Marijuana is harmful
- Contains about 500 components, most of which we know little about
- Today’s street marijuana is about 5 to 6 times stronger than that of the 1960s and 1970s
- Marijuana use directly affects the brain
Marijuana is addictive
- 1 in 10 people who try marijuana will become addicted to it
- For those who begin using marijuana as a teenager, that number increases to 1 in 6
- 25%- 50% of daily marijuana users become addicted
Marijuana use affects learning, memory and motivation
- Heavy marijuana use during the teenage years may affect normal brain development
- Increases impulsivity
- Decreases attention span
- Impairs short-term memory
- Reduces IQ by up to 8 points by the age of 38 among those who begin using regularly by the age of 18~ this means a person of average intelligence would move into the lower third of the intelligence range
- Youth with poor grades are more than 4 times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year than youth with average or higher grades
- Marijuana use contributes to school dropout and overall dissatisfaction with life
Marijuana use increases the risk of mental health issues
- Associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia and other psychotic symptoms
- Increases the risk of depression and anxiety
- Has been linked to suicidal thoughts among teenagers
Marijuana use can result in fatal accidents
- Impairs motor coordination and reaction time
- Doubles the risk of having a car accident
- After alcohol, it is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers and motor vehicle crash victims following an accident
Marijuana has health consequences
- Increases coughing and wheezing
- Increases bronchitis
- Worsens asthma symptoms
- Affects lungs, heart rate and blood pressure
Marijuana is now the #1 reason teenagers enter drug treatment~ more than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy and other drug use combined.
For the first time since 1981, in the past month more 12th graders used marijuana than smoked cigarettes.
Resources
www.cadca.org
www.samhsa.gov
www.learnaboutsam.com Know someone with an addiction? Need to talk to someone?
www.drugabuse.gov Call 717-299-2831 Monday- Friday 9 AM to 5 PM