Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. Many people have tried marijuana at one time or another, so lots of stories and talk circulate about it. People talk and joke about being “high.” Moviemakers use “pot” smoking as a quick way to give their characters some sort of personality, or they use pot smoking in their movies for a cheap and easy laugh.

If you think marijuana use is one big joke, that’s an easy mistake to make. But marijuana use is not all in fun. Marijuana is a serious drug with serious consequences. It is illegal. It dulls users’ responses to life. It hurts the health.

Some people want to make you believe that marijuana “opens the mind,” that somehow you will “see things more clearly” if you smoke it or that it will make you more creative. That’s what the users themselves would like to think, but these claims are false. If someone really wants to “open his mind,” it will be opened – It’s the desire that does it, not a drug. If someone wants to see the world more clearly, she’s best off reading, studying, and talking to people while sober to learn what the facts are. In the same way, creativity grows by getting exposure to the world and working hard, not by tuning out of the world and numbing the senses.

How can you decide for yourself how to feel about marijuana? The best way to make any decision is by learning the issues first. When you know all there is to know about marijuana, chances are you’ll make the healthy choice not to use it.

Surf through this site and learn more about marijuana’s effects on users. Then test your knowledge with our interactive Saying-no.com Marijuana Test.