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THE EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA
WHAT IS IT?
Marijuana is a powerful mind-changing drug. It comes
from a plant called Cannabis sativa, which grows in
many parts of the world. A marijuana cigarette, or joint,
is made from dried parts of the plant (except for the
main stem and roots).
WHATS IT LIKE TO SMOKE MARIJUANA?
The word "high" is often used to describe the feelings
caused by marijuana. This really means that the
marijuana user feels different, not his or her normal self.
After smoking marijuana, some people become giddy
and laugh about things they would not usually find
funny. Others talk a lot or become very quiet. Thinking
takes longer and time seems to slow down. Marijuana
users may sometimes experience acute panic reactions
to the drug which include paranoia, abnormal fears, and
anxiety.
When people use marijuana for the first time, their
reactions are not always the same it depends on the
strength and the amount of marijuana. Some may have
little reaction; others might get sick to their stomach.
Some feel strange and become scared of the feelings
marijuana causes.
WHAT CAUSES THE HIGH?
The cannabis plant has over 400 different chemicals.
The high is caused by the chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol,
or THC for short. THC is a
psychoactive or mind-changing drug. The more THC in
marijuana, the stronger the high will be and the longer it
will last- and the harmful effects may be increased.
The amount of THC in marijuana is not always the same
because the flowers, leaves, and leaf stems contain
different amounts. Even the weather and the soil can
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WHAT IS HASHISH?
Hashish also comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. It is
a dark green or brown gum-like substance that comes
from the plant's flowers. The strength of hashish, like
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contains. Hashish is sometimes stronger than mari
juana. '
WHAT IS A R IRMOI IT?
' Alter some people have smoked marijuana heavily ior
months or years, their friends notice that they become
dull, slowed, lose energy, and seem a little confused.
yThe users themselves don't recognize that anything is
wrong, but those around them are aware of it, and call
them "burned out".
If such people are able to stop using marijuana and
M other drugs, after a few weeks or months they tend to
' become more alert, active, and clearheaded. However,
even after a year or two a few will still complain of
trouble remembering things. It is hoped by doctors that
eventually they will get back to normal, but this is still
being studied.
DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT LEARNING?
Yes. Marijuana makes learning more difficult. Concen
tration is harder, and thinking slows down. Studies show
that marijuana actually interferes with thinking and
memory. Reading, speaking, and doing arithmetic are
especially more difficult. One of the most consistent
effects of regular marijuana use is a decline in school
performance.
WHAT DOES "DEPENDENCE" MEAN?
Drug dependence is the need for a drug in order to feel
good or normal. Dependence happens when the body
becomes so used to having a certain chemical or drug
that the body feels uncomfortable, and sometimes even
sick, when it is taken away. People may start using a
drug that causes dependence because they like it and
keep on taking it because it is too hard to stop.
Evidence shows that marijuana does cause dependence.
More and more cases are being reported of people who
are having trouble reducing the amount of marijuana
they smoke or stopping it altogether.
WHAT IS TOLERANCE AND DO YOU GET
IT FROM MARIJUANA?
Tolerance means that a person's body gets used to a
drug and needs more of it after a while to get the effect
a smaller amount once gave. A tolerance for marijuana
does definitely develop.
DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE WAY A
PERSON THINKS AND ACTS?
Yes. Memory is affected. While high, users will often
forget something that happened minutes earlier. Also,
the ability to concentrate,learn,and react is slowed down.
Studies on marijuana and driving show that thinking and
timing are delayed. Marijuana smokers don't respond
quickly. This happens even hours after the high is gone.
Drivers who use marijuana have trouble with unex
pected events, such as a child running out from between
parked cars suddenly approaching from a side street.
The marijuana smoker cannot react appropriately. This
is especially true when marijuana and alcohol are
combined. Taking marijuana with other drugs is
extremely dangerous because the combined effects are
greater than the effects on the individual drug taken
alone.
HOW LONG DOES MARIJUANA STAY IN
THE BODY AFTER IT IS SMOKED?
Special tests can find marijuana's ingredients in the body
up to a month after use. The amounts present depend
on the strength and number of marijuana cigarettes
smoked. A full month of not smoking is necessary in
order to completely rid the body of marijuana.
DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT YOUNG
PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY FROM GROWN
UPS?
Yes. Young people are still growing up sexually, . . .
physically, and mentally. Because marijuana interferes
with all of these important areas of development,
scientists are concerned that young people who smoke
marijuana may have problems in growing up to become
physically and emotionally healthy adults. .
BOYS
When marijuana is smoked, the amount of testerone, a
sex hormone in boys and men, is often lowered. Mari
juana also reduces the number of sperm produced in the
body.
GIRLS
Sex hormones in girls and women are also affected after
smoking maiijuana. This can affect the menstrual cycle.
Furthermore, babies born to marijuana smoking
mothers run a higher than normal risk of birth defects.
CAN MARIJUANA CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE?
It is a real possibility. When marijuana is smoked, it's
mind-changing ingredient, THC, reaches and effects the
brain. Scientists are now trying to learn whether these
effects produce long-term physical damage to the brain.
DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE HEART?
Marijuana makes the heart beat up to 50 percent faster
than the normal heartbeat. It can also cause chest pains
and very low blood pressure in people with heart
problems.
Since marijuana affects heart function, coordination, and
timing, it is almost certain to decrease performance in a
wide variety of sports such as basketball, baseball,
football, soccer, etc.
WHAT DOES MARIJUANA DO TO THE
LUNGS?
Inhaling any kind of smoke into the lungs over a long
period of time is harmful. This is particularly true of
marijuana because it is usually inhaled deeply into the
lungs and held there for as long as possible. The
chemicals in marijuana smoke are so similar to those in
cigarette smoke that there is every reason to believe that
most, if not all, harmful effects of cigarette smoking will
occur after chronic marijuana smoking. Scientists
believe that, like tobacco, marijuana will someday be
shown to cause many diseases of the lungs, including
cancer.
WHAT ABOUT CANCER?
Marijuana smoke has more cancer-causing ingredients
than tobacco smoke. When the tars from marijuana
smoke are put on the skin of animals, tumors grow.
Laboratory experiments with human lungs find that
abnormal cells develop. As with tobacco smoking, the
more a person smokes, the greater the chance of
developing serious lung diseases.
ISN'T MARIJUANA SOMETIMES USED AS A
MEDICINE?
Marijuana is not generally used as a medicine. How
ever, its ingredient THC is being tested for use by
patients who experience nausea caused by cancer
treatment drugs and for an eye disease called glaucoma.
In special research studies, THC, and sometimes
specially made marijuana cigarettes, are given to
patients who have these problems. The usefulness of
marijuana hi treating glaucoma has not met earlier '
expectations. More research is needed to determine if
this type of treatment is safe and effective.