Marijuana

Q: What is marijuana? Aren't there different kinds? A: Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic. There are more than 200 slang terms for marijuana. Sinsemilla (sin-seh-me-yah; it's a Spanish word), hashish ("hash" for short), and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. This means they change how the brain works. They all contain THC(delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. But there are also 400 other chemicals in the marijuana plant.

Q: How is marijuana used? A: Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts which are larger and, therefore, more dangerous.

Q: How many teens smoke marijuana? A: Contrary to popular belief most teenagers have not used marijuana and never will. Among students surveyed in a early national survey, about one in six 10th graders report they are current marijuana users (that is, used marijuana within the past month). Fewer than one in five high school seniors are current marijuana users.

Q: What happens if you smoke marijuana? A: The effects of the drug on each person depend on the user's experience, as well as: How strong the marijuana is (how much THC it has); what the user expects to happen; the place where the drug is used; how it is taken; and whether the user is drinking alcohol or using other drugs. Some people feel nothing at all when they smoke marijuana. Others may feel relaxed or high. Sometimes marijuana makes users feel thirsty and very hungry--an effect called "the munchies." Some users can get bad effects from marijuana. They may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. This is more likely to happen when a more potent variety of marijuana is used.

Q: What are the long-term effects of marijuana use? A: Findings so far show that regular use of marijuana or THC may play a role in some kinds of cancer and in problems with the respiratory, immune, and reproductive systems. Cancer It's hard to know for sure whether regular marijuana use causes cancer. But it is known that marijuana smoke contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day. Lungs and airways People who smoke marijuana often tend to develop the same kinds of breathing problems that cigarette smokers have. They suffer frequent coughing, phlegm production, and wheezing, and they tend to have more chest colds than non-users. Immune system Animal studies have found that THC can damage the cells and tissues that help protect people from disease. Reproductive system Heavy use of marijuana can affect both male and female hormones. Young men could have delayed puberty because of THC effects. Young women may find the drug disturbs their monthly cycle (ovulation and menstrual periods).

Q: Can people become addicted to marijuana? A: Yes. While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to feel that he or she needs to take the drug to feel well, that person is said to be dependent or addicted to the drug. About 100,000 people seek treatment for marijuana use each year, showing they need help to stop using. Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana develop a tolerance for it. "Tolerance" means that the user needs larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she used to get from smaller amounts.

Marijuana The lifetime use of marijuana among 12th-graders increased from 32.6 percent in 1992 to 44.9 percent in 1996; however these rates are still below the high levels of the peak years of 1978 and 1979. There were no statistically significant increases in annual, current, or daily use of marijuana among seniors from 1995 to 1996. Among 8th-graders, increases in lifetime, annual, and current use of marijuana first reported in 1992 continued through 1996. Between 1992 and 1996, lifetime use increased from 11.2 percent to 23.1 percent; annual use increased from 7.2 percent to 18.3 percent; and current use increased from 3.7 percent to 11.3 percent. Among 10th-graders, lifetime use of marijuana increased from 21.4 percent in 1992 to 39.8 percent in 1996. Annual use increased from 15.2 percent in 1992 to 33.6 percent in 1996, and current use increased from 8.1 percent in 1992 to 20.4 percent in 1996. In 1996, 44.9 percent of seniors had used marijuana at least once (lifetime use), up from 32.6 percent in 1992. Annual use of marijuana among seniors peaked at 50.8 percent in 1979, decreased steadily to 21.9 percent in 1992, and increased to 35.8 in 1995. Current use increased from 11.9 percent in 1992 to 21.9 percent in 1996.