Weed, otherwise referred to as cannabis or marijuana, is one of the most popular recreational drugs across the world and is even legal in a number of countries and states across America, yet it can have a surprising effect on your body almost immediately after you give up the habit.
Many people turn to weed for the 'relaxing' effect that it gives the user, and it's even used in a number of medical contexts with jaw-dropping results under the right circumstances.
While some claim that has strictly no addictive properties, scientific evidence have indicated that it can be addictive in some scenarios, albeit not everyone who smokes it encounters that.
According to American Addiction Centers, "although not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted to it, it is possible to develop a marijuana addiction or a cannabis use disorder," pointing towards approximately 14.2 billion people over the age of 12 who 'met the diagnostic criteria' in a 2020 study.
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This is especially the case for individuals who start smoking the drug before the age of 18, although 'only' one in ten adults on average will develop a cannabis use disorder.
That doesn't stop side effects and withdrawal symptoms from emerging when you cut the drug out cold turkey though, as guidance suggests that these develop within 24 to 72 hours after you last smoke cannabis.
As shared by LADbible, these can include the following:
- Anxiety or low mood
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
On top of this, one of the more common symptoms that the majority of people suffer from after you stop smoking weed is insomnia, with studies suggesting that around three quarters of individuals experience difficult sleeping.
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You're also likely to encounter physical symptoms at around the three-day mark, with nausea being a common side effect — similar to one recently-classified pattern health experts have noted in people who also smoke too much weed.
Thankfully, advice from the Cleveland Clinic indicates that these symptoms will begin to subside in the second week after you quit, but it very much depends on how much THC – a psychological compound present in weed – remains in your system, with 30 days being when most doctors suggest that all signs of weed smoking will completely exit your system.
While this might not sound like something you'll want to go to, the long-term effects of continuing to smoke cannabis significantly outweigh the short-term complications that you might have to deal with after quitting.
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One heart surgeon has revealed the horrifying damage that it can do to your body if you continue to smoke it – especially into your later years – so avoiding that will help you remain on top of your health as you age.