Some THC Side-Effects Less Pleasant Than Others

Dear Dr. Jeff: I like to smoke a little pot now and then. Is that a problem? W.N.

Dear W.N.: An increasing body of research suggests that marijuana is neither the deadly toxin its foes portray, nor the benign herb its advocates promote. What has become clearer is this--heavy, regular use of marijuana may be more harmful and habit-forming than previously suspected.

The principal active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC. Researchers have discovered THC-binding receptors throughout the body and brain, and naturally occurring THC-like endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, which bind to these receptors.

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