Marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse

The facts abou Marijuana

• Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Research has shown marijuana use has many serious and harmful effects.
• Short-term, or acute effects of marijuana include impairments in learning and memory, perception, judgment, and complex motor skills. Marijuana can cause difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem olving, and forming concepts.
• An "amotivational syndrome" can develop in heavy, chronic marijuana users. It is characterized by decreased drive and ambition, shortened attention span, poor judgment, high distractibility, impaired communication skills, and diminished effectiveness in interpersonal situations.
• Judgement of speed and time are impaired by marijuana use, making driving particularly hazardous. In one study of more than 1,000 accident victims at a shock trauma unit, 35% were found to have detectable levels of marijuana in their blood.
• Regular use of marijuana — with or without other illicit drugs — is correlated with higher levels of truancy, fighting, delinquency, arrests, and health problems in adolescents.
• Physiological effects of marijuana include an alteration of heart rate. Use of marijuana may result in intense anxiety, panic attacks, or paranoia.
• Marijuana smoke contains some of the same carcinogens and toxic particulates as tobacco, sometimes in higher concentrations. Daily use of 1 to 3 joints appears to produce the same lung diseases (bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma) and potential cancer risk as smoking five times as many cigarettes.