Drugs

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Cannabis
Club Drugs
Cocaine
Dimethyltryptamine
Ecstasy
Heroin
Inhalants
Meth
​Spice
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​

Information

Signs & Symptoms
Trends
Resources
​

Resources

Answers to Questions About Cannabis/Marijuana
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
Drug Guide
Above the Influence
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Get Smart About Drugs

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Cannabis

Facts

• Cannabis, (also known as marijuana), comes from the plant CANNABIS SATIVA
• Cannabis is the most commonly abused drug in the United States.
• Cannabis is responsible for approximately 16% of all admissions to treatment facilities (TEDS Data – 2007).
• The average age of onset for first time cannabis use in Southern Utah is 14 years old. Many kids use marijuana for the first time by age 10.
• Annual prevalence of cannabis use has fallen by 33% among 8th graders, 25% among 20th graders, and 14% among 12th graders since 2001.
• Young people who use cannabis weekly have double the risk of depression later in life.
• Cannabis use in some teens has been linked to increased risk for schizophrenia in later years.
• Teens aged 12 - 17 who smoke cannabis weekly are three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts.

Appearance

Cannabis comes in too many forms to list, but here are some of the main ones:

1- Dry, shredded, brown and green mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves. 

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​2- More concentrated, resinous form (called Hashish). 

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3- ​As a sticky liquid (called Hash Oil). 

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3- ​As an oil or liquid to be smoked in a vaporizer.

How Cannabis is Used/ Abused

• Usually smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe.
• Sometimes smoked in a blunt (a cigar emptied of tobacco and filled with cannabis). Tobacco leaves are used to wrap a cigar, which adds nicotine and other chemicals to the cannabis.
•  Can be mixed in food, (baking brownies with cannabis is a popular trend) or brewed as a tea.
• Smoked through a bong or vaporized. 

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The Effects of Cannabis

​When smoked, THC (the active chemical in cannabis) rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries it to the brain and other organs.

The Brain

•  THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors and cellular reactions cause a “high”. 
• Some areas of the brain have many cannabinoid receptors, others have none. The highest density of receptors are in the parts that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

THC intoxication can cause: 

• Distorted perceptions
• Impaired coordination
• Difficulty in thinking and problem solving
• Problems with learning
• Memory problems
• Decreased activity in the posterior temporal lobes bilaterally.
• Impact on learning and memory can last for days to weeks after the acute effects wear off. Thus, smoking cannabis can lead to suboptimal intellectual functioning. 
• Long term use can have an effect on the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine (dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward.) 

Normal Brain

18 year-old after 3 years of cannabis use

Brains SPECT images taken from
the Amen Clinic (amenclinic.com)

The Heart

• Increase in blood pressure.
• Increase in heart rate.
• Reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
• Abusers risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana.
• More frequent acute chest illness.

The Lungs

• A heightened risk of lung infections.
• Greater tendency for obstructed airway
• Contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.
• Users typically inhale more deeply and hold breath longer than tobacco smokers, increasing their exposure to chemicals and carcinogens.
• Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in the lung tissues. 

Addictive Potential

•  Long term use can lead to addiction.
• Withdrawal symptoms manifest after one day, peak at 203 days, and subside 1-2 weeks after drug cessation.
• Long term abusers trying to quit report:
  • Irritability
  • Decreased appetite
  • Sleeplessness
  • Anxiety
  • Drug Craving 

Signs & Symptoms of Use

• Glassy, red eyes
  
• A sweet burnt scent
  
• Loss of interest and motivation
  
• Weight gain or weight loss
  
• Memory loss/forgetfulness
  
• Difficulty Concentrating 

• Loud talking and inappropriate laughter followed by sleepiness
  
• Heightened sense of visual, auditory and taste perception
  
• Increased blood pressure/heart rate
  
• Decreased coordination 

Common Slang Terms

• Marijuana
  
• Pot
• Weed
• Herb
• Grass
• Mary Jane
• Ganja
• Ace
• Aunt Mary
• Dope
• Green
• Gungun 

• Reefer
• Skunk
• Boom
• Gangster
• Kif
• Bammy
• Bamba
• Buddha
• Homegrown
• Don Juan
• Ditchweed 

    Street Names for
    different “brands”:

•  Texas Tea
  
•  Maui Wowie
  
• Chronic 

Paraphernalia

Rolling papers for hand rolling joints.

Cannabis Pipe

Cannabis Blunt

Rolling Papers

​Cannabis Bongs