< PreviousEffects on the Body Short-Term Effects of Marijuana Use: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Marijuana affects each person differently according to: • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ Long-Term Effects of Marijuana Use: Heart: ______________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Lungs: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ How long does marijuana stay in the body? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6859Effects on Behavior Marijuana changes how the brain works. It attaches to receptors in the brain, and for most people, it tells their brain and body to feel calm and relaxed. It can change behavior too, including increased anxiety. Short-Term Effects: • Feel less coordinated and react more slowly • Altered sense of time • Feeling relaxed • Anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic (when taken in high doses) • Feeling really hungry Long-Term Effects: • Problems with memory and learning skills • Increased risk of mental health problems Other Issues Associated with Marijuana Use Reduced school performance. Students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school than their peers who do not use. Reduced life satisfaction. Research suggests that people who use marijuana regularly for a long time are less satisfied with their lives and have more problems with friends and family compared to people who do not use marijuana. Impaired driving. Marijuana affects skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time—so it’s not safe to drive high, or to ride with someone using marijuana. High school seniors who smoke marijuana are 2X more likely to receive a traffic ticket and 65% more likely to get into an accident than other teens. Use of other drugs. Young people who use marijuana are more likely to try other illegal drugs. Exposure to addictive substances, like marijuana, may cause changes to the developing brain that make other drugs more appealing. Someone who uses marijuana is more likely to be in contact with people who use and sell other drugs, increasing the risk for being tempted to try them. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6860Effects on Behavior How can marijuana affect other areas of life? How does marijuana use change behavior? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Short-Term Behavior Effects: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ School: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Life Satisfaction: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Driving: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Drug Use: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Long-Term Behavior Effects: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6860Is Marijuana Addictive? Why can smoking marijuana lead to other drug use? • ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ • ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ What is marijuana use disorder? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Factors that can Cause Addiction: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Approximately __________ % of those who use marijuana will become addicted . This rate increases to __________ % if users start in their teens. The rate goes up to ______________ % among daily users. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6861Is Marijuana Addictive? Does marijuana use lead to other drug use? Long-term studies of drug use patterns show that very few high school students use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. However, many young people who use marijuana do not go on to use other drugs. To explain why some do, here are a few theories: • Exposure to marijuana may affect the brain, particularly during development, which continues into the early 20s. Effects may include changes to the brain that make other drugs more appealing. • Someone who is using marijuana is likely to be in contact with other users and sellers of other drugs, increasing the risk of being encouraged or tempted to try them. • People at risk of using drugs may use marijuana first because it is easy to get (like cigarettes and alcohol). Yes. Marijuana is addictive. Of course, not everyone who smokes marijuana will become addicted—that depends on a many factors. But, repeated marijuana use can lead to addiction. Research shows that approximately 9% of those who use marijuana will become addicted. This rate increases to 17% if they start in their teens, and goes up to 25–50% among daily users. Marijuana Use Disorder Approximately 10% of people who use marijuana may develop what is called a marijuana use disorder—problems with their health, school, friendships, family or other conflicts in their life. A serious substance use disorder is commonly called an addiction. The person can’t stop using marijuana even though it gets in the way of daily life. What causes one person to become addicted to marijuana, while another does not, depends on many factors— including family history (genetics), the age they start using, if they use other drugs, family and friend relationships, and if they take part in positive activities like school, after school clubs or sports. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6861Consequences of Using Marijuana Some people believe marijuana cannot be harmful because it is “ natural .” But not all natural plant substances are good for you. Name 3 other drugs from plants that are not good for you: • ___________________________________ • ___________________________________ • ___________________________________ Negative Consequences of Marijuana Use Driving: ____________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ School: ____________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Psychosis/Panic: __________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6862Consequences of Using Marijuana Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States by teens as well as adults. Some people believe marijuana cannot be harmful because it is “ natural .” But not all natural plant substances are good for you— tobacco , cocaine , and heroin also come from plants. Driving School Marijuana is linked to school failure. Its negative effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for days and sometimes weeks—especially if used often. Someone who smokes marijuana daily may have a ‘dimmed-down’ brain most or all of the time. Compared with their peers who don’t use, students who use marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. Research even shows that it can lower your IQ. Psychosis/Panic Some people experience an acute psychotic reaction (disturbed perceptions and thoughts, paranoia) or panic attacks while under the influence of high doses of marijuana. It can worsen psychotic symptoms in people who already have the mental illness schizophrenia, and it can increase the risk of long- lasting psychosis in some people. Marijuana is the most common illegal drug involved in auto fatalities . It is found in the blood of around 14% of drivers who die in accidents, often in combination with alcohol or other drugs. Marijuana affects skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction time—so it’s not safe to drive high or to ride with someone who’s been using marijuana. Being high makes is hard to judge distances. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6862Marijuana as Medicine Isn’t marijuana sometimes used as a medicine? Research shows that some of the chemicals in marijuana — called cannabinoids—can help people with cancer and other serious diseases. But this doesn’t mean that everyone who is sick should use marijuana. The government has approved a few medicines in pill form that have marijuana chemicals in them but don’t make you high. Only a doctor can prescribe these medicines. This is not the same type of marijuana that people usually smoke. Scientists continue to investigate safe ways that THC and other marijuana ingredients can be used as medicine. Is marijuana legal? Laws about marijuana for recreational use vary state by state but it is not legal for teens in any state in the USA. Cannabinoids as Medicine Here are some samples of cannabinoids that have been approved or are being tested as medicines : THC: The cannabinoid that can make you “high”—THC—has some medicinal properties. Two laboratory-made versions of THC, nabilone and dronabinol , have been approved by the federal government to treat nausea, prevent sickness and vomiting from chemotherapy in cancer patients , and increase appetite in some patients with AIDS. CBD: Another chemical in marijuana with potential therapeutic effects is called cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD doesn’t have mind- altering effects and is being studied for its possible uses as medicine. Side Effects It is important to remember that smoking marijuana can have side effects, making it difficult to develop as a medicine. For example, it can harm lung health , impair judgment and affect memory. Side effects like this might outweigh its value as a medical treatment, especially for people who are not very sick. Another problem with smoking or eating marijuana plant material is that the ingredients can vary a lot from plant to plant, so it is difficult to get an exact dose. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6863What are some side effects of using marijuana as medicine? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Marijuana as Medicine Isn’t marijuana sometimes used as a medicine? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Cannabinoids as Medicine THC: ______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ CBD: ______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Is marijuana legal? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6863Preventing Marijuana Use Does dating or being friends with someone who smokes increase your chance of using marijuana? Research shows that people who have friends who use drugs are more likely to use drugs themselves. But, we don’t really know why this is the case. It could be that, by hanging out with drug users, teens have more chances to try drugs. Why do young people use marijuana? Young people start using marijuana for many reasons. Curiosity, peer pressure, and the desire to fit in with friends are common ones. For some, drug use begins as a means of coping with anxiety, anger, depression, or boredom. But, in fact, being high can be a way of simply avoiding the problems and challenges of growing up. Research also suggests that family members’ use of alcohol and drugs plays a strong role in whether a young person starts using drugs. Indeed, all aspects of a teen’s environment —home, school, and community—can influence if he or she will try drugs. What if a person wants to quit using marijuana? Researchers are testing different ways to help marijuana users stay off the drug, including some medications. Current treatment programs focus on counseling and group support systems. There are a number of programs designed especially to help teenagers. Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-6864Next >