1. Marijuana Unit [High School Name]

2.  Learning Objective 1: Describe what marijuana is, and identify the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

3.  Learning Objective 2: List 3 major brain regions effected by marijuana use, and explain how their functions are impacted.

4.  Learning Objective 3: Explain how research on marijuana has found it to have effects on the heart, lungs, or psychological health.

5.  Learning Objective 4: Summarize at least two short term risks and two long term risks of adolescent cannabis use.

6. What is Marijuana?  Marijuana is the flower of the cannabis plant – people smoke the buds, leaves and stems of the plant. Oil and resin can be extracted from the plant and used as well.  Marijuana can be prepared into several different forms where it is then smoked, eaten, dabbed, or vaped.

7. What is in Marijuana?  Marijuana contains a psychoactive (which means it changes your thoughts and moods) ingredient called Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.  Marijuana has over 400 other chemicals in it.

8. You may be thinking why “others”? Marijuana-sedative hypnotic (Jung, 2001): relaxes mood, helps with sleep. Marijuana may also be referred to as a hallucinogen, depressant, and stimulant because of its varying effects on people. PSILOCYBIN

9. Given what you already know about marijuana, what would you say is important that the public should know about marijuana? What groups of people should be educated about the effects of marijuana? Question

10. The Brain  Your brain has many parts, each of which controls different activities that you do, like seeing, thinking and responding.  Messages are relayed through your brain and body through cells called neurons. Neurons work like dominoes. Each neuron sends a message to the next one in line, setting off a chain reaction. There are over 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons in your brain.

11. How Marijuana Works in the Brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvszaF4vcNY THC shares the same basic shape as a natural substance in our brain (anandamide) and fits into the same brain receptor sites (Grotenhermen, 2004). Marijuana’s effects occur because THC is similar enough in structure to this natural substance and it is able to affect pathways and specific regions of our brain that anandamide typically influences such as memory, appetite, pain perception, coordination and attention. Helpful video link:

12. THC shares the same basic shape as one of the neurotransmitters in our brains. THC doesn’t naturally occur in our brains, but it can still fit into the receptors on our neurons. When people smoke marijuana, so much THC enters their brains that it overloads the receptors on the neurons. That’s when people begin to experience the effects of marijuana.

13. Brain areas and how they are affected by marijuana use Important in memory, learning, regulating sleep Important in coordination, movement, and time estimation Important for controlling emotion and mood Important for reward, pleasure and reinforcement and compulsiveness. Important in nervous system function, and produces hormones. Also controls hunger, thirst and body temperature. Important in higher level thinking, ability to focus, and senses

14. Health Effects  Heart  Lungs  Psychological  Fetal Health

15. How marijuana affects the heart:  Heart rate can increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute.  May be at increased risk for heart attack after smoking marijuana.  Heart attack risk does not affect most individuals and is not considered a significant side effect of marijuana. Normal heart rate is approximately 70-80 beats per minute, so a novice user could experience a heart rate of roughly 140-160 beats per minute. Why? Increased blood pressure and heart rate and decreased ability to transport oxygen to the body after smoking marijuana. People with pre-existing heart conditions have an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

16. How marijuana affects the lungs:  Smoking marijuana can effect different aspects of the respiratory system, for example it can cause airway inflammation and resistance, and weaken your respiratory immune system.  On a daily basis, marijuana smokers experience more coughing, phlegm, wheezing, burning and stinging in throat or mouth Many researchers and experts feel that the negative effects of smoking marijuana on the lungs is a significant concern. Some evidence: stopping smoking can relieve symptoms.

17. How marijuana affects psychological health:  Marijuana users appear to be at increased risk for experiencing psychotic symptoms and disorders  Marijuana use is associated with anxiety and depression symptoms but does not appear to cause them Studies have shown that adults who smoked marijuana before the age of 12 were twice as likely as adults who did not smoke before the age of 18 to be classified as having a serious mental illness during the past year.

18. How marijuana affects fetal health: During pregnancy-  THC can cross the placenta and into the fetus  Marijuana has been found to sometimes lead to smaller birth weight, slower development when the child is born, difficulty sleeping, and behavioral complications later in life. Some research to support Prenatal Marijuana Exposure increases possibility of use in young adulthood.

19. Risks of Adolescent Cannabis Use – Short Term COGNITIVE : while high, a person has a shorter attention span, trouble learning new things, and impairments remembering things. These effects can last up to a month after marijuana use stops. MENTAL HEALTH : while high a person can experience panic, increase in anxiety, or psychosis, especially with high levels of THC ACADEMIC: On average, students who use regularly tend to get lower grades JUDGMENT: associated with impaired judgment and risky behaviors like unprotected sex or drugged driving.

20. Don’t be shy! STAND UP if you think marijuana has long term negative effects STAY SEATED if you don’t think marijuana has any long term negative effects Activity

21. Risks of Adolescent Cannabis Use – Long Term  ACADEMIC: Less likely to complete high school or enter higher education  EMPLOYMENT : Careers that are less successful, lower salaries  SOCIAL : Relationship problems and less satisfying relationships  MARIJUANA DEPENDENCE: Doubles your chance of becoming dependent on marijuana if you start in your teens. (9% for those who initiate use as an adult, 17% chance for teens).  MENTAL HEALTH: Elevated risk for a suicide attempt. Increased risk of psychotic episode.  COGNITIVE : Average decrease of 8 IQ points from age 13 to 38 among regular users

22. Activity & Discussion 1. Randomly select an occupation and act-out in front of the class, how marijuana use might specifically affect the performance of a person in that occupation. 2. With a small group of 2-4, discuss why you might think adolescent marijuana use is related to these long term effects such as lower education rates, and poor employment success. What about cannabis use in adolescents might contribute to these types of relationships researchers are finding?

23. Is Marijuana addictive? Hallmarks of physical dependence include: Withdrawal Cannabis (cannabinoid) withdrawal has been demonstrated in:  Non-human studies (primate, rodent, dog)  Clinical survey studies  Human inpatient/outpatient laboratory studies Tolerance Need more to experience the same effects The same amount has less effect than before What are some withdrawal symptoms you have heard of?

24. So can you become dependent?... Some marijuana users can become dependent on marijuana  Some may have difficulty quitting or controlling their use  Some continue to use even when they are aware of problems that it is causing  9% of people who have ever used become dependent  Risk of dependence increases with increased frequency and length of marijuana use  People who initiate use before age 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults.

25. Question