Ghostwriting

Mary Ann watched as Isaak worked, the late afternoon sun glistening off his brow. He shook his hair, sending droplets of sweat scattering into the air, and her heart did something unfamiliar—a soft, secret flutter. She quickly lowered her gaze, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“Are you coming to my house for church today, Isaak?” she asked, kicking at the dirt beneath her shoes.

“Of course. I’ll be there with bells and whistles,” he said with a grin, whistling for emphasis.

Mary Ann smiled. “Mom is making shoofly pie.”

“Can’t wait.” He winked at her, and she felt warmth creep up her neck.

Later that evening, as the sermon filled the air with weighty words, Isaak found himself unable to look away from Mary Ann. She sat perfectly still, hands folded in her lap, her posture straight as if bracing against an unseen wind. But he could sense something beneath her calm exterior—something restless.

When the sermon ended, Isaak moved to shake Mr. Wagner’s hand, feeling the firm grip of the older man.

“I hope you were listening, Isaak.”

“I was, sir.”

“I know your Rumspringa is coming soon. I hope you choose to forgo it.”

Isaak hesitated for only a moment. “Yes, I most likely will.”

But later, as Mary Ann pulled him aside, her voice was quiet yet filled with something electric. “I think I want to go.”

Isaak’s green eyes widened. “You want to?”

She nodded, wringing her hands. “There’s something I need to figure out. Something I need to do.”

He studied her for a long moment before speaking. “What is it, Mary Ann?”

She swallowed hard. “I want to be a minister.”

The words hung between them, sharp and unshakable.

I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, my body still buzzing from Darren’s touch. His hands, his lips—they’ve left invisible trails of heat across my skin. I tug my sleep mask down, willing myself to relax, but my mind refuses. It replays every sensation, every lingering touch.

Frustrated, I shift under the covers, my fingers betraying me as they trace the path I wish his hands were taking. A sharp gasp escapes me, but I know this won’t be enough. Giving up, I grab my phone and search: What helps a pregnant woman with insomnia? The answers are predictable—white noise, body pillows… and sex. My stomach tightens. Darren had given me all those things. Had I misread his intentions?

I toss the blanket aside and head for the door, hesitating. Should I shave first? A ridiculous thought, but one that has me sneaking into the bathroom for a quick, awkward session. Minutes later, freshly showered and smelling like coconut oil, I find myself outside Darren’s room.

Before I can second-guess myself, his door swings open. He stands there, shirtless, his golden-brown skin catching the soft light. My breath hitches.

“Alex?” His voice is laced with confusion. “Are you okay?”

I exhale sharply. “You get one chance,” I say, stepping inside. “Fuck me so good I fall asleep, and you might get more chances.”

A slow smirk spreads across his face as he shuts the door. “Oh, I’ll get another chance.”

Scarlet! I’m glad I caught you. I was hoping to find you here. I have some information for you.”

Iris’s hands grasp my arms, her voice urgent. I glance left, then right—no nosy neighbors in sight—and whisper, “What is it?”

She leans in, the scent of flowers clinging to her like a secret. “You were right about Archibald Wimbley. He was... popular.”

I exhale, brushing a strand of hair off my face. “So, he had a lot of arrangements sent to him?”

“One large one,” she says, lowering her voice. “Anonymous.”

That makes my pulse quicken. A large, secret gesture? Suspicious at best.

Just as I start piecing it together, I crash right into Sheriff Benson.

“Scarlet,” he says sharply, narrowing his eyes. “That was a dirty move, getting Hunter to publish that article.”

I sip my coffee slowly, defiantly. “So… it was connected to Wimbley’s death, then?”

His silence says more than words.

How Does Marijuana And THC Affect The Brain?

From Ancient Rituals to Modern Dispensaries: The Journey of Marijuana
From ancient rituals to modern dispensaries, marijuana has traveled a long road—from 'The Devil’s Lettuce' to a green beacon of hope for many. But what happens when it takes a detour through your brain?

With it now legalized in 24 states and decriminalized in 7, its widespread use makes it more important than ever to explore what marijuana and THC do to the brain.

You may have experienced marijuana’s effects firsthand or seen them portrayed in pop culture, but have you ever wondered what being "high" actually means? Understanding marijuana begins with understanding its key psychoactive ingredient—THC—and how it interacts with our brains to create these well-known effects.

This article dives into the complexities of marijuana, breaking down its short- and long-term effects, distinguishing its benefits from its risks, and offering practical tips for responsible use. Whether you're a cannabis advocate, skeptic, or curious bystander, this exploration will shed light on what’s happening under the surface when marijuana meets the mind.

Marijuana or THC – What’s In A Name?
Whether smoked, eaten, or steeped in tea, when people are under the influence, they call it being “high” because marijuana is thought to elevate your mood, though it’s actually a combination depressant, stimulant, and hallucinogen.

And though the two terms are often used interchangeably, they are different things. Mainly, their relationship is similar to that of a square and a rectangle.

THC, or Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (AKA delta 9), refers to the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, the plant that marijuana comes from. Marijuana is, simply put, dried cannabis. So essentially, THC is an ingredient in marijuana, one of 540 but the one that really carries the bulk of the work. Think of THC as the headliner in a 540-member band called cannabis—while the whole group plays a role, THC steals the show every time.

Now that we’ve distinguished between marijuana and THC, let’s look at how THC interacts with the brain and why it’s classified as a psychoactive drug.

This Is Your Brain On Drugs
Psychoactive drugs are substances that affect how the brain works. They trigger changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behavior. You may remember getting a talk from a police officer in grade school about how even caffeine is a drug (and some of us might have gone home and cried that our parents took drugs every morning – I’m looking at you, coffee) and it’s true. A substance doesn’t have to be illegal to be considered a psychoactive drug.

There are four types of psychoactive drugs: depressants, stimulants, opiates, and hallucinogens. Depressants calm the brain, while stimulants energize. Opiates not only kill pain but can also tranquilize and cause the user to feel euphoric. Hallucinogens affect time perception and also perception of the world around a person, which is where that derealization feeling comes into play with marijuana. They can also cause a person to hallucinate. Remember, marijuana is considered three of these four!

Drugs do this by increasing dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical naturally produced in the body that interacts with parts of the brain responsible for pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Dopamine is also responsible for controlling memory, mood, sleep, learning, movement, and motor functions.

Over time, with enough use of psychoactive drugs, the brain responds by producing less dopamine and limiting the amount of receptors that even receive dopamine. This is that “tolerance” that people talk about in reference to marijuana.

As people increase their use, they feel less and less reward for doing so. However, they also feel less reward in their everyday life and want to ingest more THC in order to receive the surge of dopamine from the initial use. It’s like how the more you scroll on your phone, the less you laugh at the videos until eventually you realize you haven’t moved in four hours, but you also haven’t enjoyed anything you’ve seen.

Marijuana’s Impact on the Brain: Adults vs. Adolescents
The Adult Brain
In the short term, for both adolescents and adults, THC impacts attention span, memory, coordination, and perception of time. While THC interacts with several parts of the brain, most of these symptoms are due to its interaction with the hippocampus, the amygdala, , and the cerebellum, which are parts of the brain which control motor functions, feelings, and memory. Its interaction with the hypothalamus is why you need a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of large pizza after a smoke sesh.

Marijuana has no significant long-term effect on the adult brain, aside from some evidence of denser gray matter and damage to white matter in the brains of cannabis users. This evidence hasn’t been substantiated enough to be taken as fact, but what it would suggest is that cannabis users process information at a higher level compared to non-users while the brains of cannabis users relay less information to their nervous systems than the brains of non-users.

The Adolescent Brain
However, for adolescents, long-term consumption of cannabis can have devastating effects on learning, memory, attention span, processing, motor functions, and even language. Sometimes, Mom really does know best.

A Look Back: Marijuana’s Place in History
While marijuana has been that girl since about the sixties for us plebs, the cannabis plant has been used as far back as 2800 BC by Emperor Shen Nung, often thought of as the father of Chinese medicine. Unsurprisingly, he used it medicinally. Imagine going into a pharmacy and ordering a vial of cannabis. It’d be a lot like dispensaries now, except without the blacklight posters and bumper stickers of Bigfoot.

China isn’t the only place that cannabis was revered as a healing plant. Texts of Indian Hindus, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans mention cannabis, too, and they used it to treat things ranging from arthritis to asthma. Hopefully, they weren’t smoking it to cure asthma, as marijuana smoke has many of the same toxins and carcinogens that tobacco smoke does.

From ancient remedies to modern research, cannabis has long been a source of debate. But what are the real benefits and risks of its use today?

The Good, The Bad, and The Blunt Truth
For most people, marijuana makes them happy, hungry, and forgetful. But for some people the effects range from different from the norm to extreme.

The Benefits: Anxiety Relief, Chronic Pain, and Neurological Disorders
For people with anxiety, THC can be a lifesaver in small doses, reducing those anxious feelings. No more sweaty palms before a phone call to your doctor.

It can also seem like a miracle drug for people with pain from nerve damage and other chronic pain because THC binds to nerve cell receptors, or cannabinoid receptors, in the nervous system, helping to block pain signals.

Beyond pain relief, cannabinoid receptors may offer hope for people with neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. This is partly thanks to another key compound in cannabis: cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike THC, which can impair motor function, CBD has been shown to improve it. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties help reduce nerve damage in areas of the brain that control movement, as seen in studies on animals with Parkinson’s.

Cannabis has also been linked to reducing symptoms in tic disorders like Tourette’s syndrome. It works by preventing the breakdown of endocannabinoids—naturally occurring neurotransmitters that help the body send signals between nerve cells. Think of endocannabinoids as a carrier pigeon delivering critical messages throughout the body. Without enough pigeons (or functioning receptors to receive them), these messages are lost, leading to dysfunction.

In people with tic disorders, the body has fewer CB1 and CB2 receptors (the proteins that interact with cannabinoids), causing a breakdown in endocannabinoid signaling. Cannabis may help restore balance by preventing this breakdown.

The Risks: Paranoia, Psychosis, and Hyperemesis Syndrome

But don’t call off D.A.R.E. yet. While THC can reduce anxiety for some, too much of it can backfire, increasing anxiety and even triggering panic attacks or paranoia.

For individuals predisposed to psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, THC poses an even greater risk. Research suggests that THC may worsen symptoms like hallucinations and disordered thinking or even increase the likelihood of developing psychosis in those with genetic vulnerabilities.

This may be because people predisposed to psychosis tend to have more CB1 and CB2 receptors in their brains, making them more sensitive to THC.

Simply put, two people could smoke the same amount of marijuana, but the one predisposed to psychosis would feel the effects much more intensely.

There’s also the risk of developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a condition caused by heavy, long-term cannabis use. CHS is characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Kind of like how lactose intolerance develops. And kind of like how lactose intolerance feels. Man, they weren’t kidding about too much of a good thing.

While marijuana offers both benefits and risks, misconceptions about its safety and effects persist. Let’s address some of the most common myths.

Myths and Misconceptions
One of the most pervasive myths about marijuana is that it’s entirely safe because it’s “natural.” While it’s true that cannabis is a plant, its effects can be far from benign. Like any substance, it comes with potential benefits and risks that depend on how it’s used and who is using it.

Another common misconception is that marijuana isn’t addictive. Any substance that alters the brain has the opportunity to become habit-forming, and people suffering from mental health disorders may find themselves dependent on it.

Finally, one of the myths of marijuana is that it has no lasting effects. As discussed, this largely depends on factors like age and frequency of use. For adolescents, in particular, the risks can be substantial.

With myths debunked, it’s important to focus on practical ways to use marijuana safely and responsibly.

Tips for Responsible Use
These kinds of extremes don’t apply to everyone, though, and for most adults, marijuana can be a low-risk stress reliever. If you choose to use marijuana, here are some tips to minimize risks:

1. Start Low, Go Slow: Begin with low doses, especially if you’re new to marijuana or using high-THC products.

2. Avoid Mixing Substances: Combining marijuana with alcohol or other drugs can amplify negative effects.

3. Know Your Limits: Pay attention to how marijuana affects you and adjust your usage accordingly.

4. Be Mindful of Timing: Avoid using marijuana when you need to focus, drive, or make important decisions.

5. Invest in lab tested products to avoid contaminants: While there is little to no evidence of contamination of marijuana, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

6. Consider edibles for a smoke-free experience: Edibles have no effect on the lungs and can be controlled more easily. Just make sure to read the THC level on the packaging.

7. Consult a Doctor: If you’re using marijuana for medical reasons, seek advice from a healthcare professional, especially if you have a history of mental health disorders.

As marijuana becomes more accessible, balancing its risks and benefits will require both personal mindfulness and broader societal awareness.

Marijuana and THC: A Complex Plant for a Complex World
Marijuana and THC are as fascinating as they are controversial, with effects that range from therapeutic to harmful depending on the user and context. While adults may experience minimal long-term effects with moderate use, adolescents and those predisposed to mental health conditions face greater risks.

The diversity of marijuana’s impact underscores its complexity—it can provide relief for chronic pain, anxiety, and even neurological disorders, but misuse or excessive use can lead to paranoia, dependency, and severe health consequences.

As cannabis legalization expands, conversations around equity, regulation, and safe usage grow more pressing. In an era where cannabis is both celebrated and scrutinized, understanding its effects isn’t just for users—it’s for everyone.

Marijuana may alter the brain, but knowledge transforms the conversation. Use wisely, and stay informed in this evolving green revolution.