Marijuana

"Marijuana"

Changing our Youth

Drugs in young people are one of the major problems concerning the younger generations. Drugs effect the youth of Americans greatly and they are one of the major problems in society today. In this book report I chose to focus on Marijuana because it is the most commonly used illegal drugs in teenagers.

Marijuana is made from the dried flowers and leaves of the plant Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana can look like dried herbs or tea it can be green, grey or brown. Marijuana is usually smoked in hand rolled cigarettes called "joints or blunts" or in pipes called bongs, steam rollers and even vaporizers. Sometimes it is mixed in with cakes and biscuits and eaten. The Cannabis plant grows wildly in places like India and Jamaica and these are the country's that first discovered its effects on the body. Marijuana was introduced into the United States in the early 1900's and was quickly made illegal. There are still places that you can buy it legally; one of these places is Amsterdam where some people's way of life is based around it. Every year Amsterdam holds a contest called the Cannabis Cup where anyone can come and participate in the smoking and judging potency of marijuana for a week long of getting high.

Marijuana contains a chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) this is the chemical that creates the "High" feeling. This means you change in mood and may see or feel things in a different way. Some parts of the plant contain a higher level of THC than others for example the buds and flowers contain more than the leaves and stems. The level of THC also depends on how the plant is grown many plants are grown using Hydroponics and this makes them much stronger. Hydroponics is the growing of marijuana in water. When marijuana is smoked the THC effects the brain by going into the lungs and then into the bloodstream where it travels into the brain and this is when the feeling of being"high" occurs. This can happen within a few minutes and can last for up to six to eight hours. When it is eaten the THC is absorbed more slowly into the blood as it has to pass through the stomach and the intestines. It can take up to one hour to get the "high" effect and it can last up to 12 hours. THC is quickly absorbed into body fat it is then released very slowly back into the blood it can take up to one month for one dose of THC to leave the body.

The effects of Marijuana on the body will depend on: how much you take, how strong it is, how it is taken, your size weight and health, your mood, your experience with marijuana and many other factors.

It has many short term effects these are: Problems with memory, learning, distorted perceptions, trouble with thinking, problem-solving, loss of motor coordination, increase heart rate, anxiety,