Marijuana
If you have additional concerns about drugs, you can refer to the links page for various agencies that assist youth with drug-related issues or you can contact your School Resource Officer or call 403-206-8399.- Smoking marijuana is not harmless
- What can I expect if I smoke it?
- What can happen down the road?
- Marijuana affects everyone
Smoking marijuana is not harmless
Marijuana, like any other illicit drug, has devastating effects on people and society.One of the most important things to know about marijuana is that it is far more potent than the 'pot' and 'weed' that was smoked 20 or 30 years ago.
In fact, in recent years, the potency of marijuana has increased dramatically. Concentrations of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC - the psycho-active ingredient in marijuana that makes people high) have increased from between 1% and 4% to as high as 39%. That's an increase of about 1000% or more!
What can I expect if I smoke it?
- It impairs the motor skills necessary to drive a car.
- It affects the brain and impairs short-term memory, perception and judgment.
- It stunts emotional and intellectual skill growth, instilling a feeling of apathy, or an "I don't care" attitude.
- It reduces the ability to do things that require coordination and concentration like sports, acting and studying.
- Its use can cause tissue damage to internal organs, panic attacks and paranoia.
- It may cause birth defects during pregnancy.
What can happen down the road?
Marijuana use can expose you to the drug culture at an age when you are curious and vulnerable. Marijuana is illegal, and using, buying or selling it can get you convicted of a crime, and suspended or expelled from school. Marijuana is a drug that impairs an individual's mental skills and reasoning abilities, which potentially can lead to many problems such as:- Impaired motor skills that may contribute to such potentially fatal events as highway crashes.
- An inability to develop good friends and relationships.
- Impaired judgment - statistics show that young people who use marijuana are more likely to use other drugs than those who don't.
- Increased apathy or lack of interest.
- Loss of ambition.
- Loss of effectiveness.
- Diminished ability to carry out long-term plans.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Decline in school or work performance.
Marijuana affects everyone
- Marijuana affects businesses. Unmotivated workers addicted to marijuana are likely to come to work high, use more sick leave and file more worker's compensation claims.
- Chronic marijuana use can lead to depression.
- Marijuana hurts communities. Violence and other crime have been attributed directly to marijuana use.
- Marijuana-related illnesses and casualties overtax the health care system.
Updated: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 1:40 PM