Ruderalis is commonly known as ditchweed. It has little THC and tends to give headaches rather than highs.

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1 Marijuana is dioecious with distinct male and female plants. The active drug delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is found in the oil/resin of the plant. Marijuana can have between 3 and over 20% THC. This resin is highly concentrated in the glands on the flowers of the female plant. Indoor growers only grow female plants. Once a flower has been pollinated, the THC level starts to drop. Growers stimulate flowering by controlling the photo period (amount of light) available to the plant. The marijuana is unfertilized and therefore seedless. This is called sinsemella. Stressed female plants can develop male pollen sacks. The plant will then self-pollinate. These seeds produce female plants. The seeds are called feminized. Growers will also take cuttings or clone their most productive and powerful female plant. These mother plants are kept in constant light and can create a thousand duplicate plants. Industrial hemp is intended for agricultural and industrial use. It is grown for the seeds, fiber content and oils. Industrial Hemp is low in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and high in CBD (cannabidiol). CBD has been shown to

2 block the effect of THC in the nervous system. Cannabis with THC below 1.0 percent and a CBD/THC ratio greater than one is therefore not capable of inducing a psychoactive effect. Hemp, it turns out, is not only not marijuana, it could be called "anti-marijuana." Ruderalis is commonly known as ditchweed. It has little THC and tends to give headaches rather than highs. Sativa, the drug type, has narrow leaves and grows tall and wide outdoors. One plant can produce several ounces to almost a pound of marijuana. The drug effect tends have more energy. Indicas grow thicker and shorter. The leaves are broad. They flower intensely under artificial lights. Indica has some of the highest THC content available, topping out at 20%, plus. This is an extremely powerful drug. Users get very stoned and out of it with just a few hits. Hallucination is possible. Sativas and indicas are cross-bred. Skunk weed is a common cross between the two species. Medicinal Marijuana- Fourteen States have allowed private individuals to cultivate marijuana for medicinal purposes. Here s a look at Michigan s law: Michigan- The law took effect on December 4, 2008, removing state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physicians authorizing the medical use of marijuana. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act: Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn's disease, agitation of Alzheimer's disease, nail patella, or the treatment of these conditions. Patients are also offered legal protection if they have a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or treatment of said condition that produces 1 or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of multiple sclerosis. Patients (or their primary caregivers) may possess no more than 12 marijuana plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility or 2.5 ounces of usable marihuana. Basically, there are claims that marijuana alleviates nausea, enhances appetite, and alleviates pain/spasm particularly with nerve damage issues.

3 There are debates over marijuana possibly lowering the pressure in the inner eye. Of course, many are looking to marijuana to change their mood. Marijuana is non-toxic. Adverse reactions (panic attacks, et al) have been well documented. Over doses have not been documented. Tolerance builds slowly. Withdrawal symptoms are not as severe as other drugs. Consequently, people debate whether or not marijuana is physically addictive. We already have a controlled doze of medicinal marijuana in pill form called Marinol. Marinol can address medicinal symptoms without the problems associated with marijunana cultivation and the hazards of smoking marijuana for medicinal benefits. Hash is ground and compacted marijuana with a lot of resin. It s harsh on the lungs and contains concentrated THC. A pound of marijuana sells for about $3,000. A quarter ounce (7grams) sells for between 30 and 60 dollars. Marijuana is smoked in joints, one-hitters, pipes, bongs, water pipes and through vaporizers.

4 Marijuana produces a pleasurable high for many users. The high is produced artificially by the active chemical THC. When users start to depend on the chemical to feel good, they develop a chemical dependency. THC is not found or produced by the human body. It has to be artificially induced. No chemical- no high. Users will slowly develop tolerance and their body starts to get used to the effects of the drug. Withdrawal symptoms are not as severe as some other drugs, but accounts of withdrawal are very consistent. People have some apprehension about giving their control over to a drug. Once a person has connected pleasure with chemicals they will start to consider other chemical highs. Marijuana is a gateway to other chemical highs. It is also a gateway into the drug subculture, other users and dealers. Over 100,000 teens will seek help for marijuana addiction each year. For teens, marijuana is the most common drug of choice, more than all the other drugs put together. Even if marijuana is prescribed for certain ailments, we are a long way from legalizing marijuana use as an intoxicant. The consequences of getting busted for illegal marijuana use and possession can be substantial. Marijuana cost money. Dependency on marijuana can be extremely expensive. Users frequently turn to selling to keep supplied. Marijuana is rugged on one s lungs. The THC is most concentrated in the resin of the plant. Marijuana contains 50 to 70% more carcinogens than tobacco. It contains 4 to 5 times more TAR. Marijuana increases one s heart rate. The lungs get irritated and it gets hard to breath. Marijuana also accentuates what ever the user is feeling. Users can get very anxious about their racing heart and labored breathing. It feels like a potential heart attack. 215,000 people enter the emergency room each year for symptoms related to bad experiences with marijuana. One may not die of overdose, but it can feel like it. This body rush or body buzz in not uncommon.

5 Paranoia can be an issue for the reason give above. If the effects of the marijuana are too intense or if the user is uncomfortable with their environment they can have a bad experience. They may worry about not coming down. This can be very anxiety producing. The other major cause of paranoia is worry over whether others can detect that you are under the influence. While stoned, users almost believe others can read their minds. They worry about not being able to maintain. They worry about telltale blood shot and squinty eyes. Another physical problem is emerging or being identified- Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. More chronic smokers are experiencing cyclical episodes of vomiting and nausia, The patient will compulsively take multiple hot showers or baths during the acute phase of the illness in an attempt to quell the hyperemesis. The symptoms will go away in the hospital because they abstain from using. The symptoms will return when they resume smoking. The Mayo Clinic has some interesting theories as to why this is happening. This could challenge the medicinal value of marijuana for nausea. The University of Bristol, Imperial College and Cambridge University examined 35 studies that tracked tens of thousands of people for periods ranging from one year to 27 years to examine the effect of marijuana on mental health. They found that people who used marijuana had roughly a 40 percent higher chance of developing a psychotic disorder later in life. We re not talking huge numbers here, because psychosis is rare. The scientists found a more disturbing outlook for "heavy users" of pot. The risk of psychosis for daily or weekly user for jumped to a range of 50 percent to 200 percent. Users are eroding their grip on reality. Users have a hard time holding a topic in their head. They focus on minute ideas in little blips with one thought triggering another. Marijuana smokers can read the same sentence over and over. Marijuana smokers can read the same sentence over and over. This hurts academic performance. Children with ADD sometimes report an increased ability to concentrate. The evidence is mostly anecdotal. Little has been done to verify this clinically or scientifically. This apparent benefit does not keep these

6 children from experiencing all the negative effects of marijuana abuse and dependency. Children with ADD, overwhelmingly report marijuana as their drug of choice. Marijuana has an adverse effect on memory, especially when trying to retain events or ideas experienced while stoned. Again, memory and concentration deficits seriously jeopardize school performance. A look at attendance and grades can often times pinpoint when a youth started using frequently. Marijuana adversely affects one s judgment. This is especially true of time and space. This makes driving under the influence a very bad idea. The lack of reality and judgment is undeniable. If someone laughs hysterically while stoned, was the joke really funny? Modern marijuana is extremely powerful. The THC content has risen from 4 to 6% in the 70 s to an average of 18 to 19% in Amsterdam today. The drug can be overwhelmingly intoxicating with hallucination being a possibility. While stoned, people will do some stupid things. Girls are 3 times more likely to get pregnant. Guys are 3 times more likely to impregnate. Surprisingly, assaults also go up. Marijuana is supposed to make one mellow? For the alienated and insecure, marijuana offers a new identity. Kids think they have discovered something underground and exciting. (they don t realize how common and old these activities are) Marijuana does not make one cool - just stoned. Anyone can do it. It ends up being a loser image. The quality of their life starts to decline. An image based on chemical use really does not do much for the self-concept. There are serious problems with starting to develop a stoner identity. Kids will start to develop split personalities. They are one person with their drug subculture friends and a different person at home with parents. The person at home is becoming a façade. The new user will also make new friends. Drug subculture friends tend to be problematic. The relationships can be very superficial with the main common denominator in the friendship being getting high. Values get distorted. Kids start to glorify heavy users and dealers. Marijuana will take them into situations that threatens their general wellbeing. Drug dependency will rob a person, quickly or slowly. Marijuana is a subtle, slow, thief. When a teen starts to gravitate toward chemical

7 pleasure, they start to live in the moment. It is about me getting high in the moment. They lose sight of long-range goals. Aspirations and dreams go by the wayside. Development gets diverted. One stops growing and maturing. The end result is arrested development. This is the hallmark of marijuana. It has also been called amotivational syndrome. The user s gear shift comes out of gear and goes into neutral. They start to coast. Problems and failures that are driving the need to get high never get solved. The problems actually intensify. The person covers these issues with a smoke screen. The user becomes the underachiever. Life gets cheap and superficial. At the end of the day this can lead to selfloathing. The disappointment and pain propel the person into more frequent use. The quality of their life slowly erodes. They will experience this in a social context. Their using friends will continue to encourage and support this lifestyle, living in the moment for an artificial, chemically induced high. Most kids will agree that the quality of their life would be better without a relationship with marijuana. They will also admit that their parents have a legitimate interest in helping them live a drug free life. Parents need to love their children enough to hold them accountable. Parents need to consistently uphold safe standards for their children. This means not covering for them if the child has drugs or paraphernalia. Freedom can be earned with clean, drug-test results. (Evergreen sells drug tests for $5.00 apiece) Evidence of persistent use needs to be followed up with a Rule 25, chemical dependency assessment. (call the Evergreen Shelter Program at for advice) Teach all of the above information regarding the negative effects of marijuana use. Here are some signs that your child may be using; Sudden change in friends Negative change in schoolwork or grades Truancy and curfew violations Increased secrecy about activities or friends Isolation, withdrawal from the family Subtle changes in conversations with friends, e.g. coded language Changes in clothing Return home and go immediately to the bathroom or their room Mood swings, irritability, drastic changes in personality

8 New use of eye drops, mouthwash, or breath mints Use of incense, room deodorant or perfumes, open bedroom windows in the evening or at night Paraphernalia- pipes, punctured pop cans, rolling papers... Increase in borrowing money or unexplained extra money Run-ins with the Law Missing prescription drugs, especially narcotics, cold medicines or mood stabilizers Changes in overall hygiene Extreme weight gain or loss Sleep problems For additional support, call one of the counselors at the Evergreen Shelter Program at Miigwetch, Gary Russell