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 EVEN MONTHS.

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 CAN CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF SPERM CELLS, DEFORMING THEM.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS	LONG-TERM EFFECTS
1.Short-term memory problems.	1. The decline in IQ -up to 8 points if prolonged use started in adolescent age.
2.Severe anxiety, including the fear that one is being watched or followed (paranoia).	2.Poor school performance and a higher chance of dropping out.
3. Very strange behavior, seeing, hearing or smelling things that aren’t there, not being able to tell imagination from reality (psychosis).	3.Impaired thinking and ability to learn and perform complex tasks.
4.Panic.	4.Lower life satisfaction.
5.Hallucinations.	5.Addiction -about 9% of adults and 17% of people who started smoking as teens.
6.Loss of sense of personal identity.	6.Potential development of opiate abuse.
7.Lowered reaction time.	7.Relationship problems, intimate partner violence.
8.Increased heart rate (risk of heart attack).	8.Antisocial behavior including stealing money or lying.
9.Problems with coordination.	9.Financial difficulties.
10.Sexual problems (for males).	10.Increased welfare dependence.
11.Increased risk of stroke.	11.Greater chances of being unemployed.

WHAT IS MARIJUANA ?

Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs in the world. 

There is an ever-growing gap between the latest science about marijuana and the myths surrounding it.

Some people think that since it is legal in some places, it must be safe. But your body doesn’t know a legal drug from an illegal drug. It only knows the effect the drug creates once you have taken it.

Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant, and the part that contains the “drug” is found primarily in the flowers (commonly called the “buds”) and much less in the seeds, leaves, and stems of the plant.

Marijuana, when sold, is a mixture of dried out leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds of the hemp plant. It is usually green, brown or gray in color. Hashish is a tan, brown or black resin that is dried and pressed into bars, sticks or balls. When smoked, both marijuana and hashish give off a distinctive, sweet odor.

There are over 400 chemicals in marijuana and hashish.

The chemical that causes intoxication or the “high” in users is called THC ( tetra hydro cannabinol ). THC creates the mind-altering effects that classify marijuana as a “drug.”

Intoxication literally means “to poison by taking a toxic substance into your body.” Any substance that intoxicates causes changes in the body and the mind. It can create addiction or dependence, causing a person to want to take that drug even if it harms him or her.

You may have heard someone say that because marijuana is a plant, it’s “natural” and so it’s harmless. But it’s not. Hemlock, a poisonous plant, is also “natural,” but it can kill.

HOW IS IT USED?

Marijuana can be smoked as a cigarette (joint), but may also be smoked in a dry pipe or a water pipe known as a “bong.” 
It can also be mixed with food and eaten or brewed as a tea. These are called “edibles”.

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 inhales the smoke from a joint or a pipe, 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 the lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that smoking one joint gives as much exposure to cancer-producing chemicals as smoking four to five cigarettes.

The mental consequences of marijuana use are equally severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude than do non-users.

Recent studies on young adults that smoke marijuana, found abnormalities in the brain related to emotion, motivation and

decision-making.

STREET NAMES.

Blaze	Weed	Buds	Astro Yurf
Grass	Ganja	Mary Jane	White Widow
Bhang	Dagga	Dope	Home Grown
Hemp	J	Puff	Dry High
Texas Tea	Roach	Reefer	Pot Herb

TERMS FOR THE AMOUNT

Lid	An ounce or less.
Matchbox	A small amount that usually comes in a cardboard matchbox.
Nickel bag	A small bag that sells for $5.
Dime bag	A small bag that sells for $10.
Quarter	A quarter ounce.
Brick	2.2 pounds or one kilogram of tightly compacted marijuana.