Addiction
- Approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder
- People who use cannabis have about a 10% chance of becoming addicted.
- The risk of developing marijuana use disorder is greater in people who start using marijuana during youth or adolescence and who use marijuana more frequently.
| Brain Health
- Short-term effects include: impact on thinking, attention, memory, movement, coordination, and time perception.
- Long-term effects include: brain development disruptions, especially in babies, youth, and adolescents.
- A child's brain continues to develop until approximately age 25. Exposure and use of marijuana is linked to problems in problem-solving, behavior, attention, and memory.
|
Driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs, including marijuana, is dangerous and illegal.
- Marijuana use can slow your reaction time, coordination, distort perception, and ability to make decisions.
- You can choose not to drive, assign a designated driver, or call a taxi or Uber for a ride home.
| Heart Health
- Marijuana can make the heart beat faster and can make blood pressure higher immediately after use.
- Most studies linking marijuana to heart and strokes are based on reports from people who smoke marijuana.
- Marijuana smoke delivers many of the same substances found in tobacco smoke, which are harmful to the lungs and heart.
|
Lung Health
- Marijuana can be smoked in joints, bongs, bowls, or blunts.
- Regardless of how marijuana is smoked, it can harm lung tissues and cause scarring and damage to small blood vessels.
- Smoked marijuana has many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke.
| Mental Health
- Frequent use (daily or near daily) and in high doses, can cause disorientation and sometimes unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety or paranoia.
- People who use marijuana are more likely to develop temporary psychosis and schizophrenia, especially in people who start using marijuana at an earlier age and use it more frequently.
- Marijuana use has also been linked to depression, social anxiety, and thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts, and suicide.
|
Pain
Management
- A few studies have found that marijuana can be helpful in treating neuropathic pain (a type of chronic pain cause by damaged nerves).
- Using marijuana either alone or in combination has been shown to increase risk for opioid misuse. There is no evidence that marijuana works to treat opioid use disorder.
- If you or someone close to you needs help with a substance use disorder, talk to your doctor or call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
| Poisoning - Edibles can take 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect, can be unpredictable in potency, may cause intoxicating effects that last longer than expected, and eating too much can lead to poisoning and/or serious injury.
- Children, adults, and pets can mistake marijuana edibles for regular food or candy. Children who accidently consume marijuana can make them very sick and may require a visit to the emergency room.
- If you use marijuana products, keep them in childproof containers and out of reach of children and pets. If you suspect poisoning, contact the poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
|
Secondhand Smoke - Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxic and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke and contains some of those chemicals in high amounts.
- The secondhand smoke also contains THC (responsible for the "high"), which can be passed to infants and children. Studies have found strong associations of detectable levels of THC in children whose parents or relatives smoke marijuana.
- If you have children at home and use marijuana, do not know smoke around them.
| Teens - The teen brain is actively developing and continues to develop until around age 25. Marijuana use can harm the developing brain.
- Negatives side effects include: difficulty thinking and problem-solving; problems with memory or learning; impaired coordination; difficulty maintaining attention; and problems with social life.
- Marijuana can also increase the risk of mental health issues (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia), impair driving, and the potential for addiction. Approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have a marijuana use disorder.
|