Marihuana

The use of the Cannabis plant dates back well over 5000 years. The compound delta –9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the active ingredient in cannabis that is responsible for it’s psychoactive properties and when present cannabis is known as Marihuana. Hemp, cannabis with less than 0.3% THC, has been used for thousands of years to produce rope, paper, and clothing. Hemp seeds have been used as a source of food and oil.

What does Marihuana look like?

Marihuana in its plant form is a green plant most often with five to seven fingered leaves that will typically grow to reach a height of six to twelve feet. Processed marihuana is most commonly a green, brown or gray mixture of dried leaves, stems, seeds and buds. Marihuana can also be seen in the form of Hash, or Hashish. Hash is dried and pressed resin from the marihuana plant.
Who uses marihuana?

Marihuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. It is estimated that at least one-third of all Americans have used marihuana at least once in their lives. In a study on the availability to get marihuana most teens advised that they were able to get marihuana with only slight or moderate difficulty.

How is Marihuana ingested?

Marihuana in most often smoked. Commonly, dried marihuana will be hand rolled into cigarettes for smoking. Dried marihuana can also be placed into a variety smoking devices known as pipes or bongs and smoked. Another popular method is to smoke marihuana from a “blunt,’ a hollowed out cigar with the tobacco being replace by marihuana. Marihuana can also be ingested in the form of baked goods that are then eaten.

What are the effects of marihuana usage?

Marihuana is an addictive, hallucinogenic drug that often produces feeling of well being and euphoria. It also can cause sudden anxiety attacks, panic and hallucinations. Marihuana increases the heart rate typically 30% to 50% above normal and can cause a moderate increase in blood pressure. A slight drop in body temperature, reddening of the eyes, and dryness of the mouth and throat are also common with marihuana use. The use of marihuana impairs a person’s ability to judge time and distance and affects their overall motor skills.

What are the consequences of marihuana use?

With over 400 different chemicals in the marihuana plant, users often experience frequent respiratory infection, impaired memory and learning abilities. The use of marihuana by a mother during the first month of breast-feeding can impair infant motor development. Chronic smokers experience the same respiratory problem of cigarette smokers including daily cough and phlegm, bronchitis symptoms, and frequent chest colds and cause damage to lung tissue.

What about the medical use of marihuana?

The smoking of marihuana as a useable form of medical treatment is a myth. Medical marihuana already exists in a prescription drug called Marinol. Marinol comes in pill form with THC as the active ingredient that has been found to relieve nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatment. It also has been found to be effective in assisting with loss of appetite in AIDS patients. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no approved medications that are smoked. Smoking is a poor way to deliver medicine. It does not provide a method to administer a safe, regulated dosage. Further the harmful chemicals and carcinogens released during smoking create a whole new range of health problems. There is four times the tar in a marihuana cigarette than in a tobacco cigarette.