Marijuana The True Facts
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United
States. Marijuana has been around as early as 10,000 BC per
newscientist.com. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC.
Marijuana
is a mixture of dried leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativa, a hemp
plant. There are hundreds of slang terms for this drug including "pot,"
"herb," "weed," "boom," "Mary Jane," "gangster," and "chronic." It is
usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe
or bong. In recent years, it has appeared in blunts. These are cigars
that have been emptied of tobacco and re-filled with marijuana, often
in combination with another drug, such as crack. Some users also mix
marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.
The short-term
effect of marijuana use include: problems with memory and learning,
distorted perceptions, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, loss
of coordination, increased heart rate and anxiety. Smoking five joints
a week is equivalent to smoking a whole pack of cigarettes a day which
leads to lung and respiratory problems, wheezing, chest cold and a bad
cough.
Long-term use can increase the chances of tissue damage
and lung cancer and also causes changes in the brain similar to those
caused by heroin and cocaine.
Several studies have linked
marijuana with poor school performance. It is harder to concentrate and
retain information when a person is smoking marijuana. Sixty percent of
teenagers in drug treatment programs are there because of marijuana.
Marijuana
itself does not lead a person to take other drugs; people take drugs to
get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug only masks the
problem for a while. When the high fades the problem or unwanted
situation returns, more intense. This is the reason why people turn to
stronger drugs to hide from their problems.
Marijuana is a
Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse,
no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,
and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance
under medical supervision.
Between October 2004 and January
2005, there were 1,777 Federal offenders sentenced for
marijuana-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 94.9% of the
cases involved marijuana trafficking. Between January 2005 and
September 2005, there were 4,396 Federal offenders sentenced for
marijuana-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 95.8% of the
cases involved trafficking.
|
