One of the corps members compiled the following information about marijuana. You might be surprised to learn some of the realities of this drug.
Misconceptions about Marijuana:
1. Marijuana is not as harmful as cigerettes.
Although thtis statement might seam reasonable it is not. One joint packed with marijuana has the same intake level of tar as four cigerettes. This is true on more than one level. Marijuana is smoked to extinction while a cigerette is tossed out after two inches are smoked.
2. Marijuana is not addicting.
Marijuana is a drug, it is very addicting. Along with alcohol there is research that suggest that you can be predisposed to addiction before you ever try marijuana. This means that some first time experimenters can get hooked on marijuana extrememly easily.
3. Marijuana can not cause lung cancer.
Since the intake of Marijuana is much greater then that of a single cigerette there is a logical relationship with lung cancer. Although there is no certain proof that there is a direct relationship there are studies that suggest marijuana and lung cancer are related.
4. Driving drunk is bad, driving high is not.
Another false fact is that driving high is better than driving drunk. This street knowledge is extremely wrong. Marijuana can cause the same amount of damage as alcohol. In fact marijuana can impair driving skills for four hours after smoking a single joint.
5. Marijuana does not have any long term effects.
One of the scientifically proven facts about the harm of marijuana is the effect that it has on the long term memory. It can impair your brain so that you can't remember certain issues of problems.
Although most people might believe that the above misconceptions are true, they are definatly false. Marijuana is a very serious drug.
Where does Marijuana come from?
Marijuana is grown in a lot of different places in the world. It comes from a plant named Cannabis Sativa. Althought the hemp plant that produces marijuana is natural, American marijuana is sold laced with over four hundred chemicals. Marijuana can be smoked or eaten.
What can Marijuana do to me?
Like any other drug marijuana has certain long term and short term effects on the human body. It can impair vision, distort perception, increase blood pressure, possible lung damage,loss of long term memory and chemical dependency. People put it in rolling papers to make marijuana cigarettes, smoke it in bongs or pipes, or mix it in baked goods or tea and eat or drink it. The cannabis plant also yields hashish, a stronger form of marijuana, and hash oil, the stongest form that has very high levels of THC, the psycho active ingredients in cannabis.
Common Street Names: pot, weed, herb, green, mary jane, MJ, joints, bong took, reefer.
Legal Status
Marijuana is a Schedule I drug. It is illegal to grow, sell, buy or use marijuana, hashish or hashish oil. Synthetic THC capsules are available by prescription to treat the nausea that cance patients sometimes suffer. No form of the smoked drug has been approved as safe or effective for any medical use.
