About Marijuana

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. Marijuana looks like any dried plant material, herbs, or tea. It is brown, green, or grayish in color, and is usually sold in plastic baggies.

Marijuana is a mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It contains about 400 different chemicals. The main chemical that causes mind-altering effects is called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. The level of THC in marijuana determines how it affects a user. Higher levels of THC mean more effects on a user’s thinking and behavior.

Marijuana is usually smoked, either as a handmade cigarette (a “joint” or a “nail”), or in a pipe. Some people use a water pipe called a bong. Some users add marijuana to ordinary tobacco cigars and call it a “blunt.” Sometimes blunts contain PCP or crack. Marijuana and other forms of cannabis can also be mixed into food or tea.

Immediate Effects of Marijuana

Marijuana users generally inhale the smoke deeply into the lungs. They hold the smoke in their lungs as long as possible. (This is one reason why smoking marijuana can be more harmful to the lungs than smoking cigarettes.)

A person begins to feel the effects of marijuana within a few minutes of inhaling the drug. Users want to feel relaxed, worry-free, joyful, and out of control. In addition to these effects, marijuana users experience several negative effects. The negative effects can be severe.

It is common for marijuana users to have dry mouth and increased heart rate. In some users, the increase in heart rate can be severe enough to be very disturbing -- up to two times as fast as the normal heart rate! Most users become uncoordinated, lose their sense of balance, and begin to react more slowly to things that happen around them. These effects combine to make it hazardous for users to drive cars or do other complicated tasks. Many people are extremely hungry after smoking marijuana, and some feel very sleepy.