Marijuana Abuse, Marijuana Addiction

Marijuana

Marijuana is an extremely popular and prevalent drug in the United States. Marijuana is dried leaves and buds from the hemp plant, Cannabis Sativa. Common street names for marijuana include weed, grass, blunt, dope, hash, pot, Mary Jane, ganja, or bud. 

 

Methods of Abuse

Marijuana is most often inhaled as smoke through the lungs.  Commonly used paraphernalia for marijuana use include bongs (glass or metal holders used to smoke the marijuana), aluminum cans, markers, cigarette rolling papers (used to make marijuana cigarettes), small metal screens (commonly found on kitchen faucets), and lighters/matches.

Marijuana can also be ingested, but because of the slower absorption rate, it is a less popular method.

 

Marijuana’s Effect on the Body

Marijuana directly affects certain parts of the brain, such as those governing emotions, memory,  judgment, and alters the way a person experiences sight, hearing, smells, tastes and textures.  Marijuana users experience many central nervous system effects such as delayed reaction times, increased heart rate, dilated blood vessels, sweating, dry mouth, breathing difficulties and frequent coughing.

 

Signs and Symptoms of Marijuana Use

Marijuana produces a wide variety of signs and symptoms in those who use it.  Some acute symptoms of marijuana use are:

• Dry mouth
• Intense food cravings
• Red eyes
• Panic attacks
• Sweaty palms
• dazed, slow demeanor

Long term and daily users often exhibit some of the following behavioral symptoms:

         apathy

         lack of concern for the future

         loss of motivation

         loss of ambition

         diminished ability to carry out long term planning

         difficulty in concentration

         impaired memory

         decline in work or school performance

         loss of interest in extracurricular / recrational activites

         secretive or sneaky behavior

         angry or agressive outbursts

         change in sleeping patterns

 

Dangers of Marijuana Use

Marijuana has a reputation among users and as a relaxing and harmless drug that has no lasting effects, has no addictive potential and causes no physiological damage.  Marijuana, however, has many adverse effects. There are more than 400 chemicals in marijuana. Marijuana users may be as much as 200 times more likely of having psychotic episodes or irreversible psychosis. Marijuana users also often do not feel impaired, but reaction times and thinking processes are delayed or compromised, which makes driving and other tasks dangerous — leading to extremely high accident and death rates related to use. Marijuana users are also more likely to get colds, cancer and emphysema due in part to weakened immunity in the body. Marijuana users may also have difficulty in interpersonal relationships due to extreme mood swings, de-personalization and delusions.  Most controversial is marijuana’s repuation as a gateway or stepping stone drug.  Because of the drugs social acceptance, second only to alcohol, using marijuana is often seen as an adolescent norm or right of passage.  This misconseption of the potential harmful effects of marijuana contributes greatly to the widespread use of marijuana by adolescents.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that the younger someone is when he or she uses marijuana, the more likely he or she is to use other drugs when they reach adulthood.

Here's how some of the "harder" drugs compare in terms of use:

Cocaine: 62 percent of adults who had used marijuana before the age of 15 have used cocaine at some point during their lives. For those who had never used marijuana, that number is 0.6 percent.

Heroin: Those who use marijuana in youth are more likely to use heroin. That number is 9 percent as compared to 0.1 percent for those who had never used marijuana.

Psychotherapeutic drugs: 53.9 percent of those who used marijuana before the age of 15 report that they have also tried to use psychotherapeutic drugs for non-medical uses. The rate for those who have not used marijuana is 5.1 percent.

It is clear that marijuana use can pre-dispose people for substance abuse later in life.

Even with marijuana use on the decline in general, it is clear that with 2.1 million people using marijuana for the first time each year, this is still an issue.

 

Marijuana Withdrawal

Contrary to popular myth, research has shown that marijuana users often suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These include changes in appetite and sleep and mood disturbances, which have lasting effects on significant life areas and interpersonal relationships. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms also include restlessness, sweating, insomnia, weakened immune system and intense mood swings.

 

 

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