Other Effects of Marijuana Chronic use of marijuana acts as an escape from stress, allowing the user to block out pain, frustration or confusion. However, as the user repeatedly uses marijuana to escape, he becomes less and less able to cope with everyday challenges. This behavior is known as the amotivational syndrome. Chronic users lose interest in achieving goals and instead become moody, easily fatigued, depressed, and experience difficulty in coping with stressful or complex situations. Similar to the amotivational syndrome, burnout is the effect of prolonged marijuana use.
Heavy users become dull and inattentive and sometimes unaware of their surroundings.
They often do not respond when spoken to and do not realize they have a problem. Symptoms usually disappear within five to eight hours. Gateway Drug Marijuana is considered to be a gateway drug. However, there is no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes the use of more potent substances. When marijuana is combined with other drugs such as alcohol, the effects of each are compounded and become several times more harmful.