1. Tawnya A. Fabian Wake Forest University February, 2015
A New Leaf: Modern Day Marijuana Health Risks and The Detrimental Effects on Education for Regular Teen Users
Tawnya A. Fabian
Wake Forest University
February, 2015

2. Marijuana: dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)*
Smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or in pipes (bongs)
Can be mixed in food or brewed as tea
Hash oil concentrate, a powerful distillation of marijuana's essential active ingredients, is mixed into many new and popular cannabis products: edibles, drinks and liquids that can be "smoked" in vaporizer pens like e-cigarettes.**
*National Institute on Drug Abuse **CNBC

3. In 2012, 6.5% of high school students reported smoking marijuana daily, up from 2.4% in (The American Psychological Association)
The National Institute of Health reports in 2014:
11.7% of 8th-graders reported marijuana use in the past year; 6.5% were current users
27.3% of 10th-graders reported marijuana use in the past year; 16.6% were current users
35.1% of 12th graders reported marijuana use in the past year; 21.2% were current users
A Denver Post (2014) article notes, “more teens think it’s safe to use marijuana- although so far, it hasn’t shown up in rising usage in Colorado.” However, as “more than half of all teens already say pot is ‘sort of very easy’ to get… and it’s getting progressively easier as youths move through ninth to 12th grades, “Colorado researchers will continue to investigate the teenage use of marijuana,” and how/where they are able to gain access to marijuana.
PREVALENCE AND TRENDS

4. PREVALENCE AND TRENDS A 2014 report by NIDA indicates:
Most marijuana use begins in adolescence: 78% of the 2.4 million people who began using in the last year were aged 12 to 20.
As perception of harm decreases, teen marijuana use increases.
Every day, 3,287 teens use marijuana for the first time
A 2015 report by NIDA indicates young people believe that marijuana is a safe drug likely due to recent public discussions about medical marijuana, and the public debate over the drug’s legal status. Some teens believe marijuana cannot be harmful because it is “natural.”

5. Debunking Teenage Beliefs about the Safety of Marijuana
PBS has compiled a fact sheet on its website reporting the dangers of marijuana, including:
The daily use of 1 to 3 marijuana joints appears to produce approximately the same lung damage and potential cancer risk as smoking 5 times as many cigarettes. A UCLA study suggests that the way smokers inhale marijuana, in addition to its chemical composition, increases the adverse physical effects. The same lung cancer risks associated with tobacco also apply to marijuana users, even though they smoke far less. (NOTE: The American Cancer Society published a study that found a possible link between using marijuana and testicular cancer.)
Heavy marijuana use can affect hormones in both males and females. Heavy doses of the drugs may delay the onset of puberty in young men. Marijuana also can have adverse effects on sperm production. Among women, regular marijuana use can disrupt the normal monthly menstrual cycle and inhibit the discharge of eggs from the ovaries.
An "amotivational syndrome" can develop in heavy, chronic marijuana users. It is characterized by decreased drive and ambition, shortened attention span, poor judgment, high distractibility, impaired communication skills, and diminished effectiveness in interpersonal situations.

6. Long-term use of marijuana can lead to:
The Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outlines the following dangers associated with the use of marijuana:
Increased aggression
Car accidents
Use of other drugs or alcohol
Risky sexual behaviors
Increased risk of suicide
Increased risk of psychosis
Long-term use of marijuana can lead to:
The same breathing problems as smoking cigarettes (coughing, wheezing, trouble with physical activity, and lung cancer
Decreased motivation or interest
Mental health problems (depression, anxiety, anger, moodiness, and psychosis)
Decreased or lack of response to mental health medication
Increased risk of side effects from mental health medication

7. “DABBING”
Gives an intense high much beyond the mellow effects of a joint
Hash oil concentrate is an extremely potent form of THC
Regular marijuana might contain 15% to 18% THC, hash oil concentrate gets closer to 80% or even 90%
Marijuana trim (also known as “bud”) is infused with a hydrocarbon, usually butane gas
Butane strips the THC out of the plant creating marijuana concentrate; remnants laced with butane, resulting in honey-like substance called “shatter” or “wax”
The concentrate, shatter, or wax is placed in a bowl heated by a blowtorch – the dab vaporizes instantaneously and the user sucks up the smoke – almost pure THC
Additional risk of fire and explosion when trying to extract hash oil using butane
*CNBC, “Marijuana in America: Colorado Pot Rush”

8. The Definition of the Problem: Marijuana Use and the Effect on Education
According to The American Psychological Association, frequent marijuana use can have a significant negative effect on the brains of teenagers and young adults, including:
Cognitive decline
Poor attention and memory
Decreased IQ – between 6 and 8 points for regular users
Also, regular cannabis use – once a week – is not safe and may result in addiction and neurocognitive damage, especially in youth.

9. The Root of the Problem: TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL – “THC”
Affects the brain’s control of emotions, thinking and coordination
Acts on specific molecular targets on brain cells, called cannaboid receptors
The highest density of cannabinoid receptors is found in parts of the brain that influence:
Pleasure
Memory
Concentration
Sensory and time perception
Coordinated movement
*American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

10. HOW MARIJUANA AFFECTS THE BRAIN*
PATHWAY to DESTRUCTION
THC passes from the lungs into the bloodstream
Carried to organs in the body, including the brain
As it enters the brain, THC attaches to cells, or neurons, specifically cannabinoid receptors
Part of a communication network called the endocannabinoid system
This system is important in normal brain development and function
Marijuana triggers an increase in the activity in the endocannabinoid system
Causes the release of dopamine, creating the “high”
Parts of the brain have a lot of cannabinoid receptors, and are most affected by marijuana:
Hippocampus – disrupts its normal function and leads to problems studying, learning new things, recalling recent events
Cerebellum – area of the brain that controls balance and coordination, influences activities such as sports and driving
Frontal Cortex – involves decision making
*National Institute of Drug Abuse

11. Reduced school performance*
Lower grades
More likely to drop out of high school than peers who do not smoke
Effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for days or weeks
Impaired driving*
Alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time all affected
High school seniors who smoke marijuana are 2X more likely to receive a traffic ticket and 65% more like to get into an accident
In 2011, 12.5% of 12th graders reported that within the past 2 weeks they had driven after using marijuana
*National Institute of Drug Abuse

12. UP IN SMOKE
UNLESS we choose to

13. Principles of Prevention
The National Institute on Drug Abuse identifies a number of principles that are applicable as best practices for group, school, family, and community levels ( For schools, specifically:
Prevention programs for middle or junior high and high school students should increase academic and social competence with the following skills:
Study habits and academic support
Communication
Peer relationships
Self-efficacy and assertiveness
Drug resistance skills
Reinforcement of anti-drug attitudes
Strengthening of personal commitments against drug abuse

14. Principles of Prevention
Prevention programs should include teacher training on good classroom management practices, such as rewarding appropriate student behavior. Such techniques help to foster students' positive behavior, achievement, academic motivation, and school bonding.
Prevention programs are most effective when they employ interactive techniques, such as peer discussion groups and parent role-playing that allow for active involvement in learning about drug abuse and reinforcing skills.

15. FOR EDUCATORS, from SCHOLASTIC AND NIDA MARIJUANA: DOWNLOAD THE FACTS
PORTIONS OF A LETTER FROM
DR. NORA VOLKOW,
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
As an educator, you are aware of how important it is for teens to have reliable information about drugs. Scholastic and the scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have created this poster/teaching guide to help students learn how to distinguish facts from myths.
The lessons and critical-thinking activities will give your students important tools to help them analyze the meaning behind media and social messages.
Includes a full-color mini-poster for the classroom, four turnkey lesson plans and activity sheets, and is aligned with national standards

16. Lesson One: Marijuana Facts
Lesson One: Marijuana Facts. Students will review some basic facts about marijuana, and understand how to use this knowledge, along with critical thinking skills, to make informed decisions about marijuana use.
Lesson Two: Consider the Source. Students will understand the difference between a fact that can be verified and a personal opinion. Students will also determine the difference between an opinion based on facts vs. an opinion based on special interest.
Lesson Three: Think it Through. Students will learn how to “read” and understand editorial cartoons
Lesson Four: Analyzing Media Messages. Students will practice analyzing messages in popular song or music video to better understand the number of messages they are exposed to and how, over tine that exposure
*Scholastic

17. REFERENCES
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2014). Marijuana and Teens. Retrieved from
American Cancer Society (2012). Study Links Marijuana Use to Testicular Cancer. Retrieved from
Budney, A.J., Roffman, , R., Stephens, R.S., Walker, D. (2007). Marijuana dependence and its treatment. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 4(1), Retrieved from articles/PMC /
National Institute of Drug Abuse (2015). Drug Facts: Marijuana. Retrieved from
Public Broadcast System (2014). Marijuana in the Body. Retrieved from frontline/shows/dope/body/
Scholastic (2015). Marijuana Facts: Breaking Down the Facts. Retrieved from
Seupel, C. W., and H. Smith. Marijuana in America: Colorado Pot Rush. CNBC. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 26 Feb Television.
The American Psychological Association (2014). Regular Marijuana Use Bad for Teens’ Brains. Retrieved from
The Denver Post (December 26, 2014). Marijuana Increases in Colorado, According to a New Federal Survey. Retrieved from article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItenRelationshipld=