MARIJUANA

 Facts you should know about Marijuana:  

• Marijuana is a health hazard.
• Legalization does not work.
• Medical Marijuana - The Facts.
• Marijuana and Crime.
• Marijuana Quiz.

For parents:

• Get the Facts.
• Kids & Marijuana.
• Resources.

Marijuana

Street terms for marijuana: grass, pot, weed, bud, Mary Jane, dope, indo, hydro¹

What does marijuana look like?

• A green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. ("Cannabis" refers to marijuana and other drugs made from the same plant.)
• Other forms, less common in the United States , are hashish and hashish oil.

What are the methods of usage?

• Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint) or in a pipe or bong.

What are some consequences of marijuana use?

• May cause frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks, tolerance, and physical dependence.²
• Use of marijuana during the first month of breast-feeding can impair infant motor development.³
• Chronic smokers may have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers including daily cough and phlegm, chronic bronchitis symptoms, frequent chest colds; chronic abuse can also lead to abnormal functioning of lung tissues.⁴
• A study of college students has shown that skills related to attention, memory, and learning are impaired among people who use marijuana heavily, even after discontinuing its use for at least 24 hours.⁵

Who uses marijuana?

• Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug.
• At least one-third of Americans have used marijuana sometime in their lives.⁶

How does marijuana get to the United States ?

• Marijuana produced in Mexico and smuggled into the U.S. remains the most widely available.
• High-potency marijuana also enters the U.S. drug market from Canada .
• U.S. drug law enforcement reporting suggests increased availability of domestically grown marijuana.⁷
• The availability of marijuana from Southeast Asia generally is limited to the West Coast.

How much does marijuana cost?

• Prices for commercial-grade marijuana have remained relatively stable over the past decade, ranging from approximately $400 to $1,000 per pound in U.S. Southwest border areas to between $700 to $2000 per pound in the Midwest and northeastern United States .
• The national price range for sinsemilla, a higher quality marijuana usually grown domestically, is between $900 and $6,000 per pound.⁸

¹Office of National Drug Control Policy, Street Terms: Drugs and the Drug Trade.
²Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Descriptions: Marijuana, May 2002.
³National Institute on Drug Abuse, Marijuana Infofax, October 2001.
⁴Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Descriptions: Marijuana, May 2002.
⁵National Institute on Drug Abuse, Marijuana Infofax, October 2001.
⁶Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Summary of Findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, September 2001.
⁷Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Trafficking in the United States , September 2001.
⁸Ibid.

Information on marijuana came primarily from www.dea.gov.