Marijuana Padlet – What You Need to Know Summary Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/jillwarner/xehf4gsiapyj

Marijuana’s Effect on the Brain It is physically & mentally (psychologically) addictive Marijuana causes amotivational syndrome making the user unable to motivate themselves to achieve long-term goals. It can have stimulant, depressant, & hallucinogenic effects on the brain and body Stimulant Effect: Increased heart rate & blood pressure Depressant Effect: Impaired judgment & decision-making; Slowed reaction time; Decreased memory, etc Hallucinogen Effect: Thinking/seeing things that aren’t there or irrational thought process

Marijuana’s Effect on the Lungs Anything that is smoked is harmful to your lungs Smoking marijuana can lead to all of the same lung damage as smoking tobacco cigarettes since it also has a lot (up to 4 times more) carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and tar Examples: Chronic Bronchitis, Emphysema, Lung Cancer

THC Drug compound in marijuana plant that makes someone feel high Provides NO medical benefit THC content is continuously rising 1960’s –THC level = 1-4% Today- THC level = anywhere between 7% - 40% (possibly even more!) THC is fat soluble (stays stored in the body’s fat cells) Remember – Organs such as the Brain, Lungs, Ovaries & Testicles are mainly fat cells/tissue

CBD Drug compound in marijuana plant that DOES have a medical benefit NOT FDA approved so still not tested and verified to be safe & effective The higher the THC content, the lower the CBD content (Increased THC = Decreased CBD which lowers the medical benefits of the drug)

Medical Marijuana NOT used to CURE any illness but may help to reduce signs/symptoms NO medical marijuana is FDA approved -- even if it is prescribed and given by a doctor! NO marijuana is FDA approved to be safe or effective (medical, recreational, pills, oils, edibles – none of it!)

Edibles Since they are not FDA approved you cannot trust the label You do not know how much THC is actually in the product Marijuana edibles are appealing to kids because they look like regular food/candy products There have been many cases of dangerous accidental ingestion

Marijuana - Teen Use Any damage done to the teen brain is more likely to be permanent (irreversible) since it is still developing & is less resilient than the fully-developed adult brain Marijuana is a Gateway Drug This means that it is more likely that the user will move on to use more dangerous and addictive drugs. Not every who uses marijuana goes on to harder drugs, but nearly everyone who goes on to harder drugs started with marijuana.

One More Thing to Know & Consider: Marijuana can be laced with other substances; including more dangerous & addictive drugs Some marijuana is laced with acid (LSD), PCP, heroin, or even chemicals like formaldehyde. This is done to achieve “return customers” and increase the “high” for customers who have developed tolerance.