Comedian Katt Williams says marijuana smokers feel the following effects: hungry, happy, sleepy. Nowhere in his stand up about "weed" does he say you will start applying for jobs and re-evaluate your life, and scientists say you won't develop motivation on the drug.
Researchers say smoking marijuana inhibits motivation and long-term use destroys dopamine, the chemical released in your brain that triggers happiness.
"[A new study] has shown levels of dopamine in a part of the brain called the striatum - found towards the side of the brain and involved in motivation - were lower in regular cannabis users," the Daily Mail reported.
"Dopamine is involved in telling the brain when something exciting is about to happen - be it sex, drugs or rock 'n roll," Dr, Michael Bloomfield, of Imperial College London, told the Daily Mail. "Our findings explain why cannabis has a tendency to make people sit around doing nothing."
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans on the brains of 38 people in the study. There were 19 regular marijuana smokers and 19 non-users who participated in the research. Scientists found less dopamine in those who smoked more compared to those who did not.
The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, and participants reportedly experienced psychotic-like symptoms like strange sensations or having feelings of paranoia, according to the Daily Mail.
Scientists admitted they were expecting there to be higher levels of dopamine production in the brain, but the study proved otherwise.
"Cannabis is an illegal drug and there is mounting evidence the idea of it being a harmless herb is not true," Bloomfield said. "When people stop taking cannabis it seems the brain can slowly go back to producing pretty normal levels of dopamine...Cannabis has effects on the brain and it's important people can make an informed decision."
To read more about the marijuana study, click here. Below is Katt William's famous stand-up comedy routine.
Warning: the video contains explicit language.
