Cannabis Sativa Leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds are smoked, combined with food, or brewed as tea Marijuana – dried leaves and flowers Hashish – concentrated, resinous substance from the top of the female cannabis plant Hash oil – sticky black liquid Delta-9-Tetrahydro-Cannabinol Abbreviated THC; the active chemical in marijuana

The High Pervasive sense of well-being and happiness A series of cellular reaction is kicked off by membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain binding to the THC THC connects to cannaboid receptors The receptors in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement

Marijuana Abuse The most commonly used illicit drug in the United States The marijuana available today is 5 times more potent than what was available in the 1970s Marijuana abusers accounted for 15% of admissions to drug treatment facilities in the United States in % male 55% white 40% were ages % abused the drug by age 14 92% abused the drug by age 18

Short-Term Effects Mood Many feel happy Some feel anxious and paranoid Mood may be easily influenced by others’ behavior Temporal Disintegration Trouble retaining and organizing information Problems with learning, problem solving, and memory Disjointed speech and lapses in attention and concentration Distorted Perception Loss of Coordination Increased Heart Rate

Long-Term Effects Brain Increase in activation of the stress-response system Changes in activity of nerve cells containing dopamine Heart Risk of heart attack quadruples in the 1 st hour after smoking marijuana Lungs Daily cough, phlegm, acute chest illness, heightened risk of lung infection Increased risk of cancer– marijuana contains 50—70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke Impaired Immune System

Long-Term Effects Learning and Social Behavior Depression, anxiety, personality disturbances Impaired memory, attention, and learning up to 4 weeks after use Addiction Most evidence suggests that people do not develop a tolerance to THC Reverse tolerance – becoming more sensitive to the effects of marijuana with repeated use (not laboratory tested) With long-term use, smoking marijuana may become a compulsive behavior

Medicinal Marijuana Early studies found that marijuana relieves nausea and vomiting accompanying cancer chemotherapy FDA approved synthetic form of oral THC which is now used to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients and AIDS wasting Use inhalers with purified active ingredients of marijuana rather than smoking Current studies looking at using marijuana to treat tremors in multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, CD4 immunity in AIDS, and neuropathic pain

Medicinal Marijuana No current accepted medical use in the United States Too few scientific studies conducted to determine therapeutic utility of marijuana Negatively affects almost every organ, the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the respiratory/pulmonary system, and the immune systems In order for the drug to be approved for medicinal use, the benefits must outweigh the risks

Sarah Kreiger Psyc 213 Substance abuse disorders