to properly having sex. After consuming a very high amount of liquor, the medulla is altered which controls automatic functions such as breathing, consciousness, and body temperature. (Parson, 1996) Alcohol induces sleepiness, slows breathing, and lowers body temperatures. Affecting this part of the brain leads to the short terms effects of drinking alcohol which are black outs and memory short-term loss. Short terms effects are all dependent upon how much and how long alcohol is consumed. Some of the other short term effects are: slurped speech, diarrhea, drowsiness, vomiting, breathing difficulties, impaired judgment, unconsciousness, coma, black out (memory lapses), anemia, headaches, and upset stomachs. (Parson, 1996) Long-term effects are dependent on many things such as: how much, how often a person drinks, age first began drinking, how long, and general health status. Some of the long-term effects are liver damage, nerve damage, sexual problems, permanent damage to brain, and Vitamin B-1 deficiency. (Jacobson, 1986) Having permanent damage to brain could lead to plethora of problems within it self. The person could encounter problems with drowsiness on a daily basis and loss of productivity, which will affect their work ethics and job duties. Most long-term effects come from binge drinking which are typically for adults five or more drinks in less than two hours for men and four or more drinks in less than two hours for women. As an individual’s BAC increases, it affects many different parts of the brain; however, with marijuana there is a different system within you brain that is affected by smoking marijuana. Within your brain there is an important communication system called the endocannabinoid system. This system is found throughout many parts of the brain that controls how neurons communicate by the cannabinoid receptors. (Wilson & Nicoll, 2002) Cannabinoid receptors act like a “dimmer switch.” It is able to slow down the communication between cells. However, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC) is the main ingredient in marijuana that interferes with normal functioning of the endocannabinoid system. (The Science of Marijuana, 2011) THC enters the brain rapidly and attaches to cannabinoid receptors. Normally, the endocannabinoid system is complexly tuned to react to incoming information; however, when THC enters the brain it overwhelms the system interfering with its functions. Depending on where the cannabinoid receptors are it affects many parts of the brain. The amygdala, which is responsible for emotions, fear, and anxiety, is one area of the brain the THC affects which results in the smoker panicking and paranoia activity. Another part of the brain that is affected by THC is the basal ganglia that is responsible for starting movements. (Iversen, 2003) Because this area of the brain if altered individuals have slow reaction times. For example, if you were to ask a person who is smoking marijuana a question their reaction time would be slower than usual. It would take longer for them to comprehend the question because the neocortex brain area has been altered which is responsible for complex thinking. Other parts of the brain that are affected are: brain stem, cerebellum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, and spinal chord. (Iversen, 2003) THC affecting these parts of the brain results in impaired coordination, impaired memory, increased appetite, and antinausea effects. Specifically, the nucleus accumbent is responsible for motivation and reward, which is why individuals have euphoria feelings as they are smoking. Short terms effects are based on the amount of doses. When a lose dose of marijuana has been consumed the following short term effects are prevalent: relaxation, reduced coordination, reduced blood pressure, sleepiness, and disruption in attention. When consuming high doses of marijuana individuals are prone to experience hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory, disorientation, and depression. However, the long-term effects of smoking marijuana are cancer, breathing problems, and immune deficiency. Both alcohol and marijuana affect the same parts of the brain such as the hypothalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum. However, marijuana affects more parts of the brain including the amygdala, basal ganglia, hippocampus, neocortex, nucleus accumbent, and spinal chord. Effects on the brain from both marijuana and alcohol are based on how long and how much is consumed. For example, at a low dosage marijuana has the short-term effects of relaxation, reduced coordination and blood pleasure, and sleepiness; although, at high dosages the effects are hallucinations, delusions, and impaired memory. Alcohol, on the other hand, has the short-term effects of slurred speech and vomiting. Long-term effects of alcohol with high amount of consumption are blackouts, comas, liver and nerve damage. Based on research, although marijuana affects more parts of the brain than alcohol, marijuana has more short terms effects that are less harmful. Alcohol has severe long-term effects that interfere with personal health. April the 20th is a day during the year that many people smoke marijuana. Subsequently, I found myself doing research in the cafeteria on this day about marijuana and how THC affects the brain. As I sat and continued to write, a young man sat at the same table as I. The smell coming from his clothing allowed me to recognize that he had been smoking marijuana. Therefore, I began to watch him carefully; true enough, he displayed most of the short-term characteristics such as relaxation, appetite, reduced coordination, and sleepiness. But based on the research that I had done, I was not upset that he had been smoking because alcohol is tremendously way more dangerous than smoking.
Work Cited
(). Alcohol Alert . National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , 63.
Chudler, E. (1996, January 1). Neuroscience For Kids. - marijuana. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/mari.html
Goldberg, J. (). Marijuana Use and Its Effects. Substance Abuse and Addiction Health Center, .
Iversen, L. (2003) Cannabis and the Brain. A Journal of Neurology , 126, 1252-1270.
Jacobson, R. The contributions of sex and drinking history to the CT brain scan changes in alcoholics. Psychological Medicine 16:547–559, 1986.
Parsons, O.A. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism. In: Nixon, S.J., ed. Neuropsychology for Clinical Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Press, 1996. pp. 175–201.
(). Peripheral Signals Conveying Metabolic Information to the Brain: Short-Term and Long- Term Regulation of Food Intake and Energy Homeostasis. Sage Journals , 226, 963-977.
. (2014, January 1). Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/stopteendui/teens/resources/substances/alcohol/short-and- long-term-effects.cfm
The Science of Marijuana: How THC Affects the Brain. (2011). Heads Up for Students. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://headsup.scholastic.com/articles/the-science-of- marijuana
Wilson, R., & Nicoll, R. Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Brain. Science Magazine , 296, 678-682 .