What is Marijuana?
Marijuana is usually a brownish green or gray dried leaves and buds of a hemp plant (resembling tealeaves or Italian seasoning). It is described in street terms such as, pot, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, chronic or hundreds of other slang names for marijuana. Hash oil, Sinsemilla and hashish, are also marijuana but much stronger than the leaves.
It is a mind-altering drug that changes the way the brain works, containing THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol as the main chemical, but also contains over 400 additional chemicals. Since the 1970s marijuana harvesters have refined ways to increase THC levels according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
How is Marijuana Used?
Marijuana is generally smoked, sometimes in a pipe or water bong, but most often in rolled tobacco papers known as joints. Abusers also cut open and hollow out cigars, replacing the tobacco with marijuana, to make what are called blunts. Marijuana can also be incorporated into baked goods (cakes, brownies, or cookies) and even brewed into tea.
What Are the Affects of Marijuana?
Effects are immediate to within a few minutes and “peak” in 10 to 30 minutes. Marijuana effects include delayed reaction time, impaired coordination and balance, increased heart rate, dry mouth and throat, and diminished short-term memory. Moderate use tends to provoke a sense of well-being and a wistful state of rest that encourages fantasies, and distorts perception (making it dangerous to operate machinery or a vehicle). More potent THC prompts powerful and often troubling reactions including fear, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Most of marijuana’s short-term effects subside within two or three hours. The drug itself, however, tends to linger on. THC is a fat-soluble substance and will accumulate in fatty tissues in the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs. Two days after smoking marijuana, one-quarter of the THC content may still be retained. It will show up in urine tests three days after use, and traces may be picked up by sensitive blood tests two to four weeks later.
The Impact of Marijuana on the Mind
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, studies reveal that people who smoke marijuana for years have diminished mental function. It can affect the parts of the brain controlling memory, ability to focus, and learning ability. To do tasks requiring one or more steps requires a functioning short-term memory. Studies show that some changes in mental function are similar to the ones caused by heroin, cocaine, and alcohol use.
Is Marijuana Addictive?
Definitely yes, long-term use of marijuana leads to addiction. A person cannot stop urges to find and then use marijuana even when it has negative impacts of school, family, and activities they used to enjoy. People who tend to be introverted or antisocial easily become addicted. Heavy use also causes a tolerance level meaning the person requires more of the drug to affect them the way smaller amounts used to in the past.