2. Marijuana is a green,
brown, or grey mixture of
dried, shredded leaves,
stems, seeds, and flowers
of the hemp plant, or
Cannabis Sativa.
INTRODUCTION
3. Marijuana contains THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, and
is the main Intoxicant that causes a person to “Get
High”.
Marijuana is also known as pot, herb, grass, weed,
boom, Mary Jane, gangster, reefer, blunt.
4.
5. Marijuana is actually smoked as a cigarette (called a
joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently it has
appears in cigars, called blunts, or spliffs.
6. Health Pros
Relieves nausea and vomiting
Relieves spasticity of the muscles
Helps treat appetite loss associated with HIV/AIDS and certain
types of cancers.
Relieves pain
Safe, safer in fact than most other prescribed medications to
treat the same symptoms.
Smoking marijuana alone does not increase the risk of lung
diseases.
Has been used for centuries as a medicinal agent with good
effect.
7. Health Cons
Frequent use can impair your cognitive ability
Can damage your lung tissue
Carries a risk of abuse and addiction
Smoked marijuana contains cancer-causing
compounds
8. Short Term Effects
Low Dosage:
Euphoria, heighten of
subjective sensory
experiences,
hallucinations, fantasies,
paranoia, laid-back
attitude
Moderate dosage:
Dryness of the mouth,
reddening of the eyes, impaired
motor skills and memory
function, lapse of attention,
frequent hunger attacks
“munchies”, and feelings of
depersonalization
9. Long term effects
Bronchitis, emphysema,
bronchial asthma, soar throats,
coughs, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, increased
heart rate, increased risk to
lungs, short term memory,
glaucoma, suppresses immune
system.
reproductive system (decrease
in testosterone, decreased
sperm count, abnormality of
sperm, impaired fetal growth
and development), physical
dependency, leads to
subsequent use of cocaine and
heroine.
10. At John Hopkins Univ. (1990) receptor sites in the brain that were specifically
reactive to the THC in marijuana were discovered.
1992 – NIDA announced the discovery of ANANDAMIDE (Sanskrit word for
“bliss”), the natural neurotransmitter that first into the receptor sites.
Receptors for anandamide found in several regions of the brain, but not that
much in the brainstem (as compared to receptors for opioids and cocaine).
Like other psychoactive drugs, THC activates neurons because its chemical
structure mimics the natural neurotransmitters – can directly and indirectly
target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine.
MECHANISM OF ACTION
12. Brain regions in which cannabinoid receptors are abundant
Brain Region
• Cerebellum
• Hippocampus
• Cerebral cortex
• Nucleus accumbens
• Basal ganglia
• Hypothalamus
• Central gray
• Amygdala
• Spinal Cord
Functions Associated with Region
• Body movement coordination
• Learning and memory
• Higher cognitive functions
• Reward
• Movement control
• Body “housekeeping”
• Analgesia
• Emotional response, Fear
• Peripheral Sensation, Pain
13. Interesting Facts
Marijuana has been proven to be safer than Alcohol and Tobacco.
Consuming large amounts of Marijuana will not cause death as
with Alcohol.
Withdrawl from Alcohol can also cause death, but withdrawl from
Marijuana will not.
Alcohol has been linked to birth defects when used by pregnant,
but no such affects have been proven to occur when using pot.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, marijuana is
one of the safest therapeutically active “foods”in its natural form
to man.
14. Therapeutic Facts
Cancer: works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts & brain
considerably.
Seizures: Marijuana is a muscle relaxant & has “antispasmodic” qualities
which have proven to be a very effective treatment of seizures.
Migraines: have been able to treat more than 300,000 cases of migraines that
conventional medicine couldn’t through marijuana.
Glaucoma: there is not a single valid study that exists that disaproves
marijuana’s very powerful & popular effects on glaucoma patients.
15. ADD & ADHD: alternative for Ritalin & treats the disorder without any
of the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical.
IBS & Crohn’s: helps with symptoms of the chronic diseases as it stops
nausea, abdominal pain & diarrhea.
Alzhiemer’s: blocks the deposits in the brain that cause this disease
Premenstual Syndrome: used to treat cramps & discomfort
Multiple Sclerosis: it works to stop the neurological effects & muscle
spasms that come from the fatal disease
Tourette’s & OCD: the effects slow down the tics in those suffering
from Tourette’s and the obsessive neurological symptoms in people
with OCD
16. Hemp could be a stronger, better, and cheaper replacement for
cotton and timber, saving our forests and putting more farmers to
work.
THINK ABOUT IT….