Marijuana is
a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the
cannabis sativa plant. The mixture can be green, brown, or gray.
A bunch of
leaves seem harmless, right? But think again. Marijuana has a chemical in it
called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as “THC”. THC is the main psychoactive (i.e., mind altering) ingredient. In fact, marijuana’s strength or
potency is related to the amount of THC it contains. The THC content of
marijuana has been increasing since the 1970s. There are many slang terms for
marijuana that vary from city to city and from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Some common names are: “pot,” “grass,” “herb,” “weed,” “Mary Jane,” “reefer,”
“skunk,” “boom,” “gangster,” “kif,” “chronic,” and “ganja.”
Marijuana is
used in many ways. The most common method is smoking loose marijuana rolled
into a cigarette called a “joint” or “nail.” Sometimes marijuana is smoked
through a water pipe called a “bong.” Others smoke “blunts”—cigars hollowed out
and filled with the drug. And some users brew it as tea or mix it with food.
People take
marijuana when they feel depressed, lonely, sad and confused. I was in the
midst of some people that were taking this drug. I asked them how it makes them
feel; they said they take it as something that relaxes their nerves and stops
them from worrying about their problems.
It gives them an ecstatic feeling, a feeling of happiness within that
period of effect. To some, it makes them sleepy.
