Marijuana

Menstuff® has compiled the following information on Marijuana.


Uncle smokes weed with 2 and 5 year old nephews.

Myths & Facts About Marijuana
Marijuana sold in U.S. stronger than ever
U.S. Report Criticizes Canada for Marijuana Production
Long-Term Marijuana Use May Fog Memory
Long-term pot smokers find memories hazy
Marijuana puts kids at risk
In 'Bong Hits' Dissent, Stevens Compares Drug War to Prohibition
Firm Seeks OK for Cannabis-Based MS Drug
Scans show how cannabis affects brain
Richardson to legalize medical marijuana

Myths & Facts About Marijuana


Do you know the facts about marijuana? Here are some common myths.

MYTH: Marijuana is harmless.

FACT: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today and is more potent than ever. Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning, and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person's development. Getting high also impairs judgment, which can lead to risky decision making on issues like sex, criminal activity, or riding with someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, teens who use drugs are five times more likely to have sex than teens who do not use drugs. Getting high also contributes to general apathy, irresponsible behavior, and risky choices.

MYTH: You can't get addicted to marijuana.

FACT: Don’t be fooled by popular beliefs. Kids can get hooked on pot. Research shows that marijuana use can lead to addiction. Each year, more kids enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.

MYTH: There's not much parents can do to stop their kids from "experimenting" with marijuana.

FACT: Most parents are surprised to learn that they are the most powerful influence on their children when it comes to drugs. But, it's true, so this message needs to start with parents. Kids need to hear how risky marijuana use can be. They need to know how damaging it can be to their lives. And they need to begin by listening to someone they trust. By staying involved, knowing what their kids are doing, and setting limits with clear rules and consequences, parents can keep their kids drug-free.

Tell Your Kids to Say No...Even if You Didn't

MYTH: There are no long-term consequences to marijuana use.

FACT: Research shows that kids who smoke marijuana engage in risky behavior that can jeopardize their futures, like having sex, getting in trouble with the law, or losing scholarship money. Marijuana can also hurt academic achievement and puts kids at risk for depression and anxiety.

MYTH: Marijuana isn't as popular as other drugs like ecstasy among teens today.

FACT: Kids use marijuana far more than any other illicit drug. Among kids who use drugs, 60 percent use only marijuana.

MYTH: Young kids won't be exposed to marijuana.

FACT: Not only are they exposed to marijuana, they are using it. Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in 10 to one in five.

MYTH: Parents who experimented with marijuana in their youth would be hypocrites if they told their kids not to try it.

FACT: Parents need to make their own decisions about whether to talk to their children about their own drug use. But parents can tell their kids that much more is known today about the serious health and social consequences of using marijuana.
Source: www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/drug_info_truth_facts.asp

U.S. Report Criticizes Canada for Marijuana Production


The Bush administration's annual report on international drug trafficking says that Canada has not taken adequate steps to shut down marijuana grow operations across the border.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/us-report-criticizes-canada.html

In 'Bong Hits' Dissent, Stevens Compares Drug War to Prohibition


The U.S. Supreme Court's oldest member alluded to the nation's experience with alcohol Prohibition in dissenting from the high court's recent ruling in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" free-speech case.

The Washington Post reported June 27 that Justice John Paul Stevens, 87, drew on his own memories of Prohibition to argue against restricting the rights of high-school students to advocate for drug legalization. Stevens compared the current ban on marijuana use to Prohibition's ban on alcohol use.

"[T]he current dominant opinion supporting the war on drugs in general, and our anti-marijuana laws in particular, is reminiscent of the opinion that supported the nationwide ban on alcohol consumption when I was a student," said Stevens. "While alcoholic beverages are now regarded as ordinary articles of commerce, their use was then condemned with the same moral fervor that now supports the war on drugs."

Stevens was a teenager during Prohibition and grew up in the Chicago of Al Capone and speakeasies. His mother was a fervent supporter of Prohibition, but his father, a hotelier, had a more practical outlook, saying that repeal would help his business.

"[J]ust as Prohibition in the 1920's and early 1930's was secretly questioned by thousands of otherwise law-abiding patrons of bootleggers and speakeasies, today the actions of literally millions of otherwise law-abiding users of marijuana, and of the majority of voters in each of the several states that tolerate medicinal uses of the product, lead me to wonder whether the fear of disapproval by those in the majority is silencing opponents of the war on drugs," Stevens wrote in his dissent.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2007/in-bong-hits-dissent.html

Firm Seeks OK for Cannabis-Based MS Drug


GW Pharma has filed in Great Britain for approval of the cannabis-based drug Sativex, developed for treatment of muscle stiffness related to multiple sclerosis.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/firm-seeks-ok-for.html

Long-Term Marijuana Use May Fog Memory


Memory, attention, and verbal fluency appear to suffer among regular, long-term marijuana users.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/long-term-marijuana-use-may.html

Marijuana puts kids at risk.


It is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today and more potent than ever. Learn more about marijuana health effects.
Source: www.theantidrug.com/advice/advice_landing.asp?id=banner

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