WHAT IS MARIJUANA?
Marijuana is the word used to describe the dried flowers, seeds and leaves of
the Indian hemp plant. On the street, it is called by many other names, such as:
astro turf, bhang, dagga, dope, ganja, grass, hemp, home grown, J, Mary Jane,
pot, reefer, roach, Texas tea and weed .
Hashish is a related form of the drug, made from
the resins of the Indian hemp plant. Also called
chocolate, hash or shit, it is on average six times
stronger than marijuana.
“Cannabis” describes any of the different drugs that
come from Indian hemp, including marijuana and
hashish.
Regardless of the name, this drug is a hallucinogen—a substance which
distorts how the mind perceives the world you live in .
The chemical in cannabis that creates this distortion is known as “THC.” The
amount of THC found in any given batch of marijuana may vary substantially,
but overall, the percentage of THC has increased in recent years.

HOW IS IT USED?
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug
in the world. A survey conducted in 2007 found that
14.4 million individuals in the US alone had smoked
marijuana at least once during the previous month.
Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint),
but may also be smoked in a pipe. Less often, it is
mixed with food and eaten or brewed as tea.
Sometimes users open up cigars and remove the
tobacco, replacing it with pot—called a “blunt.”
Joints and blunts are sometimes laced with other,
more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine or PCP
(phencyclidine, a powerful hallucinogen).
When a person smokes a joint, he usually feels its
effect within minutes. The immediate sensations—
increased heart rate, lessened coordination and
balance, and a “dreamy,” unreal state of mind—
peak within the first 30 minutes. These short-term
effects usually wear off in two to three hours, but
they could last longer, depending on how much the
user takes, the potency of THC and the presence of
other drugs added into the mix.
As the typical user inhales more smoke and holds it
longer than he would with a cigarette, a joint
creates a severe impact on one’s lungs. Aside from
the discomfort that goes with sore throats and
chest colds, it has been found that consuming one
joint gives as much exposure to cancer-producing
chemicals as smoking five cigarettes.
The mental consequences of marijuana use are
equally severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude
than do non-users.
Animals given marijuana by researchers have even suffered structural damage
to the brain.

STREET NAMES
MARIJUANA:
Astro turf
Bhang
Blunt
Boom
Chronic
Dagga
Dope
Gangster
Ganja
Grass
Hemp
Herb
Home grown
J
Kiff
Mary Jane
Nederweed
Pot
Purple Haze
Reefer
Roach
Smoke
Skunk
Super
Skunk
Texas
tea
Weed
White
Widow
HASHISH:
Chocolate
Hash
Shit
igbo

MARIJUANA—ITS BACKGROUND
The Indian hemp plant (from which cannabis drugs like marijuana and hashish
are made) was grown for use as an hallucinogen more than 2,000 years ago.
Although cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals, the main ingredient
which affects the mind is THC. The amount of THC in the hemp plant
determines the strength of the drug. The weather, soil and other factors
determine the percentage of THC found in the plant. By using modern farming
techniques, hemp growers have developed strains of cannabis which have much
higher levels of THC than in the past. THC levels averaged 1% in 1974 and 4%
in 1994. In 2008, levels reached 9.6%, highest ever since analysis of the drug
began in the 1970s.
One form of cannabis, called sinsemilla (Spanish for “without seeds”), may have
THC levels from 7.5% to as much as 24%.

ALCOHOL VS. MARIJUANA
Is smoking a joint the same as drinking alcohol?
You decide. Here are the facts:
Alcohol consists of one substance only: ethanol. Marijuana contains more than
400 known chemicals, including the same cancer-causing substances found in
tobacco smoke. Unlike cigarette smokers, pot smokers tend to inhale deeply
and hold the smoke as long as possible to increase the effect of the drug,
worsening the damage to the lungs.
Alcohol is eliminated from the body in a few hours, but THC stays in the body
for weeks, possibly months, depending on the length and intensity of usage.
THC damages the immune system. Alcohol does not.
There is no intention here to minimize the dangers of alcohol abuse , which can
be equally harmful. Users, however, need to be aware that the chemicals in
marijuana, some of them cancer-causing, remain in the body long after the drug
is taken.

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA
The immediate effects of taking marijuana include
rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical
coordination, often followed by depression or
sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or
anxiety.
But the problem does not end there. According to
scientific studies, the active ingredient in cannabis,
THC, remains in the body for weeks or longer.
Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than
tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint
could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes
smoked one after another. Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis,
an inflammation of the respiratory tract.
The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008
linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up
by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate
changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major
drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued
marijuana use and psychosis.
Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells,
deforming them. Thus even small amounts of
marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men.
Marijuana use can upset a woman’s menstrual
cycle.
Studies show that the mental functions of people
who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be
diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain affecting
memory.
Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which
leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes
marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight
baby. Over the last ten years, many children of marijuana users have been born
with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life
goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may
result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia in
children.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
Sensory distortion
Panic
Anxiety
Poor coordination of movement
Lowered reaction time
After an initial “up,” the user feels sleepy or depressed
Increased heartbeat (and risk of heart attack)
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA
Reduced resistance to common illnesses (colds, bronchitis, etc.)
Suppression of the immune system
Growth disorders
Increase of abnormally structured cells in the body
Reduction of male sex hormones
Rapid destruction of lung fibers and lesions (injuries) to the brain could be
permanent
Reduced sexual capacity
Study difficulties: reduced ability to learn and retain information
Apathy, drowsiness, lack of motivation
Personality and mood changes
Inability to understand things clearly
“I started using on a lark, a dare from a best friend
who said that I was too chicken to smoke a joint
and drink a quart of beer. I was fourteen at that
time. After seven years of using and drinking I
found myself at the end of the road with addiction.
I was no longer using to feel euphoria, I was just
using to feel some semblance of normality.
“Then I started having negative feelings about
myself and my own abilities. I hated the paranoia.
I hated looking over my shoulder all the time. I
really hated not trusting my friends. I became so
paranoid that I successfully drove everyone away
and found myself in the terrible place no one wants
to be in—I was alone. I’d wake up in the morning
and start using and keep using throughout the day.”
—Paul

WHAT DEALERS WILL TELL YOU
When teens were surveyed to find out why they
started using drugs in the first place, 55% replied
that it was due to pressure from their friends. They
wanted to be cool and popular. Dealers know this.
They will approach you as a friend and offer to
“help you out” with “something to bring you up.”
The drug will “help you fit in” or “make you cool.”
Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make, will say anything to get you
to buy their drugs. They will tell you that “weed won’t lead you to harder
drugs.”
They don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. All
they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted they saw their buyers
as “pawns in a chess game.”