Street Names:
Marijuana: pot, grass, weed, reefer, ganja, joint.
Hashish: hash.
Hash Oil: oil, honey oil.
THC: crystal T.
Description:
Marijuana:
Flowering tops and leaves of cannabis plant. Ranges in color from grey-green
to greenish brown. Texture resembles oregano or coarse tea. Usually contains
seeds and stems. Has strong odor. Smoked in pipe or hand rolled cigarette.
Hashish: Dried sticky resin of cannabis plant. Sold in solid pieces
ranging in color from light brown to black. Texture ranges from dry and hard to soft
and crumbly. Usually crumbled and smoked in pipe or hand rolled cigarette with
tobacco or marijuana. Usual dose ranges from .25 g. to 1 g. Can be baked into
cookies or cakes.
Hash Oil: Thick greenish black or reddish brown oil obtained by
purifying hashish with an organic solvent. Usually wiped onto cigarette or rubbed
into tobacco and smoked.
THC: Active ingredient in cannabis. Pure synthetic THC
is seldom available on the street. What is sold as THC is almost always PCP or LSD.
Origin and Medical Uses:
Obtained from the plant cannabis
sativa which grows in almost any climate. THC and other cannabis
constituents are being tested for possible use in treatment of glaucoma, asthma, and
epilepsy. At present the only accepted medical use is treatment of nausea and
vomiting associated with chemotherapy by a related compound, Nabilone.
Short Term Effects:
Effects of smoking felt within a few minutes and last 2 to 4
hours. The effects from ingestion appear more gradually and last longer, although
the user may feel dull and sluggish for some time afterwards. Concentration and
short term memory markedly impaired. User feels calm, relaxed, talkative.
Sensory perception seems enhanced, colors brighter, sounds more distinct. Appetite
increases, especially for sweets. Sense of time and space distorted. Some
users withdraw or experience fearfulness, anxiety, depression. A few experience
panic, terror or paranoia, particularly with larger doses. Physical effects include
impaired coordination and balance, rapid heart beat, red eyes, dry mouth and throat,
drowsiness. Normal doses impair motor skills, especially when used in combination
with alcohol, and cannabis use before driving is particularly dangerous. THC, the
active ingredient, has been detected in bodies of fatally injured drivers and pedestrians
in Canada and the United States.
Long Term Effects:
Signs of chronic, heavy use may include loss of motivation,
as well as difficulties with memory and concentration. These problems tend to clear
when regular use stops. Respiratory system is damaged by smoking; a single joint of
marijuana yields much more tar than a strong cigarette. Tar in cannabis smoke
contains higher amounts of cancer producing agents than tar in tobacco smoke.
Studies suggest that normal development of a baby may be adversely affected by heavy use
of cannabis produces by the mother during pregnancy.
Tolerance and Dependence:
Psychological dependence on cannabis can occur among
heavy or regular users. Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, nervousness,
sleeping problems, sweating and loss of appetite. Recent research has indicated that
tolerance
and physical dependence do develop in chronic users.
However, THC is stored in body fats and takes a long time to completely leave the body
after use is stopped. Because of this, it may take a long time for the user to
experience physical withdrawal and withdrawal symptoms are mild, often mistaken for a case
of the flu.
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