CHAPTER 2

LESSON 10 MARIJUANA
WHAT KIND OF DRUG IS MARIJUANA?

• As of right now marijuana is an illegal drug

in many states that is extracted from the
hemp plant.
• Along with tobacco, marijuana is known as
a gateway drug.
• The effects of of marijuana are different for
people. This is due to the fact that marijuana
contains more than 400 chemicals and 70 of
these chemicals are mind-altering.
HOW IS MARIJUANA USED?

• Generally, the leaves and buds of the hemp plant

are rolled like tobacco into marijuana cigarettes
or joints and smoked
• The rest of the plant is either discarded or boiled
down and used to make hashish, a concentrated
form of marijuana resins that is smoked in a pipe.
• When marijuana is smoked, the major mind-
altering chemical in the drug- THC enters the
blood through the lungs and affects the brain in
about 30 secs.
WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF
MARIJUANA?
• The chemicals in marijuana are absorbed
in the blood and carried to the brain and
other organs.
• Marijuana causes a drop in body
temperature, an increase in heart rate and
blood pressure, reddening of the eyes,
dryness of the mouth and throat, and an
increase in appetite.
• Marijuana also creates mood changes and
can produce effects called hallucinations,
or belief that something imagined is real.
• All of these effects become more and
more harmful as the strength of marijuana
are bred to contain more than 10 percent
THC. Sinsemilla, which is produced from
the female Cannabis plant without seeds is
an example.
WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF
MARIJUANA?
• Chronic lung disease has been found in
some marijuana users.
• One joint can be as damaging to the
lungs as four to 20 regular cigarettes.
• Studies also indicate that marijuana may
depress the body’s immune system,
thereby interfering with its effectiveness
in fighting infections and diseases.

• One cancer-causing chemical found in

tobacco smoke- benzopyrene- is found in
marijuana smoke at a level of
concentration 70 percent higher.
WHAT IS MARIJUANA ESPECIALLY HARMFUL TO
ADOLESCENTS?
• Marijuana use can impair both short-term
and long-term development.
• Users tend to become increasingly apathetic
about school and relationships.
• Many suffer a decline in school.
• As life gets more difficult and less exciting
because of marijuana use, teenage marijuana
users withdraw from everyday life.
HEATED MARIJUANA DEBATE - GLOVES OFF WITH PATRICK BET-DAVID - EP 1