DRUGS: USES AND ABUSES
THC
Teacher’s Guide
INTRODUCTION
This Teacher’s Guide provides information to help you get the most out of Drugs: Uses and
Abuses—THC. The contents in this guide will allow you to prepare your students before using
the program and present follow-up activities to reinforce the program’s key learning points.
This program examines THC and the cannabinoids marijuana, hashish, and hash oil. Former NFL
player Charles Hunt, a pharmacist, a police officer, addiction counselors, a historian, a pastor,
recovering addicts, and others present expert commentary. Together, they explain the history and
biological effects of THC, investigating its use, abuse, and hazards, and its reputation as a gateway drug.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After viewing the program, students will be able to:
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Understand the social and cultural history of THC.
Identify three forms of THC.
Describe some reasons why teens begin to use THC.
Realize the short- and long-term health consequences associated with THC use.
Examine the cycle of addiction and know how to get help.
EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
National Standards
This program correlates with National Standards for Family & Consumer Science Education by the
Family and Consumer Science Education Association, Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science
Literacy by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Health
Education Standards: Achieving Health Literacy by the Joint Committee on National Health
Education Standards. The content has been aligned with the following educational standards and
benchmarks from these organizations.
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Analyze factors that impact human growth and development.
Analyze conditions that influence human growth and development.
Analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
Describe and analyze how one’s cultural background, messages from the media, technology,
and one’s friends influence health.
Demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
Understand that the immune system is designed to protect against microscopic organisms and
foreign substances that enter from outside the body and against some cancer cells that arise
within.
Understand that the nervous system works by electrochemical signals in the nerves and from
one nerve to the next. The hormonal system exerts its influences by chemicals that circulate in
the blood. These two systems also affect each other in coordinating body systems.
Understand that communication between cells is required to coordinate their diverse activities.
Some cells secrete substances that spread only to nearby cells. Others secrete hormones, molecules that are carried in the bloodstream to widely distributed cells that have special receptor
sites to which they attach. Along nerve cells, electrical impulses carry information much more
rapidly than is possible by diffusion or blood flow. Some drugs mimic or block the molecules
involved in transmitting nerve or hormone signals and therefore disturb normal operations of
the brain and body.
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Copyright © 2004 Cambridge Educational ®
■ Understand that various body changes occur as adults age. Muscles and joints become less
flexible, bones and muscles lose mass, energy levels diminish, and the senses become less
acute. Women stop releasing eggs and hence can no longer reproduce. The length and quality
of human life are influenced by many factors, including sanitation, diet, medical care, sex,
genes, environmental conditions, and personal health behaviors.
■ Understand that toxic substances, some dietary habits, and personal behavior may be bad for
one’s health. Some effects show up right away, others may not show up for many years.
Avoiding toxic substances, such as tobacco, and changing dietary habits to reduce the intake
of such things as animal fat increases the chances of living longer.
■ Understand that benefits and costs of proposed choices include consequences that are longterm as well as short-term, and indirect as well as direct. The more remote the consequences
of a personal or social decision, the harder it usually is to take them into account in considering alternatives. But benefits and costs may be difficult to estimate.
This represents the work of the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. Copies of National Health
Education Standards: Achieving Health Literacy can be obtained through the American School Health Association,
Association for the Advancement of Health Education or the American Cancer Society. Reprinted with permission.
From BENCHMARKS FOR SCIENCE LITERACY by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, copyright 1993 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Used by permission of Oxford University
Press, Inc. Please note: judgments about the alignment of content presented here with the learning goals in BENCHMARKS FOR SCIENCE LITERACY are those of the author and do not represent the opinion or endorsement of the
AAAS or Oxford University Press, Inc.
National Standards for Family and Consumer Science Education reprinted with permission.
English Language Arts Standards
The activities in this Teacher’s Guide were created in compliance with the following National
Standards for the English Language Arts from the National Council of Teachers of English.
■ Use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning,
enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
■ Adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary)
to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
■ Use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer
networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate
knowledge.
■ Conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing
problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and
nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries.
Standards for the English Language Arts, by the International Reading Association and the National Council of
Teachers of English, Copyright 1996 by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers
of English. Reprinted with permission.
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Technology Standards
The activities in this Teacher’s Guide were created in compliance with the following National
Education Technology Standards from the National Education Technology Standards Project.
■ Demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
■ Develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
■ Practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
■ Use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
■ Use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
■ Use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
The ISTE National Education Technology Standards Project standards are reprinted with permission.
MAIN TOPICS
Topic 1: What is THC?
THC is a chemical compound obtained from cannabis (or made synthetically) that is the primary
intoxicant in marijuana and hashish. The three types of drugs that contain the cannabinoid THC
are introduced here: marijuana, hashish, and hash oil. All three come from the cannabis, or
hemp plant. The social and symbolic importance of marijuana use in the late 1960’s and 1970 is
illustrated. How THC was introduced into the United States is also described.
Topic 2: Marijuana
This segment begins with a discussion of how and why teens begin using marijuana. The effects
of this drug on the brain, including impaired coordination and thinking, are illustrated followed
by an explanation of “Amotivational Syndrome” and why marijuana is considered a “gateway”
drug. Street names for marijuana and related terminology are also given.
Topic 3: Medicinal Use
This segment debates the question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes.
Topic 4: Hashish and Hash Oil
This section describes the less common types of cannabinoids, hashish and hash oil. The
increased potency and effects of these drugs on the body are explained.
Topic 5: Wasted
In the conclusion of the program, viewers gain an understanding of the short- and long-term
impact that marijuana has had on several users.
FAST FACTS
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■ In 2002, marijuana was the third most commonly abused drug mentioned in drug-related
hospital emergency room visits in the continental United States.
■ One study has indicated that a user’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first
hour after smoking marijuana.
■ A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not
smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.
■ Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco
smoke.
■ A survey of high school students reported that 39% of boys and 18% of girls thought it was
acceptable for a boy to force sex on a girl if the girl was drunk or stoned.
■ In 2000, over 3 million youths between the ages of 12 and 17 used marijuana at least once.
■ 57% of youths ages between the ages of 12 to 17 think that obtaining marijuana would be
easy.
■ Some scientists maintain that the any relief patients receive from marijuana can be duplicated
with other legal drugs but without the potential hazards and possible addiction associated
with marijuana.
■ Marijuana processed into a more concentrated form is called hashish.
■ For thousands of years, hemp fiber has been used for clothing, rope, sailcloth, and paper.
■ The original drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper.
■ Marijuana can be smoked in the form of a cigarette (called a “joint”), out of a pipe or bong,
or in a blunt, which is a cigar that’s been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana.
■ Marijuana today contains 4 to 10 times or more THC than it did 10 years ago.
■ Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high
school.
■ For women, regular marijuana use can disrupt the normal menstrual cycle and stop the release
of eggs from the ovaries.
■ For men, regular marijuana use can reduce sperm production and create abnormal sperm
structure.
VOCABULARY TERMS
abuse: To use wrongly or improperly.
addiction: Uncontrollable use of habit-forming drugs.
analgesics: A group of medications that reduce pain.
cannabinoids: Chemicals that help control mental and physical processes when produced naturally by the body and that produce intoxication and other effects when absorbed from marijuana.
cannabis: The botanical name for the plant from which marijuana comes.
dopamine: A brain chemical, classified as a neurotransmitter, found in regions of the brain that
regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and pleasure.
drug: A chemical compound or substance that can alter the structure and function of the body.
Psychoactive drugs affect the function of the brain, and some of these may be illegal to use and
possess.
hashish oil: The extracted oil of the marijuana plant, usually dark and sticky.
hashish: Cannabis preparation more potent than marijuana. This comes from the resinous secretions of a marijuana plant’s flowering tops.
honey oil: The same as hashish oil, except it is clear and looks much like honey.
illicit: Not sanctioned by custom or law; unlawful.
intervention: To involve oneself in a situation to alter or hinder an action of another.
marijuana: The cannabis sativa plant that produces a mild euphoric effect. The active ingredient
that produces the euphoric effect is delta-9-tetrahydrocannobinal (THC). Marijuana can be eaten
or smoked in cigarette form or pipes. The oily resin of the marijuana plant can be processed into
hashish or hashish oil.
paranoia: A psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution with or without
grandeur, often strenuously defended with apparent logic and reason.
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sinsemilla: There are male and female marijuana plants. The flowers of the female marijuana
contain the highest concentration of THC. Growers have learned that if the female plants are not
allowed to be pollinated, the flowers cluster and excrete greater quantities of resin. Marijuana
grown like this is called “sinsemilla,” which means “no seeds.”
THC: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; the main active ingredient in marijuana, which acts on the
brain to produce its effects.
PRE-PROGRAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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In what ways might the media affect a person’s choices regarding their health?
What types of behaviors make a person fit in with a group of friends?
How might family members make a teen more vulnerable to drug use?
Why do you think teenagers use drugs? Would you be tempted to consider using them?
What is your perception of someone who uses THC?
Why is THC called a “gateway drug”?
POST-PROGRAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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What factors might influence someone to resist using drugs?
If you or a friend is trying to quit using THC, where could you go for help?
How does drug use affect communities and the public in general?
Should THC be legal for medicinal purposes?
How might the use of THC affect a student’s ability to perform in school?
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Stop Them Before They Start
Design an educational program to present to younger students about the dangers of using THC.
Include the various forms of THC, the side effects of marijuana use, why people become interested in using THC, and other relevant facts. Your information can be presented using visual aids,
including PowerPoint presentations, home videos, posters, or charts.
Why Would Anyone Use THC?
In small groups, role-play a scenario where a teen is using marijuana. One member of the group
should play the role of the teen, and the remainder of the group should take on the roles of a
trusted friend, teacher, parent, coach, etc. After each role-play scene, the class should discuss
how the characters dealt with the various factors and emotions that may lead to marijuana use,
including low self-esteem, and peer pressure.
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PROJECTS
Living Under the Marijuana Blanket
Write a fictional story or poem depicting the everyday struggles, emotions, and challenges of a
person addicted to marijuana. Describe how the main character’s drug use affects his or her
ambition, productivity, relationships, and self-esteem.
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INTERNET ACTIVITIES
The Role of the Cerebellum
Explain that the cerebellum is involved in balance, coordination, and a variety of other regulatory
functions. Marijuana affects the cerebellum, resulting in impairments in motor behavior. Students
will search the Internet and other sources for more information about the role and function of
the cerebellum, and will make a list of ways in which damage to the cerebellum would affect
their day-to-day behavior.
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
Q: THC is the active ingredient in _________________.
(a) ecstasy
(b) marijuana
(c) cocaine
(d) tobacco
A: (b)
Feedback: The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The
membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC, which
then starts a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high users experience when
they smoke marijuana.
Q: THC is a type of __________________________.
(a) stimulant
(b) cannabinoid
(c) hallucinogen
(d) herb
A: (b)
Feedback: THC is just one of 60 cannabinoids present in marijuana, but it has the largest concentration of any of the cannabinoids.
Q: Marijuana is called the “gateway drug” because __________________.
(a) it is usually the first illegal drug people use
(b) it opens receptors in the brain similar to opening a gate
(c) it creates a new world of imagination and euphoria
(d) it makes you forget all your problems
A: (a)
Feedback: Marijuana is usually the first illegal drug that teens use. It’s often referred to as the
“gateway drug” because it creates a gateway to other drugs.
Q: Some short term effects of marijuana use include _____________________.
(a) relaxation
(b) giddiness
(c) loss of coordination
(d) distorted perception
(e) all of the above
A: (e)
Feedback: Some short-term effects of marijuana use include relaxation, euphoria, drowsiness,
anxiety, hunger, giddiness, dry mouth and throat, memory problems, distorted perception, difficulty thinking, loss of coordination, slowed reflexes, and increased heart rate.
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Q: Long term marijuana use can lead to ____________________________.
(a) lung cancer
(b) depression and anxiety
(c) digestive problems
(d) (a) and (b)
(e) all of the above
A: (d)
Feedback: Lung cancer, depression, and anxiety are just a few of the long-term effects of marijuana use. However, marijuana use has not been linked to digestive problems.
Q: THC is the only chemical found in marijuana. (True or False)
A: False
Feedback: There are hundreds of chemicals in marijuana, sixty of which are cannabinoids—the
chemicals responsible for the effects of marijuana. THC represents the most popular cannabinoid
in marijuana due to its large concentration in the drug. Marijuana also contains more tar and is
more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke.
Q: The adverse effect marijuana has on memory and learning can last ________________ after
the immediate effects of the drug wear off.
(a) 2-4 hours
(b) 24 hours
(c) 1-3 weeks
(d) up to 1 year
A: (c)
Feedback: Because marijuana reduces a person’s ability to learn and remember information, the
more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind intellectually and socially.
Moreover, research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on memory and learning can last
for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.
Q: Someone who uses marijuana regularly over an extended period of time can develop what
kind of addiction?
(a) physical
(b) psychological
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) neither (a) nor (b)
A: (c)
Feedback: Long-term marijuana use can lead to both psychological and physical addiction for
some people; that is, they use the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family,
school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal symptoms can make it
hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop using the drug. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, and anxiety.
Q: Smoking marijuana can prevent and cure cancer. (True or False)
A: False
Feedback: There is no proof that marijuana helps to cure or prevent cancer. However, it is sometimes used to relieve pain and nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
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Q: The only way to ingest marijuana is by smoking it. (True or False)
A: False
Feedback: Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a “joint” or a “nail”) or in a pipe or
bong. In recent years, marijuana has appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug, such as
crack. Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WEB SITES
National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens
www.teens.drugabuse.gov
For Real
www.freevibe.com
Focus Adolescent Services
www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html
D.A.R.E America (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
www.dare.com
Drug Free America Foundation
www.dfaf.org
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
www.drugfreeamerica.org/kids_teens
Youth-to-Youth
www.y2yint.com
HOTLINES
Marijuana Anonymous
1-800-766-6799
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
1-800-ALCOHOL (252-6465)
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
1-800-NCA-CALL (622-2255)
BOOKS
Addiction: The “High’ That Brings You Down by Miriam Smith McLaughlin, Sandra Peyser
Hazouri. Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1997. ISBN: 0894909150.
Life’s Too Short!: Pull the Plug on Self-Defeating Behavior and Turn on the Power of Self-Esteem
by Abraham J. Twerski. St. Martin’s Press, 1997. ISBN: 0312155700.
A Teen’s Guide To Living Drug-Free by Bettie B. Youngs, Jennifer Leigh Youngs, Tina Moreno.
Health Communications, 2003. ISBN: 0757300413.
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OTHER PRODUCTS
Facts on…Drugs, CD-ROM, Cambridge Educational
Common substances, street names, methods of ingestion, effects on the body, social situations
and behavior. This CD-ROM is ideal for use in health education and family and consumer science
curriculums or as a guidance resource. Correlates to the American School Health Association
standards and the Joint Committee for National School Health Education and the American
Cancer Society standards. A Cambridge Educational Production. (Windows/Macintosh)
Order #: 31862 www.cambridgeeducational.com, 1-800-468-4227
Altered States: A History of Drug Use in America, VHS/DVD, Cambridge Educational
This program focuses on the history of America’s drug use and abuse, from the days when the
early European settlers became enamored of tobacco, through Prohibition, and up to today. The
problems we now face existed in other forms and with other drugs throughout our history. The
reasons for using drugs have also remained constant: to ease pain, alleviate boredom, or to
expand consciousness. The program traces the patterns of American drug use and abuse, and
documents the cultural, social, and political movements that it has impacted.
Order #: 5863, www.cambridgeeducational.com, 1-800-468-4227
Animated Neuroscience and the Action of Nicotine, Cocaine, and Marijuana in the Brain,
VHS/DVD, Films for the Humanities & Sciences
Using sophisticated 3-D animation, this program, divided into two parts, takes viewers on a journey deep into the brain to study the effects of the three substances. The first part illustrates the
major functions of the brain and shows how its principal cells, the neurons, communicate with
each other through electrical and chemical signals. In the second part, animated molecules of
nicotine, cocaine, and marijuana travel a route from the external environment through the body
to the brain, where viewers learn about the cellular targets of these drugs, and how each drug
interacts with them and subsequently affects the body. Images of actual neurons used in the animations create a realistic effect that helps viewers understand the concepts presented.
Order #: 10377, www.films.com, 1-800-257-5126
Drug-Pushing Parents: Just Say—Yes?, VHS/DVD, Cambridge Educational According to a new
survey, one in five candidates for drug treatment at Phoenix House was introduced to drugs by
his or her parents. Addiction experts including Mitchell Rosenthal, president of Phoenix House,
and Alyse Booth, spokesperson for Columbia University’s National Center for Addiction and
Substance Abuse, agree that although the study is limited in scope, the figures are alarming. Are
parents coming to view drug use as merely another teenage rite of passage? And how can drug
prevention campaigns help children when their own parents do not get the message? This program goes to the heart of these questions. (21 minutes, color)
Order #: 11449, www.cambridgeeducational.com, 1-800-468-4227
Substance Abuse: Risks and Responsibilities, VHS/DVD, Cambridge Educational
“I can’t get hooked on drugs if I only try them once.” “Alcohol doesn’t really affect me.” “Overthe-counter medications are totally safe.” This authoritative four-part series dispels these and
other dangerous myths as it clearly presents the facts about drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The series includes Using Pharmaceutical Drugs Safely, Drinking Responsibly, Understanding
the Risks of Tobacco and Caffeine, and Preventing Drug Abuse
Order #: 11405, www.cambridgeeducational.com, 1-800-468-4227
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