What is marijuana?
Marijuana is the mind-altering substance
produced from a plant with the scientific name Cannabis sativa. The
drug is used because its primary active chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), may induce relaxation and heighten the senses.
Marijuana generally refers to the dried,
shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis plant. This
mixture typically is green, brown, or gray in color and may resemble
tobacco. While lower quality marijuana usually includes all parts of
the cannabis plant, higher quality marijuana often is composed only of
the buds and flowering top of the plant.
How is it used?
Users typically smoke marijuana as a
cigarette, known as a joint, or in a pipe or bong. The drug also is
smoked using blunts--cigars that have been hollowed out and refilled
with marijuana, sometimes in combination with other drugs such as
crack cocaine. Marijuana also has been mixed with foods or brewed as a
tea.
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Individuals of all ages use marijuana--data reported in the National Household Survey on Drug
Abuse indicate that 37 percent of U.S. residents aged 12 and older
used marijuana at least once in their lifetime. The survey also
revealed that a significant percentage of teenagers and young adults
use marijuana--20 percent of individuals aged 12 to 17 and 50 percent
of individuals aged 18 to 25 used the drug at least once.
Marijuana use among high school students is a
particular problem. Nearly half (48%) of high school seniors in the
United States used the drug at least once in their lifetime, and 22
percent used the drug in the past month, according to the University
of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey.
What are the risks?
Even at lower doses marijuana impairs
attention and coordination and affects the way the mind processes
information. Because of these effects marijuana use has contributed to
automobile, household, and occupational accidents, resulting in harm
to the user and to others. High doses of marijuana may result in image
distortion, loss of personal identity, and
hallucinations.
The abuse of marijuana also can cause serious
physical and mental problems including frequent respiratory
infections, impaired memory and learning ability, increased heart
rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. Individuals who regularly abuse the
drug may experience the same problems as tobacco smokers including
cough, phlegm, chronic bronchitis, and frequent chest colds. In
addition, because marijuana contains toxins and carcinogens marijuana
smokers increase their risk of cancer of the head, neck, lungs, and
respiratory tract.
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What is it called?
There are hundreds of slang, or street, terms
for marijuana, and both the terms and their meanings can vary from one
part of the country to another. The most common names for marijuana
are grass, pot, and weed. (Please see the Street Terms text box below
for additional names.)
Street Terms for Marijuana
420
Acapulco gold
BC bud
Buddha
Cheeba
Chronic |
Dope
Ganja
Green goddess
Herb
Homegrown |
Hydro
Indo
KGB (killer green bud)
Kindbud |
Locoweed
Mary Jane
Shake
Sinsemilla
Skunk
Wacky tabacky |
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Is Marijuana illegal?
Yes, marijuana is illegal. Marijuana is a
Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I
drugs, which include heroin and LSD, have a high potential for abuse
and serve no legitimate medical purpose in the United States.
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Other products of interest:
Check out Fast Facts on:
- Crack cocaine
- Crystal methamphetamine
- GHB
- Heroin
- Inhalants
- Jimsonweed
- Ketamine
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- Khat
- LSD
- MDMA
- Methamphetamine
- PCP
- Powdered cocaine
- Prescription drugs
- Yaba
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Also available from NDIC:
- Huffing--The Abuse of Inhalants
- Prescription Drug Abuse and Youth
- Drugs, Youth, and the Internet
For more information on illicit drugs check out our web site at:
www.usdoj.gov/ndic. Call 814-532-4541 to request NDIC products.
Our addresses:
National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown , PA 15901-1622
Telephone: 814-532-4601
FAX: 814-532-4690
NDIC Washington Liaison Office
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1001
McLean , VA 22102-3840
Telephone: 703-556-8970
FAX: 703-556-7807
NDIC publications are available on the following web sites:
ADNET http://ndicosa
LEO home.leo.gov/lesig/ndic
RISS ndic.riss.net
INTERNET www.usdoj.gov/ndic
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