Marijuana Fact Sheet
What is Marijuana?
• Marijuana is one of many substances made of dried leaves and shredded flowers of the
Cannibus plant; other drugs include sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. Marijuana has over
200 slang names including pot, dope, weed, grass, ganja, and chronic.
• The ingredient that is the main cause of intoxication in Marijuana is Tetra
hydrocannabinol (THC), a mind altering chemical that produces a large range of feelings
depending on the dose, including relaxation and paranoia.
What are the Effects of Marijuana?
• The White House classifies Marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it has a high
potential for abuse.
• According to Drugabuse.gov, “Marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions,
impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with
learning and memory.”
• Long term marijuana use can lead to addiction. Some habitual users report “irritability,
sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug caving” when attempting to quit.
• Smoking Marijuana increases heart rate 20-100 percent which leads to a 4.8 fold increase
of possible heart attacks during the first hour of use
• Marijuana use contains about 50-70 percent more carcinogenic properties than tobacco
smoke and smokers commonly suffer from “a daily cough and phlegm production, more
frequent acute chest illness, and a heightened risk of lung infections,” afflictions shared
by cigarette smokers.
• Accordingly, Marijuana use is associated with an increased rate of anxiety, depression,
suicidal thoughts, and schizophrenia.
• Short Term Effects
o Altered perception of time, space, sights, sounds, and touch
o Impaired judgment and decision making
o Loss of coordination and slowed reaction time
o Disorientation
o Red eye
o Dry mouth and throat
o Increased appetite
o Sleepiness
o Problems with memory and learning
o Trouble thinking and problem solving
Treatment
• There are no medications for marijuana abuse; best treatment methods include
“behavioral interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy and motivation
incentives (i.e., providing vouchers for goods or services to patients who abstain from
drug use).”
• Marijuana abuse constituted 16 percent of admissions into rehabilitation clinics in 2006,
most patients where male, white, and between 15-19 years of age.
Sources
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov, http://www.ades.bc.ca/Drug_facts/marijuana.html, http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
www.mydsac.org