Download Drugs Hanson 13

Marijuana
Chapter 13
What Is Marijuana?
• Marijuana is a hemp plant
whose biological name is
cannabis sativa. It consists
of green, brown, or a grey
mixture of dried, shredded
leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers.
• THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the
primary mind-altering ingredient in marijuana.
Brief History and Trends
• Marijuana has historically been a valued crop. The
woody fibers of the stem yield a fiber that can be made
into cloth and rope.
• Early records of marijuana use:
- China 2737 BC and India (religious ceremonies)
- Assyrians, dating back to 650 BC used it for making
rope, cloth, and consumed it to experience euphoria
- Ancient Greeks also knew about marijuana
- In North America, in Jamestown (1611), marijuana
was used to make rope and clothing
- Currently, marijuana grows wild in many U.S. states
Several Questions and Answers
• Today marijuana is how many times more
potent than the marijuana on the street in the
1960s and 1970s?
- Approximately 20 times more potent as result
of more efficient agriculture largely due to
new methods of harvesting, new varieties,
and special processing marijuana of plants
Several Questions and Answers
(continued)
• How many Americans are current marijuana users?
- Aged 12 or older in 2011: Out of 18.1 million
illicit drug users, approximately 64.3% reported
current use of only marijuana and another 16.2%
used marijuana with another illicit drug. (This
means that a staggering 80.5% [64.3% + 16.2%]
either used marijuana alone or used marijuana
with another drug.) The remaining 19.5% of drug
users used an illicit drug but not marijuana.
Noteworthy Findings Regarding
Marijuana Users
• It is the most highly abused illicit type of illicit drug.
• The highest rate of use was found among young
adults (ages 18–25) with 18.9% reporting current
use (past month) and among youth (ages 12–17)
with 7.6% reporting current use.
• The average age of first use was 17.5 years.
• There were 2.6 million new marijuana users in 2011,
which averages 7,200 initiates per day.
Major Factors Affecting
Marijuana Use
• Structural factors: Age, gender, family
background, lack of any religious beliefs
• Social and interactional factors: Type of
interpersonal relationships, friendship cliques,
drug use within the peer group setting
• Setting: Type of community and neighborhood
(physical location of drug use)
• Attitudinal factors: Personal attitudes toward
the use of drugs, self esteem, maturation level
Major Factors Affecting
Marijuana Use (continued)
• Participation in after-school activities is
associated with higher levels of academic
achievement and self-esteem, as well as
lower levels of substance use
• Religious involvement affects illicit drug
use and this clearly includes marijuana use
Cannabis Use Disorder
Defined by DSM-V*
• Cannabis is often taken in larger amounts than was
intended
• There are persistent desires or unsuccessful efforts to
cut down or control cannabis use
• Much time is spent securing the drug, using the drug
and/or recovering from its effects
• Craving the euphoric effects of the drug
• Failure to fulfill major role obligations at work,
school, or home
• Continued use of cannabis despite persistent or
recurrent social and interpersonal problems cased by
the effect of cannabis
Cannabis Use Disorder
Defined by DSM-V* (continued)
• Important social, occupational or recreational activities are
given up or reduced because of cannabis use
• Recurrent cannabis usage in situations in which it is
physically hazardous
• Cannabis use is continued despite persistent or recurrent
physical or psychological problems stemming from usage
• Tolerance develops to offset the diminishing effects of
cannabis resulting in more use of cannabis
• Withdrawal symptoms lead to increased use of cannabis
_________________
*These
two slides, (slides 9 and 10), are Heavily paraphrased from American Psychiatric Association
(APA). "Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders." In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 5th ed., 509–510. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association,
2013.
Marijuana
• Gateway drugs are drugs that often lead to the
use of more addictive types of drugs (gateway to
the use and abuse of other more potent drugs).
- Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are the drugs
most commonly believed to be gateway drugs.
- Other common gateway drugs include
inhalants and anabolic steroids. More recently,
the abuse of prescription drugs (mainly
painkillers) are also included.
Two Major Types of Marijuana
• Cannabis Sativa:
- Originates from Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, South Africa,
Thailand, and Southeast Asia
- Causes uplifting and energetic feelings, appetite stimulant,
and provides pain relief
• Cannabis Indica:
- Originates from hash producing with very warm climates in
such countries Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Turkey,
Morocco, and Tibet
- Causes body relaxation, stress relief, and calmness and
serenity and has lower THC content than Sativa
Varieties of Marijuana from
the Cannabis Sativa Plant
• Hashish: Average concentration of THC is 12.1% for
domestic, 7.03% for non-domestic, and 20.76 for
samples seized by law enforcement officials
• Ganja: Consists of the dried tops of female plants. The
term is also used as a slang term for marijuana (pot,
weed, reefer)
• Sinsemilla (without seeds), “hydro” (grown in water),
kind bud, dro, 30s, AK-47, and blueberry (more
recent names of popular types of marijuana). The
average concentration of THC is 7.5% and higher
• Bhang: Average concentration of THC is 1% to 2%
Behavioral Effects
• Low to moderate doses produce euphoria and a
pleasant state of relaxation.
• Common effects: dry mouth, elevated heartbeat,
some loss of coordination and balance, slower
reaction times, reddening of the eyes, elevated
blood pressure, some mental confusion (shortterm memory loss).
• A typical high lasts from 2 to 3 hours (length of
effect depends on amount of THC), and the user
experiences altered perception of space and time
as well as impaired memory.
Behavioral Effects (continued)
• An acute dose of cannabis can produce adverse
reactions: mild anxiety to panic and paranoia.
• In a minority of cases users can exhibit psychosis,
delusional and bizarre behavior, and
hallucinations. These reactions occur most
frequently in individuals who are under stress,
anxious, depressed, or borderline schizophrenic,
and are using the more potent types of marijuana.
Behavioral Effects (continued)
• Subjective euphoric effects: The ongoing social
and psychological experiences incurred while
intoxicated with marijuana. These include both
the user’s altered state of consciousness and
his/her perceptions while intoxicated.
• Attachment to the use of Marijuana: Users
exhibit a strong attachment to their passsionate
feelings about using marijuana.
• Differential association: Behavioral satisfaction
derived from friends who use marijuana (“funtimes when high with friends”).
Driving Performance
• The ability to perform complex tasks, such as
driving, is often impaired while under the influence
of marijuana.
• In limited surveys, from 70% to 80% of marijuana
users indicate that they sometimes drive while being
high.
• Research reveals that approximately 600,000 high
school seniors drive after smoking marijuana (DEA,
2006) and 41% of teens were not concerned about
driving after taking drugs. (Driving while under the
influence of a drug termed drugged driving.)
• Habitual cannabis users were 9.5 times more likely
to be involved in crashes.
Critical Thinking Skills
• Marijuana has been found to have a
negative impact on critical thinking skills.
• Specifically, heavy marijuana use impairs
attention, memory and learning.
• Marijuana alters brain activity because
residues of this drug persist in the brain.
Amotivational Syndrome or
Anti-motivational Syndrome
• Amotivational syndrome refers to a belief that
heavy use of marijuana causes a lack of
motivation or impaired desire and reduced
productivity.
• Specifically, users show an increase in:
- Apathy
- Poor short-term memory
- Difficulty with concentration
- A lingering lack of interest in pursuing goals
Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana
• Medical marijuana use: Involves using the
THC derived from smoking marijuana or using
Marinol as a drug to calm or relieve symptoms
of an illness. (Marinol is an FDA-approved
THC in capsule form.)
• Some research shows that THC can be used for
treating:
- Glaucoma: potentially blinding eye disease
causing continual and increasing intraocular
pressure
Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana
(continued)
• Appetite stimulant: Patients experiencing anorexia,
AIDS, chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Antiseizure: Aids in the prevention of seizures
(epilepsy)
• Antiasthmatic effect: Short-term smoking of marijuana
improves breathing for asthma patients
• Antidepressant effect: Used in Great Britain as a
euphoriant for treating depression
• Muscle relaxation: Aids in reducing muscle spasms
• Analgesic effect: In patients experiencing frequent
migraines and chronic headaches or inflammation
Arguments Against Marijuana Use
• It contains 421 chemicals.
• It is stronger than it was 20 years ago.
• Smoking this drug is worse for the lungs than
tobacco.
• Impairs short-term memory and may cause
“amotivational syndrome.”
• U.S. federal law continues to legally prohibit the
possession, the sale, and use of marijuana. (The
federal government believes marijuana has no
medically proven use.)
Physiological Effects
• The brain: THC activates the reward system in the brain
by stimulating brain cells to release the chemical
dopamine
• Central nervous system: Alters mood, coordination,
memory, and self-perception
• Respiratory system: Damage to the lungs
• Cardiovascular system: Marijuana products limit the
amount of oxygen that can be carried to the heart
• Sexual performance and reproduction: Affects the
sympathetic nervous system, increasing vasodilation in
the genital and delaying ejaculation; high doses can
decrease sexual desire
Effects of Marijuana on the
Central Nervous System
• Altered perceptions
- Changes in the interpretation of stimuli
resulting from marijuana use
• “Munchies”
- Hunger experienced while under the effects of
marijuana
• Anandamide
- Possible neurotransmitter acting at the
marijuana (cannabinoid) receptor site
Effects on Other Systems
• Alveolar Macrophages (respiratory system)
- Special white blood cells that play a role in
cleaning lung tissue are less able to remove
debris when exposed to smoke
• Vasodilation (cardiovascular system)
- Enlarged blood vessels
• Aphrodisiac (sexual performance and
reproduction)
- In lower doses of marijuana, THC is believed
to cause sexual arousal