Category: cannabinoids
What is marijuana?
Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical THC and other similar compounds. Extracts can also be made from the cannabis plant.
Marijuana is the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the United States, after alcohol.1 Its use is widespread among young people. In 2018, more than 11.8 million young adults used marijuana in the past year. According to the Monitoring the Future survey, rates of past year marijuana use among middle and high school students have remained steady, but the number of teens in 8th and 10th grades who say they use it daily has increased. With the growing popularity of vaping devices, teens have started vaping THC (the ingredient in marijuana that produces the high), with nearly 4% of 12th graders saying they vape THC daily. In addition, the number of young people who believe regular marijuana use is risky is decreasing.
Learn more about marijuana here
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NIDA’s Truth Poll is offered to students during National Drug and Alcohol Facts Chat Day to encourage them to think about their daily challenges related to substance use in their student and family communities. These are some questions from the most recent poll.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-facts-parents-need-to-know/nida-truth-poll
Marijuana
WHAT IS IT?
Marijuana is a mind-altering psychoactive drug, which can cause hallucinations. The main ingredient, THC ( delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), comes from the dry, shredded, green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds or leaves of the cannabis sativa plant which produces the psychoactive effect.
STREET NAMES
Aunt Mary, BC Bud, Chronic, Dope, Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Joint, Mary Jane, Mota, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, Yerba
HOW IT IS TAKEN
- Smoked as a cigarette or in pipe or bong
- Smoked in blunts (cigar emptied of tobacco and filled with marijuana, and sometimes mixed with additional drugs)
- Mixed with food (edibles)
- Brewed as tea
HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE BODY?
- Relaxation, disinhibition, increased appetite, sedation, increased sociability
- Effects memory and learning
- Difficulty in thinking and problem-solving
- Hallucinations
- Impaired judgment, reduced coordination
- Distorted perception
- Decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, dizziness, nausea, tachycardia
- Confusion, anxiety, paranoia, drowsiness
- Respiratory ailments
- Addictive
Marijuana
NIDA has provided a comprehensive information page about marijuana. Check out the link below to view.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/letter-director
