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Marijuana
By Cate Baily

Say goodbye to the myth that marijuana is a harmless drug. Check out these facts.

	(Diagram: 5W INFOGRAPHICS)

THC Invasion
The relaxed feeling marijuana users experience is caused by THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient (most powerful chemical) in marijuana. But the chemical also causes negative side effects.

Here's what happens: When a user smokes marijuana, the THC travels quickly through the bloodstream to the brain. That's when the problems start. In everyone's brain, there are special receptors, called cannabinoid receptors. They're located in several important brain regions, including the area that helps you remember things. THC attaches to the cannabinoid receptors and interferes with the brain's normal functioning.

Trying to remember a phone number? Forget it, if THC has taken over.

	(Illustration: Stephen Kroninger)

The Lungs, Too
It's not just the brain. Smoking marijuana messes with the lungs, too. Here's some of what science tells us:

• Marijuana smokers can develop phlegm and a daily cough.
• Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco smoke.
• Puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than tobacco does.
• People who smoke marijuana are at greater risk for lung infections, such as pneumonia.
• Chronic marijuana smokers are vulnerable to bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma.
• Scientists have found signs of lung tissue injured or destroyed due to marijuana use.

The Addiction Question
Marijuana may be addictive. For some people, this is a controversial idea. They argue marijuana is not addictive. According to NIDA, addiction is characterized by "compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persists even in the face of extremely negative consequences."

Dr. Glen Hanson, the director of NIDA, says that marijuana is indeed addictive. "I find it ironic that people say 'Oh, it's not addictive,' and yet it's the most commonly used of our illicit [illegal] drugs," he says.

Although Hanson concedes that not everyone who smokes marijuana becomes addicted, he points out that many people experience cravings for the drug and have withdrawal symptoms when they get off of it. "For me, that defines addiction," he says.

For more information, go to Marijuana: Facts for Teens at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/MarijBroch/Marijteens.html

From Scholastic and the Scientists of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services