Cannabinoids (Marijuana) Fact Sheet:

Marijuana is one of the most misunderstood and underestimated drugs of abuse. People use marijuana for the mildly tranquilizing, mood and perception altering effects it produces.
 


 Description:
Usually sold in plastic sandwich bags, leaf or bud marijuana will range in color from green to light tan. The leaves are usually dry and broken into small pieces. The buds or dried unpollinated flowers of the marijuana plant are most popular due to high content of THC. The seeds are oval with one slightly pointed end. Less prevalent, hashish is a compressed, sometimes tar like substance ranging in color from pale yellow to black. It is usually sold in small chunks wrapped in aluminum foil. It may also be sold in an oily liquid.

Marijuana has a distinctly pungent aroma resembling a combination of sweet alfalfa and incense.
Cigarette papers, roach clip holders, small pipes made of bone, brass, or glass are commonly found. Smoking "bongs" (large bore pipes for inhaling large volumes of smoke) can easily be made from soft drink cans and toilet paper rolls.

Trade/street names include THC, pot, grass, joint, reefers, Acapulco gold, sinsemilia, Thai sticks, hash and hash oil.

Signs and Symptoms of Use:

  • Reddened eyes (often masked by eye drops)
  • Slow speech
  • Distinctive odor on clothing
  • Lackadaisical "I don't care" attitude
  • Chronic fatigue and lack of motivation
  • Irritating cough, chronic sore throat
     

Health Effects (General)
When marijuana is smoked, it is irritating to the lungs. Chronic smoking causes emphysema-like conditions.
One "joint" causes the heart to race and be overworked. People with undiagnosed heart conditions are at risk.
Marijuana is commonly contaminated with the fungus aspergillus, which can cause serious respiratory tract and sinus infections.
Marijuana smoking lowers the body's immune system response, making users more susceptible to infection. The U.S. Government is actively researching a possible connection between marijuana smoking and the activation of AIDS in positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) carriers.

Pregnancy Problems and Birth Defects:
The active chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and 60 other related chemicals in marijuana concentrate in the ovaries and testes.

Chronic smoking of marijuana in males causes a decrease in sex hormone, testosterone, and an increase in estrogen, the female sex hormone. The result is a decrease in sperm count, which can lead to temporary sterility. Occasionally, the onset of female sex characteristics including breast development occurs in heavy users.

Chronic smoking of marijuana in females causes a decrease in fertility and an increase in testosterone.
Pregnant women who are chronic marijuana smokers have a higher than normal incidence of stillborn births, early termination of pregnancy, and higher infant mortality rate during the first few days of life.
In test animals, THC causes birth defects, including malformations of the brain, spinal cord, forelimbs, and liver; and water on the brain and spine.

Offspring of test animals who were exposed to marijuana have fewer chromosomes than normal, causing gross birth defects or death of the fetus. Pediatricians and surgeons are concluding that the use of marijuana by either or both parents, especially during pregnancy, leads to specific defects of the infant's feet and hands.
One of the most common effects of prenatal cannabinoid exposure is underweight newborn babies.
Fetal exposure may decrease visual functioning and causes other ophthalmic problems.

Mental Function: Regular use can cause the following effects:

  • Delayed decision-making.
  • Diminished concentration.
  • Impaired short-term memory, interfering with learning.
  • Impaired signal detection (ability to detect a brief flash of light), a risk for users who are operating machinery or vehicles.
  • Impaired tracking (ability to follow a moving object with the eyes) and visual distance measurements.
  • Erratic cognitive function.
  • Distortions in time estimation.
  • Long-term negative effects on mental function known as "Acute Brain Syndrome," which is characterized by disorders in memory, cognitive function, sleep patterns, and physical condition.
  • Acute Effects
  • Aggressive urges
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Fearfulness
  • Hallucinations
  • Heavy sedation
  • Immobility
  • Mental dependency
  • Panic
  • Paranoid reaction
  • Unpleasant distortions in body image
     

School or Workplace Issues

The chemical, THC, stores in body fat and slowly releases over time. Marijuana smoking has a long term effect on performance.

A 500 to 800 percent increase in THC concentration in the past several years makes smoking three to five "joints" a week today equivalent to 15 to 40 "joints" a week in 1978.
Combining alcohol or other depressant drugs and marijuana can produce a multiplied effect, increasing the impairing effect of both the depressant and marijuana.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration in cooperation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse

home | phone | employment