BASIC FACTS ABOUT DRUGS: MARIJUANA
Posted on: May 21, 2011
What is Marijuana?
Call it pot, grass, weed, or any one of nearly 200 other
names, marijuana is, by far, the world’s most commonly
used illicit drug—and far more dangerous than most users
realize.
Marijuana has been around for a long while. Its source, the hemp plant (cannabis sativa), was
being cultivated for psychoactive properties more than 2,000 years ago. Although cannabis
contains at least 400 different chemicals, its main mind-altering ingredient is THC (delta-9-
tetrahydrocannabinol).The amount of THC in marijuana determines the drug’s strength, and THC
levels are affected by a great many factors, including plant type, weather, soil, and time of
harvest. Sophisticated cannabis cultivation of today produces high levels of THC and marijuana
that is far more potent than pot of the past. THC content of marijuana, which averaged less than 1
percent in 1974, rose to an average 4 percent by 1994.
For the highly popular form of marijuana called Sinsemilla (from the Spanish “without seeds”),
made from just the buds and flowering tops of female plants, THC content averages 7.5 percent
and ranges as high as 24 percent.
How is it Used?
Marijuana and other cannabis products are usually smoked, sometimes in a pipe or water pipe,
but most often in loosely rolled cigarettes known as “joints.” Some users will slice open and
hollow out cigars, replacing the tobacco with marijuana, to make what are called “blunts.” Joints
and blunts may be laced with other substances, including crack cocaine and the potent
hallucinogen phencyclidine (PCP), substantially altering effects of the drug.
Smoking, however, is not the sole route of administration. Marijuana can be brewed into tea or
mixed in baked products (cookies or brownies).
How Does it Affect You?
A mild hallucinogen, marijuana has some of alcohol’s depressant and disinhibiting properties.
User reaction, however, is heavily influenced by expectations and past experience, and many
first-time users feel nothing at all.
Effects of smoking are generally felt within a few minutes and peak in 10 to 30 minutes. They
include dry mouth and throat, increased heart rate, impaired coordination and balance, delayed
reaction time, and diminished short-term memory. Moderate doses tend to induce a sense of
well-being and a dreamy state of relaxation that encourages fantasies, renders some users highly
suggestible, and distorts perception (making it dangerous to operate machinery, drive a car or
boat, or ride a bicycle). Stronger doses prompt more intense and often disturbing reactions
including paranoia and hallucinations.
Most of marijuana’s short-term effects wear off within two or three hours. The drug itself,
however, tends to linger on. THC is a fat-soluble substance and will accumulate in fatty tissues in
the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs. Two days after smoking marijuana, one-quarter of the
THC content may still be retained. It will show up in urine tests three days after use, and traces
may be picked up by sensitive blood tests two to four weeks later.
The Impact on the Mind
Marijuana use reduces learning ability. Research has been piling up of late demonstrating clearly
that marijuana limits the capacity to absorb and retain information. A 1995 study of college
students discovered that the inability of heavy marijuana users to focus, sustain attention, and
organize data persists for as long as 24 hours after their last use of the drug. Earlier research,
comparing cognitive abilities of adult marijuana users with non-using adults, found that users fall
short on memory as well as math and verbal skills
.
Although it has yet to be proven conclusively
that heavy marijuana use can cause irreversible loss of intellectual capacity, animal studies have
shown marijuana-induced structural damage to portions of the brain essential to memory and
learning.
The Impact on the Body
Chronic marijuana smokers are prey to chest colds, bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial
asthma. Persistent use will damage lungs and airways and raise the risk of cancer. There is just
as much exposure to cancer-causing chemicals from smoking one marijuana joint as smoking
five tobacco cigarettes. And there is evidence that marijuana may limit the ability of the immune
system to fight infection and disease.
Marijuana also affects hormones. Regular use can delay the onset of puberty in young men and
reduce sperm production. For women, regular use may disrupt normal monthly menstrual cycles
and inhibit ovulation. When pregnant women use marijuana, they run the risk of having smaller
babies with lower birth weights, who are more likely than other babies to develop health
problems. Some studies have also found indications of developmental delays in children exposed
to marijuana before birth.
Teens and Marijuana
Although dangers exist for marijuana users of all ages, risk is greatest for the young. For them,
the impact of marijuana on learning is critical, and pot often proves pivotal in the failure to master
vital interpersonal coping skills or make appropriate life-style choices. Thus, marijuana can inhibit
maturity.
Another concern is marijuana’s role as a “gateway drug,” which makes subsequent use of more
potent and disabling substances more likely. The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia University found adolescents who smoke pot 85 times more likely to use cocaine than
their non–pot smoking peers. And 60 percent of youngsters who use marijuana before they turn
15 later go on to use cocaine.
But many teens encounter serious trouble well short of the “gateway.” Marijuana is, by itself, a
high-risk substance for adolescents. More than adults, they are likely to be victims of automobile
accidents caused by marijuana’s impact on judgment and perception. Casual sex, prompted by
compromised judgment or marijuana’s disinhibiting effects, leaves them vulnerable not only to
unwanted pregnancy but also to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Marijuana Dangers
•
Impaired perception
•
Diminished short-term memory
•
Loss of concentration and
coordination
•
Impaired judgment
•
Increased risk of accidents
•
Loss of motivation
•
Diminished inhibitions
•
Risk of AIDS and other STDs
•
Increased heart rate
•
Anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia
•
Hallucinations
•
Damage to the respiratory,
reproductive, and immune systems
•
Increased risk of cancer
•
Psychological dependence
Related articles
- Is marijuana reall y bad (wiki.answers.com)
- 60 Year Civil War Continues (cowgirlkitty41.wordpress.com)
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