If you have ever heard people talking about marijuana, (also called pot, herb, bud, grass, weed, and others), you may wonder: What’s the big deal?

The big deal is that, like any drug, marijuana changes the way a person’s brain works. And it does it in some pretty interesting ways. People are so interested in the different way their brain is working, they don’t stop to think about the bad side. After all, your brain IS “you.” If your brain is doing something weird, are you still “you”? That’s part of the problem. Plus, marijuana can cause all kinds of mental and physical problems for users. If you are not healthy, you can’t really enjoy life to the fullest.

Still…It can make you pretty curious to hear older kids and teenagers joking about getting “high.” You may wonder: IS it cool to smoke pot?

Is it cool to be lazy?
Is it cool to be nervous?
Is it cool to be dizzy?

If you got suspended from school, got picked up by the police, had to go to drug court and pay a fine, or got grounded for weeks, would you think it was cool?

Do you like to cough up gunk out of your lungs? Is that cool? The people who are using marijuana are not some cool role models. They are underachievers. They are often lazy, sluggish, and burned out. They may cough up phlegm (mucus) every day, have lots of colds, or have bronchitis.

About 80 out of every one hundred 8th to 12th graders agree: Using marijuana is not cool. (That’s the percentage of teens who do not use marijuana.)

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.