) On the streets its slang terms are often pot, chronic, trees, weed, ect. There are over two hundred slang terms used today. There are also different forms of marijuana such as Sinsemilla, Hashish and Hash oil, which are all the stronger forms. All forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's effects on the user depend on the strength or potency of the THC it contains. "THC potency of marijuana has increased since the 1970s but has been about the same since the mid-1980s" (Marijuana: Facts For Teens, pg 1.).
I was already aware of how marijuana was used. I knew that it was often inhaled into the lungs in a cigarette like paper called a joint or packed down into a pipe, such as tobacco is. I learned this information from what some people would refer to as street smarts. What I was unsure about was what happens after this smoke is inhaled. I found that while the smoke travels down your lungs, it is also affecting various other parts of your body. The biggest influence in on the brain. Marijuana is mind altering, in other words it changes how your brain works. In short term use, marijuana impairs perception, judgment, thinking, memory and learning. Memory impairs may occur up to six weeks after your last use. In addition, marijuana use has many indirect effects on health. Its effects on coordination, perception, and judgment means that it causes a number of accidents, vehicular and otherwise. Also marijuana, just as cigarettes do, contain the increase in spreading lung, mouth and tongue cancer. Another important body part that is impacted by smoking marijuana is the immune system. It was proven that the THC can damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect us from disease, making us more susceptible to illness. (Marijuana Information, pg 2) As I began to reveal all of this information I felt overwhelmed.
