Marijuana is a mixture of dried and shredded leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The term "cannabis" refers to all drugs obtained from the hemp plant, including marijuana, sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. All of these drugs contain the chemical THC, which is the most active chemical ingredient in marijuana.
The forms of marijuana available today are considerably stronger (as measured by THC content) than the forms available when the drug became common in the 1960s. Marijuana is usually used by rolling into a cigarette or smoking in a pipe; sometimes, users slice open a cigar and replace the tobacco with marijuana. Individuals use marijuana to get high (feeling intoxicated and/or euphoric). Users may become engrossed with ordinary sights, sounds, tastes and trivial events which appear very interesting or funny. Time may seem to pass very slowly, and the user may feel thirsty and hungry.
Marijuana has a number of side effects. New users, people using in a new setting, or individuals using marijuana with a high THC level, may experience acute anxiety or have paranoid thoughts. Marijuana causes difficulty with short-term memory. It also tends to distort perceptions, and slows reaction time.
Because of these side effects, there are serious indirect risks associated with marijuana use--often worse than the direct side effects. Users are at particularly high risk for automobile accidents and unsafe sex. In one study at a shock-trauma unit, 15% of patients who were involved in traffic accidents had been smoking marijuana, and an additional 17% had both THC and alcohol in their bloodstream. Also, students may have difficulty studying and learning, and athletic performance may be negatively affected.
There appear to be long-term effects to marijuana use as well. Studies suggest that marijuana is linked to cancer, much as cigarette smoking. Marijuana also may affect the immune system and cause similar respiratory problems to cigarette smoking. Heavy use of marijuana affects production of both male and female hormones. In males, changes in hormone production may cause delay of puberty and decrease in sperm production. In females, changes in hormone production may cause disruption of the menstrual cycle and discharge of eggs from ovaries. In pregnant women, marijuana also appears to harm the developing fetus. Some studies have found that babies of marijuana users were shorter, weighed less, and had smaller head sizes than babies of non-users. Other studies have found that babies born to users have symptoms resembling fetal alchol syndrome, and possibly nervous sytem problems.
Common street names: pot, herb, grass, weed, Mary Jane, reefer,
Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, gangster, kif, ganja, and many others. In addition,
different strains or "brands" of marijuana are freqeuntly given their own
names, often referring to their place of origin, such as "Texas tea"
or "Maui wowie."
Signs and symptoms of use:
Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1995).
Marijuana: Facts parents need to know (NIH Publication No. 95-4036).
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