Marijuana, draw, blow, weed, puff, hash, ganja, spliff, wacky backy.

The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.
Marijuana has some of the same cancer-causing substances as tobacco. One joint delivers four times as much cancer-causing tar as one cigarette.

• a solid dark lump known as ‘resin’;

• leaves, stalks and seeds called ‘grass’;

• a sticky, dark oil;

• can be rolled (usually with tobacco) in a spliff or joint, smoked on its own in a special pipe, or cooked and eaten in food.

Smoking pot affects alertness, concentration, perception, coordination and reaction time, skills required for safe driving and other tasks. Effects can last several hours after smoking

Pot affects a user’s judgment, motor coordination, and short-term memory.  Weed can cause increased heart rate and make some users extremely anxious or paranoid.  Smoking marijuana also causes some changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term use of cocaine and heroin

• users feel relaxed and talkative;

• cooking the drug then eating it makes the effects more intense and harder to control;

• may bring on craving for food ( this is often referred to as having the ‘munchies’).

Beyond the well-known perception of Marijuana as a "gateway drug" to greater abuse, a key danger is marijuana's ability deaden the emotions of the user. During adolescence, a key time in the emotional development of the character of young people.

Marijuana abuse, used to cover the pain of a parents divorce or rejection, postpones dealing with the necessary pain of growing and developing as an emotionally mature person. When these real emotion as emerge 10 years later, the hurts and pain will still need to be dealt with. Marijuana solves nothing, it just postpones the inevitable need to address how we cope with pain and disappointment

• It impairs the ability to learn and concentrate; Research found that students with an average grade of “D” or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as students who reported an average grade of “A.”
The NHSDA Report: Marijuana use among youths. SAMHSA, 2002

• leaves users tired and lacking energy;

• users lack motivation and feel apathetic;

• can make users paranoid and anxious, depending on their mood and situation;

• smoking joints for a long period of time can lead to respiratory disorders, including lung cancer.

•Teens age 12 to 17 who regularly smoke marijuana were shown to be three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts.