What Happens If You Smoke Weed Every Day? Side Effects and Risks

What you will learn

• Daily marijuana use is on the rise, with more people using weed than alcohol daily.
• Using marijuana every day can increase the risks of side effects and long-term health effects, including respiratory problems, addiction, and the potential for psychosis.
• Marijuana addiction can have detrimental effects on your life and health, including impacting your job, home life, and interpersonal relationships.

In 2022, 132 million people in the United States Reported that they had used marijuana at least once in their lifetime.[1] As the drug becomes legal in more states for both medical and recreational use, it’s no surprise that more people are using marijuana.

While marijuana is thought of as harmless, there are dangers to using it – especially every day. As of 2022, the number of Americans who use marijuana every day has surpassed the number who drink alcohol daily. An estimated 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or nearly daily, compared to less than one million in 1992.[2]

Is it bad to smoke weed every day? What are the risks? Learn more about daily marijuana use, the side effects and long-term risks, and what you need to know.

What Is Marijuana?

Marijuana is a drug derived from the leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plants. It goes by street names like weed, pot, herb, grass, Mary Jane, and ganja.

Marijuana is often smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes – joints – or inhaled via pipes or bongs, but it may be smoked in cigar wraps called blunts, brewed into teas, or mixed into food as edibles. Several commercial products have substances derived from marijuana resin, such as hash oil or wax, that provide high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

Short-Term Marijuana Effects

Marijuana’s effects are felt almost instantly when the drug is smoked, leading the chemicals to pass through the lungs into the bloodstream then to the brain. When weed is eaten or brewed, the effects can take up to an hour to begin.

Many people who use weed do so to get a feeling of relaxation and euphoria, but its effects can vary. It’s possible to experience suspicion, panic, anxiety, or strong feelings of fear, which often occur with potent doses.[3]

Other effects of marijuana include:[4]

• Mood changes
• Changes in perception of senses or time
• Impaired cognition and memory
• Impaired body movement
• Increased heart rate

Higher doses can cause psychotic symptoms like delusions and hallucinations, but this is more likely to occur after chronic use of potent marijuana.

Long-Term Effects and Risks of Marijuana

Along with the short-term effects, marijuana can have lasting effects on the body and brain – especially in adolescents with developing brains. Some of these effects include:[5]

• Respiratory difficulties from smoke irritating the respiratory tract, including bronchitis, pneumonia, and other lung conditions.
• Cyclical nausea and vomiting, known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
• Brain development issues in adolescents.
• Memory, attention, and decision-making deficits in developing fetuses when the pregnant mother uses marijuana.
• Psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety in people who are predisposed to these conditions.
• Increased risk of marijuana addiction and addiction to other substances.

Risks of Daily Marijuana Use

Using marijuana every day, particularly smoking, can significantly increase the risks of long-term health effects – just like smoking cigarettes. However, there are two main concerns with daily marijuana use: psychosis and addiction.

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis

Psychosis triggered by marijuana is generally rare, but it’s a serious possible side effect that increases with chronic use. Cannabis-induced psychosis is a set of psychotic symptoms triggered by marijuana use, including:[6]

• Delusions: False beliefs that a person has despite evidence to the contrary.
• Hallucinations: Experiencing sounds, feelings, voices, images, and other sensations that aren’t real.
• Dissociation or depersonalization: Feeling detached from reality or one’s own body.
• Disorganized thoughts: Psychosis can cause a person’s thoughts to be chaotic and disorders, triggering persistent and disturbing thoughts.

Cannabis-induced psychosis can be chronic with symptoms that are lasting or return after periods of absence or acute with symptoms that are sudden and fleeting.

It’s unclear if cannabis-induced psychosis is caused by weed use directly or if using weed can exacerbate mental illnesses with psychotic symptoms, like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. However, there is evidence that marijuana can trigger an episode of psychosis in people who already have chronic psychotic conditions.

In addition, psychotic conditions develop while the brain is still developing – typically during adolescence. Using weed while the brain is developing in someone who’s predisposed to psychotic conditions can increase the risk of developing these conditions.[7]

Signs of Marijuana Addiction

Research indicates that people who use marijuana at high doses or frequently (or both) are more likely to become addicted to it.

Like other drugs, marijuana addiction can negatively impact different areas of your life, including work, school, home, or interpersonal relationships. Marijuana addiction is considered a marijuana use disorder, or cannabis use disorder, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The criteria include:[8]

• Using larger amounts of marijuana or for longer periods than intended
• A persistent desire to cut down or control marijuana use
• Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from marijuana use
• Experiencing cravings for marijuana
• Failing to fulfill obligations at work, home, or school because of marijuana
• Continued marijuana use despite persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems
• Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of marijuana use
• Marijuana use that continues despite persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problems
• Developing a tolerance for marijuana
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping or dramatically cutting back on marijuana use

Treating Marijuana Addiction

If you feel the need to use marijuana every day, you may have a psychological dependence on it. You feel satisfaction and a desire to repeat the use of the drug to gain pleasure from it. While this isn’t a criterion for addiction on its own, it can be part of addiction.

Overcoming marijuana abuse and addiction can be challenging, especially if its use is normalized. But everyday use can have risks for people of all ages, particularly adolescents, and may lead to lasting health effects.

Fortunately, help is available for marijuana abuse and addiction. Marijuana use disorder treatment is similar to other addiction treatments. It may begin with detox to manage marijuana withdrawal, which can have uncomfortable symptoms like mood changes, difficulty sleeping, cravings, and low appetite.

After detox, it’s crucial to complete a comprehensive addiction treatment program. Addressing the physical dependence of using marijuana every day is only part of the process. Counseling, behavioral therapies, and other modalities are designed to address the habits, behaviors, and motivators that cause you to abuse marijuana despite its risks.

Get Help for Marijuana Addiction

The increasing legalization and social acceptance of marijuana use have significantly increased the number of people who smoke weed every day, but there are significant risks to chronic use. In addition to health risks like respiratory conditions and cognitive deficits, regular marijuana use can significantly increase the risk of developing psychosis or a marijuana addiction.

If you or a loved one is struggling with daily marijuana use or marijuana addiction, treatment can help you identify unhelpful patterns and habits and adopt healthier behaviors that support your long-term health and wellness.

Amanda is a prolific medical content writer specializing in eating disorders and addiction treatment. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Purdue University with a B.S. in Social Work. Read more