THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL

But what about alcohol? Is it really a drug? After all, it is legal, it is part of social life and is even recommended by some doctors as healthy in small quantities.

In surveys conducted, alcohol came up at the top of the list of substances youth said they are the most likely to use and they consider as a problem. Because it takes so many young lives (more than all other drugs combined), it is the substance parents are the most worried about.

You need facts to avoid becoming one of the many victims of alcohol and to help your friends stay safe.

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

Alcohol is a drug.

It is classed as a depressant, meaning that it slows down vital functions resulting in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions and an inability to react quickly.

As for how it affects the mind, it is best understood as a drug that reduces a person's ability to think rationally and distorts his or her judgment.

Although classified as a depressant, the amount of alcohol consumed determines the type of effect. Most people drink for the stimulant effect, such as a beer or glass of wine taken to "loosen up". But if a person consumes more than the body can handle, they then experience alcohol's depressant effect. They start to feel "stupid" or lose coordination and control.

Alcohol overdose causes even more severe depressant effects (inability to feel pain, toxicity where the body vomits the poison, and finally unconsciousness or, worse, coma or death from severe toxic overdose). These reactions depend on how much is consumed and how quickly.

There are different kinds of alcohol. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the only alcohol used in beverages, is produced by the fermentation of grains and fruits. Fermenting is a chemical process whereby yeast acts upon certain ingredients in the food, creating alcohol.

ALCHOHOL CONTENT

Fermented drinks, such as beer and wine, contain from 2% alcohol to 20% alcohol. Distilled drinks, or liquor, contain from 40% to 50% or more alcohol. The usual alcohol content for each is:

* Beer 2 to 6% alcohol
* Cider 4 to 8% alcohol
* Wine 8 to 20% alcohol
* Tequila 40% alcohol
* Rum 40% or more alcohol
* Brandy 40% or more alcohol
* Gin 40 to 47% alcohol
* Whiskey 40 to 50% alcohol
* Vodka 40 to 50% alcohol
* Liqueurs 15 to 60% alcohol

DRINKING AND DRIVING

In the United States in 2007, the death toll from teenage drunk-driving accidents was 1,393 to nearly four fatalities every day of the year.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the US and are responsible for more than one in three deaths of American teenagers. Of the teen driver killed on the road in 2006, 31% had been drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The risk of a driver under the influence of alcohol being killed in a vehicle accident is at least 11 times that of drivers without alcohol in their system.

For most people, these are only statistics and shocking, perhaps, but only statistics. But for the families and friends of those who die as a result of teenage drinking and driving, each number represents a tragic loss.

Alcohol distorts a person's perceptions and judgment. People under the influence of alcohol readily admit their reaction time is slower than when not drinking, and they take many chances they would never take when sober. Too often those chances are fatal.

UNDERSTANDING HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS THE BODY

Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream via small vessels in the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes of drinking alcohol, it travels from the stomach to the brain, where it quickly produces its effects, slowing the action nerve cells.

Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach. Most of the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine.

Alcohol is also carried by the bloodstream to the liver, which eliminates the alcohol from the blood through a process called "metabolizing," where it is converted to a non-toxic substance. The liver can only metabolize a certain amount at a time, leaving excess circulating throughout the body. Thus the intensity of the effect on the body is directly related to the amount consumed.

When the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds a certain level, the respiratory (breathing) system slows down markedly, and can cause a coma or death, because oxygen no longer reaches the brain.

YOUNG PEOPLE VERSUS ADULTS: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

A young person's body cannot cope with alcohol the same way an adult's can.

Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to move) and coordination.

According to research, young people who begin drinking before age 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.

WHAT IS BINGE DRINKING?

Binge drinking is the practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in a single session, usually defined as five or more drinks at one time for a man, or four or more drinks at one time for a woman.

About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks.

WHAT IS ALCOHOLISM OR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE?

Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) consist of four symptoms:

* Craving: a strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
* Loss of control: the inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion.
* Physical dependence: withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.

Serious dependence can lead to life-threatening withdrawal symptoms including convulsions, starting 8 to 12 hours after the last drink. The delirium tremens (D.T.'s) begins 3 to 4 days later where the person becomes extremely agitated, shakes, hallucinates and loses touch with reality.

* Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get high.

An increasingly heavy drinker often says he could stop whenever he chooses to, he just never "chooses" to do so. Alcoholism is not destination, but a progression, a long road of deterioration in which life continuously worsens.

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

Alcohol kills more teenagers than all other drugs combined. It is a factor in the three leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds: accidents, homicides, and suicides.

* Youth who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use other illegal drugs and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink. One survey found that 32% of the heavy drinkers over 12 were also illegal drug users.

* In 2005, 6.6% of the US population aged 12 or older, or 16 million people, reported heavy drinking (binge drinking on at least five days of the past 30 days).

* Of the 3.9 million Americans who received treatment for a substance abuse problem in 2005, 2.5 million of them were treated for alcohol use.

* Alcohol-related traffic deaths in the US were 12,998 in 2007. This is more than three times as many Americans soldiers who died in combat the first six years of the Iraq war.

* There are 1.4 million drunk driving arrests in the US every year.

* A US Department of Justice study found that as many as 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol.

* In 2005 and 2006, there were 187,640 National Health System alcohol-related hospital admissions in England.

* There were 6,570 deaths in England in 2005 from causes directly linked to alcohol use. In 2006, alcohol-related deaths in England rose to 8,758. This amounts to an annual increase of 7% from the previous year.

* According to one study, of the 490 million people in the European Union, more than 23 million are dependent on alcohol.

* In Europe, alcohol contributes to nearly one in ten of all cases of illness and premature deaths each year.

* 39% of all traffic deaths involved alcohol in 2005.

* 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

Depending on how much is taken and the physical condition of the individual, alcohol can cause:

* Slurred speech
* Drowsiness
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Upset stomach
* Headaches
* Breathing difficulties
* Distorted vision and hearing
* Impaired judgment
* Decreased perception and coordination
* Unconsciousness
* Anemia (loss of red blood cells)
* Coma
* Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence)

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

Binge drinking and continued alcohol use in large amounts are associated with many health problems, including:

* Unintentional injuries such as car crash, falls, burns, drowning
* Intentional injuries such as firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence
* Increased on-the-job injuries and loss of productivity
* Increased family problems, broken relationships
* Alcohol poisoning
* High blood pressure, stroke, and other heart-related diseases
* Liver disease
* Nerve damage
* Sexual problems
* Permanent damage to the brain
* Vitamin B, deficiency, which can lead to a disorder characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation
* Ulcers
* Gastritis (inflammation of stomach walls)
* Malnutrition
* Cancer of the mouth and throat

THE YOUNGEST VICTIMS

When consumed by pregnant mothers, alcohol enters the bloodstream, passes through the placenta and enters the fetus (unborn child).

Alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy, but is most serious in the first few months. There is a risk of alcohol-related birth defects including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and damage to the brain and nervous system.

ALCOHOL: A SHORT HISTORY

Fermented grain, fruit juice and honey have been used to make alcohol (ethyl alcohol or ethanol) for thousands of years.

Fermented beverages existed in early Egyptian civilization, and there is evidenced of an early alcoholic drink in China around 7000 b.c. In India, an alcoholic beverage called sura, distilled from rice, was in use between 3000 and 2000 b.c.

The Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess as early as 2700 b.c. In Greece, one of the first alcoholic beverages to gain popularity was mead, a fermented drink made from honey and water. Greek literature is full of warnings against excessive drinking.

Several Native American civilizations developed alcoholic beverages in pre-Columbian times. A variety of fermented beverages from the Andes region of South America were created from corn, grapes or apples, called "chichi."

In the 16th century, alcohol (called "spirits") was used largely for medicinal purposes. At the beginning of the 18th century, the British parliament passed a law encouraging the use of grain for distilling spirits. Cheap spirits flooded the market and reached a peak in the mid-18th century. In Britain, gin consumption reached 18 million gallons and alcoholism became widespread.

The 19th century brought a change in attitudes and the temperance movement began promoting the moderate use of alcohol ñ which ultimately became a push for total prohibition.

In 1920 the US passed a law prohibiting the manufacture, sale, import, and export of intoxicating liquors. The illegal alcohol trade boomed and by 1933, the prohibition of alcohol was cancelled.

Today, an estimated 15 million Americans suffer from alcoholism and 40% of all car accident deaths in the US involve alcohol.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ECSTASY

Dancing with death?

Ecstasy is illegal. The Drug enforcement administration classifies it as a Schedule I drug, a description reserved for dangerous substances with no recognized medical use. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD. Penalties for possession, delivery and manufacturing of ecstasy can include jail sentences of four years to life, and fines from $250,000 to $4 million, depending on the amount of the drug you have in your possession.

Tragically, ecstasy is one of the most popular drugs among youth today. The UN office on Drugs and Crime estimates ecstasy users to number approximately 9 million worldwide. The vast majority of users are teenagers and young adults.

Mixed with alcohol, ecstasy is extremely dangerous and can, in fact, be deadly. So widespread has been the harm of this "designer drug," that emergency room incidents have skyrocketed more than 1,200% since ecstasy became the "club drug" of choice at all‐night "rave" parties and dance clubs.

What is Ecstasy?

Ecstasy was originally developed by Merck pharmaceutical company in 1912. In its original form, it was known as "MDMA." It was used in 1953 by the US Army in psychological warfare tests, and then resurfaced in the 1960s as a psychotherapy medication to "lower inhibitions."* It wasn't until the 1970s that MDMA started being used as a party drug.

By the early 1980s, MDMA was being promoted as "the hottest thing in the continuing search for happiness through chemistry," and the "in drug" for many weekend parties. Still legal in 1984, MDMA was being sold under the brand name "Ecstasy," but by 1985, the drug had been banned due to safety concerns.

Since the late 1980s, Ecstasy has become an embracive "marketing" term for drug dealers selling "Ecstasy‐type" drugs that may, in fact, contain very little or no MDMA at all. And while MDMA itself can produce harmful effects, what is called Ecstasy today can contain a wide mixture of substances from – LSD, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and methamphetamine, to rat poison, caffeine, dog deworming substances, etc. Despite the cute logos dealers put on the pills, this is what makes Ecstasy particularly dangerous; a user never really knows what he is taking. The dangers are increased when users increase the dose seeking a previous high, not knowing they may be taking an entirely different combination of drugs.

Ecstasy most commonly comes in pill form but can also be injected and taken in other ways. Liquid Ecstasy is actually GHB, a nervous system depressant—a substance that can also be found in drain cleaner, floor stripper and degreasing solvents.

Street Names

 

* Cadillac
* Adam
* Beans
* California
* Sunrise
* Clarity
* E
* Essence
* Elephants
* Eve
* Hug
* Hug Drug
* Scooby Snakcs
* Love Pill
* Lover's Speed
* Roll
* X
* Snowball
* XE
* XTC

THE TRUTH ABOUT COCAINE

The word cocaine refers to the drug in a powder form or crystal form. The powder is usually mixed with substances such as corn starch, talcum powder and/or sugar or other drugs such as procaine (a local anesthetic) or amphetamines. To more rapidly absorb the drug into the body, abusers inject it, but this substantially increases the risk of overdose. Inhaling it as smoke or vapor speeds absorption with less health risk than injection.

Extracted from coca leaves, cocaine was originally developed as a painkiller. It is most often sniffed, with the powder absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. It can also be ingested or rubbed into the gums.

A DEADLY WHITE POWDER

Cocaine is one of the most dangerous drugs known to man. Once a person begins taking the drug, it has proven almost impossible to become free of its grip physically and mentally. Physically it stimulates key receptors (nerve endings that sense changes in the body) within the brain that, in turn, create a euphoria to which users quickly develop a tolerance. Only higher dosages and more frequent use can bring about the same effect.

Today, cocaine is a worldwide, multibillion dollar enterprise. Users encompass all ages, occupations and economic levels, even schoolchildren as young as eight years old.

Cocaine use can lead to death from respiratory (breathing) failure, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) or heart attack. Children of cocaine addicted mothers come into the world as addicts themselves. Many suffer birth defects and many other problems.

Despite its dangers, cocaine use continues to increase — likely because users find it so difficult to escape from the first steps taken down the long dark road that leads to addiction.

STREET NAMES

Of the dozens of street terms for cocaine in use today, the most common are: Aunt Nora, Bernice, Binge, Blow, C, Charlie, Coke, Dust, Flake, Mojo, Nose candy, Paradise, Sneeze, Sniff, Snow, Toot, White

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

Cocaine is the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world. The most recent statistics show that international seizures of cocaine have continued to increase and now total 756 metric tons, with the largest quantities of the drug intercepted in South America, followed by North America. According to the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction, cocaine is also the second most commonly used illegal drug in Europe. Among young people (15 to 34 years), an estimated 7.5 million have used cocaine at least once in their life, 3.5 million in the last year and 1.5 million in the past month.

In the United States, the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 35.3 million Americans aged 12 and older reported having used cocaine. Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the past‐year use rate was 6.9%. Among high school students, 8.5% of 12th graders had used cocaine at some point in their young lives, according to the 2006 Monitoring the Future Study by the National Institute for Drug Abuse. In the United States, cocaine continues to be the most frequently mentioned illegal drug reported to the Drug Abuse Warning Network by hospital emergency departments. There were 448,481 emergency department visits involving cocaine reported in 2005.

Why is Cocaine so highly addictive?

Next to methamphetamine, cocaine creates the greatest psychological dependence of any drug. It stimulates key pleasure centers within the brain and causes extremely heightened euphoria. a tolerance to cocaine develops quickly—the addict soon fails to achieve the same high experienced earlier from the same amount of cocaine.

Cocaine is sometimes taken with other drugs, including tranquilizers, amphetamines, marijuana and heroin. Such combinations greatly increase the danger of using cocaine. In addition to the likelihood of developing a two‐drug habit, one can easily create a mixture of narcotics that proves fatal.

EFFECTS OF COCAINE

What are the short-term effects of cocaine? Cocaine causes a short‐lived, intense high that is immediately followed by the opposite—intense depression, edginess and a craving for more of the drug. People who use it often don’t eat or sleep properly. They can experience greatly increased heart rate, muscle spasms and convulsions. The drug can make people feel paranoid,* angry, hostile and anxious—even when they aren’t high. Regardless of how much of the drug is used or how frequently, cocaine increases the risk that the user will experience a heart attack, stroke, seizure or respiratory (breathing) failure, any of which can result in sudden death.

What are the long-term effects of cocaine? the phrase “dope fiend” was originally coined many years ago to describe the negative side effects of constant cocaine use. as tolerance to the drug increases, it becomes necessary to take greater and greater quantities to get the same high. Prolonged daily use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite. a person can become psychotic and begin to experience hallucinations. As cocaine interferes with the way the brain processes chemicals, one needs more and more of the drug just to feel “normal.” People who become addicted to cocaine (as with most other drugs) lose interest in other areas of life.

Coming down from the drug causes depression so severe that a person will do almost anything to get the drug—even commit murder. and if he or she can’t get cocaine, the depression can get so intense it can drive the addict to suicide.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

* Loss of appetite
* Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
* Contracted blood vessels
* Increased rate of breathing
* Dilated pupils
* Disturbed sleep patterns
* Nausea
* Hyperstimulation
* Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
* Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
* Tactile hallucination that creates the illusion of bugs burrowing under the skin
* Intense euphoria
* Anxiety and paranoia
* Depression
* Intense drug craving
* Panic and psychosis
* Convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses (even one time)

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

* Permanent damage to blood vessels of hearth and brain
* High blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death
* Liver, kidney, and lung damage
* Destruction of tissues in nose if sniffed
* Respiratory failure if smoked
* Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
* Malnutrition, weight loss
* Severe tooth decay
* Auditory and tactile hallucinations
* Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility (for both men and women)
* Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
* Irritability and mood disturbances
* Increased frequency of risky behavior
* Delirium or psychosis
* Severe depression
* Tolerance and addiction (even after just one use)

CHILDREN: THE MOST INNOCENT VICTIMS OF COCAINE

One often hears the statement, “Yes, I take drugs, but that’s my business!” but drug use always has its innocent victims, from those who become prey of addicts seeking through desperate means to finance their drug habit, to those who die in traffic accidents caused by drivers under the influence. The most tragic victims of cocaine are babies born to mothers who use the drug during pregnancy. In the united States alone, tens of thousands of cocaine‐exposed babies are born in a year. Those not addicted often suffer from a variety of physical problems which can include premature birth, low birth‐weight, stunted growth, birth defects and damage to the brain and nervous system. Low-birth-weight babies are 20 times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal‐weight babies, and they face an increased risk of lifelong disabilities such as mental retardation and brain damage. The impact on society of this human tragedy has yet to be fully measured.

COCAINE: A SHORT STORY

Coca is one of the oldest, most potent and most dangerous stimulants of natural origin. Three thousand years before the birth of Christ, ancient Incas in the Andes chewed coca leaves to get their hearts racing and to speed their breathing to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. Native Peruvians chewed coca leaves only during religious ceremonies. This taboo was broken when Spanish soldiers invaded Peru in 1532. Forced Indian laborers in Spanish silver mines were kept supplied with coca leaves because it made them easier to control and exploit.

Cocaine was first isolated (extracted from coca leaves) in 1859 by German chemist Albert Niemann. It was not until the 1880s that it started to be popularized in the medical community. Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who used the drug himself, was the first to broadly promote cocaine as a tonic to cure depression and sexual impotence.

In 1884, he published an article entitled “Über Coca” (About Coke) which promoted the “benefits” of cocaine, calling it a “magical” substance.

Freud, however, was not an objective observer. He used cocaine regularly, prescribed it to his girlfriend and his best friend and recommended it for general use. While noting that cocaine had led to “physical and moral decadence,” Freud kept promoting cocaine to his close friends, one of whom ended up suffering from paranoid hallucinations with “white snakes creeping over his skin.”

He also believed that “For humans the toxic dose (of cocaine) is very high, and there seems to be no lethal dose.” Contrary to this belief, one of Freud’s patients died from a high dosage he prescribed. In 1886, the popularity of the drug got a further boost when John Pemberton included coca leaves as an ingredient in his new soft drink, Coca‐Cola. The euphoric and energizing effects on the consumer helped to skyrocket the popularity of Coca‐Cola by the turn of the century.

From the 1850s to the early 1900s, cocaine and opium‐laced elixirs (magical or medicinal potions), tonics and wines were broadly used by people of all social classes. Notable figures who promoted the “miraculous” effects of cocaine tonics and elixirs included inventor Thomas Edison and actress Sarah Bernhardt. The drug became popular in the silent film industry and the pro‐cocaine messages coming out of Hollywood at that time influenced millions. Cocaine use in society increased and the dangers of the drug gradually became more evident. Public pressure forced the Coca‐Cola company to remove the cocaine from the soft drink in 1903. By 1905, it had become popular to snort cocaine and within five years, hospitals and medical literature had started reporting cases of nasal damage resulting from the use of this drug. In 1912, the United States government reported 5,000 cocaine‐related deaths in one year and by 1922, the drug was officially banned.

In the 1970s, cocaine emerged as the fashionable new drug for entertainers and business people. Cocaine seemed to be the perfect companion for a trip into the fast lane. It “provided energy” and helped people stay “up.”

At some American universities, the percentage of students who experimented with cocaine increased tenfold between 1970 and 1980. In the late 1970s, Colombian drug traffickers began setting up an elaborate network for smuggling cocaine into the US. Traditionally, cocaine was a rich man’s drug, due to the large expense of a cocaine habit. By the late 1980s, cocaine was no longer thought of as the drug of choice for the wealthy. By then, it had the reputation of America’s most dangerous and addictive drug, linked with poverty, crime and death. In the early 1990s, the Colombian drug cartels produced and exported 500 to 800 tons of cocaine a year, shipping not only to the US but also to Europe and Asia. The large cartels were dismantled by law enforcement agencies in the mid‐1990s, but they were replaced by smaller groups—with more than 300 known active drug smuggling organizations in Colombia today. As of 2008, cocaine had become the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world.

WHAT DEALERS WILL TELL YOU

When teens were surveyed to find out why they started using drugs in the first place, 55% replied that it was due to pressure from their friends. they wanted to be cool and popular. Dealers know this. They will approach you as a friend and offer to “help you out” with “something to bring you up.” the drug will “help you fit in” or “make you cool.”

Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make, will say anything to get you to buy their drugs. they will tell you that “cocaine will make your life a party.” they don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. all they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted they saw their buyers as “pawns in a chess game.”

Get the facts about drugs. Make your own decisions.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA

Marijuana is the word used to describe the dried flowers, seeds and leaves of the Indian hemp plant. On the street, it is called by many other names, such as: astro turf, bhang, dagga, dope, ganja, grass, hemp, home grown, J, Mary Jane, pot, reefer, roach, Texas tea and weed.

Hashish is a related form of the drug, made from the resins of the Indian hemp plant. Also called chocolate, hash, or shit, it is on average six times stronger than marijuana.

"Cannabis" describes any of the different drugs that come from Indian hemp, including marijuana and hashish.

Regardless of the name, this drug is a hallucinogenic substance which distorts how the mind perceives the world you live in.

The chemical in cannabis that creates this distortion is known as "THC." The amount of THC found in any given batch of marijuana may vary substantially, but overall, the percentage of THC has increased in recent years.

HOW IS IT USED?

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. A survey conducted in 2007 found that 14.4 million individuals in the US alone had smoked marijuana at least once during the previous month.

Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint), but may also be smoked in a pipe. Less often, it is mixed with food and eaten or brewed as tea. Sometimes users open up cigars and remove the tobacco, replacing it with pot called a "blunt". Joints and blunts are sometimes laced with other, more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine or PCP (phencyclidine, a powerful hallucinogen).

When a person smokes a joint, he usually feels its effect within minutes. The immediate sensations, increased heart rate, lessened coordination and balance, and a "dreamy",î unreal state of mind-peak within the first 30 minutes. These short-term effects usually wear off intwo to three hours, but they could last longer, depending on how much the user takes, the potency of THC and the presence of other drugs added into the mix.

As the typical user inhales more smoke and holds it longer than he would with a cigarette, a joint creates a severe impact on one's lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that consuming one joint gives as much exposure to cancer-producing chemicals as smoking five cigarettes.

The mental consequences of marijuana use are equally severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude than do non-users.

Animals given marijuana by researchers have even suffered structural damage to the brain.

STREET NAMES

Marjuana, Hashish, Pot, Chocolate, Herb, Hash, Weed, Shit, Grass, White, Widow, Ganja, Astro turf, Bhang, Dagga, Dope, Hemp, Home grown, J, Mary Jane, Reefer, Roach, Texas tea.

MARIJUANA ITS BACKGROUND

The Indian hemp plant (from which cannabis drugs like marijuana and hashish are made) was grown for use as an hallucinogen more than 2,000 years ago.

Although cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals, the main ingredient which affects the mind is THC. The amount of THC in the hemp plant determines the strength of the drug. The weather, soil and other factors determine the percentage of THC found in the plant. By using modern farming techniques, hemp growers have developed strains of cannabis which have much higher levels of THC than in the past. THC levels averaged 1% in 1974 and 4% in 1994. In 2008, levels reached 9.6%, highest ever since analysis of the drug began in the 1970s.

One form of cannabis, called sinsemilla (Spanish for "without seeds"), may have THC levels from 7.5% to as much as 24%.

ALCOHOL VS. MARIJUANA

Is smoking a joint the same as drinking alcohol?

You decide. Here are the facts:

Alcohol consists of one substance only: ethanol. Marijuana contains more than 400 known chemicals, including the same cancer?causing substances found in tobacco smoke. Unlike cigarette smokers, pot smokers tend to inhale deeply and hold the smoke as long as possible to increase the effect of the drug, worsening the damage to the lungs.

Alcohol is eliminated from the body in a few hours, but THC stays in the body for weeks, possibly months, depending on the length and intensity of usage.

THC damages the immune system. Alcohol does not.

There is no intention here to minimize the dangers of alcohol abuse, which can be equally harmful. Users, however, need to be aware that the chemicals in marijuana, some of them cancer?causing, remain in the body long after the drug is taken.

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

According to the United Nations, 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana more than 3.8% of the planet's population.

* Over 94 million people in the US have admitted using it at least once.

* According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2.1 million people in the US abused marijuana for the first time that year.

* Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 6.7% were current marijuana users in 2007.

* According to US government estimates, domestic marijuana production has increased tenfold over the last 25 years: from 1,000 metric tons (2.2 million pounds) in 1981 to 10,000 metric tons (22 million pounds) in 2006. Not surprisingly, 58% of those aged 12 to 17 state that pot is easy to obtain. US marijuana users spent approximately $10.5 billion on the drug in the year 2000.

* In 2005, 242,200 emergency room visits in the United States involved marijuana.

* According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, a large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40% of adult males tested positive at the time of their arrest.

* Of adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once; and 54% made some non-medical use of mind-altering prescription drugs.

* Next to alcohol, marijuana is the second most frequently found substance in the bodies of drivers involved in fatal automobile accidents.

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

The immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety.

But the problem does not end there. According to scientific studies, the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, remains in the body for weeks or longer.

Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another. 10 Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract.

The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008 linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued marijuana use and psychosis. Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men. Marijuana use can upset a woman's menstrual cycle.

Studies show that the mental functions of people who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain affecting memory.

Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby. Over the last 10 years,many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia* in children.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

* Sensory distortion
* Panic
* Anxiety
* Poor coordination of movement
* Lowered reaction time
* After an initial "up," the user feels sleepy or depressed
* Increased heartbeat (and risk of heart attack)

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

* Reduced resistance to common illnesses (colds, bronchitis, etc.)
* Suppression of the immune system
* Growth disorders
* Increase of abnormally structured cells in the body
* Reduction of male sex hormones
* Rapid destruction of lung fibers and lesions (injuries) to the brain could be permanent
* Reduced sexual capacity
* Study difficulties: reduced ability to learn and retain information
* Apathy, drowsiness, lack of motivation
* Personality and mood changes
* Inability to understand things clearly

ON THE ROAD TO DRUG ABUSE

Because a tolerance builds up, marijuana can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high. When the effects start to wear off, the person may turn to more potent drugs to rid himself of the unwanted conditions that caused him to take marijuana in the first place. Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs; people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug (marijuana) masks the problem for a time (while the user is high). When the "high" fades, the problem, unwanted condition or situation returns more intensely than before. The user may then turn to stronger drugs since marijuana no longer "works." The vast majority of cocaine users (99.9%) began by first using a "gateway drug" like marijuana, cigarettes or alcohol. Of course, not everyone who smokes marijuana and hashish goes on to use harder drugs. Some never do. Others quit using marijuana altogether. But some do turn to harder drugs. One study found that youth (12 to 17 years old) who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than kids who do not use pot, and that 60% of the kids who smoke pot before the age of 15 move on to cocaine.

Marijuana is sometimes combined with harder drugs. Joints are sometimes dipped in PCP, a powerful hallucinogen. PCP is a white powder, also available in liquid form, and often used with cannabis. PCP is known for causing violent behavior and creating severe physical reactions including seizures, coma and even death.

BEHIND THE SMOKE SCREEN

The use of marijuana is not only harmful to the pot smoker himself. He can also become a risk to society.

Research clearly shows that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life. A study of 129 college students found that, among those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the 30 days before being surveyed, critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were seriously diminished. A study of postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more accidents, 85% more injuries and a 75% increase in being absent from work.In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities.

It is almost impossible to grow up in America, or any country, and not be exposed to drugs. Peer pressure to do drugs is high and honest information about the dangers of drugs is not always available.

Many people will tell you marijuana is not dangerous. Consider who is telling you that. Are these the same people who are trying to sell you some pot? Marijuana can harm a person's memory and this impact can last for days or weeks after the immediate effects of the drug wear off. In one study, a group of heavy marijuana users were asked to recall words from a list. Their ability to correctly remember the words did not return to normal until as long as four weeks after they stopped smoking.

Students who use marijuana have lower grades and are less likely to get into college than non-smokers. They simply do not have the same abilities to remember and organize information compared to those who do not use these substances.

WHAT DEALERS TELL YOU

When teens were surveyed to find out why they started using drugs in the first place, 55% replied that it was due to pressure from their friends. They wanted to be cool and popular. Dealers know this.

They will approach you as a friend and offer to "help you out" with "something to bring you up." The drug will "help you fit in" or "make you cool."

Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make, will say anything to get you to buy their drugs. They will tell you that "weed won't lead you to harder drugs."

They don't care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. All they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted they saw their buyers as "pawns in a chess game."

Get the facts about drugs. Make your own decisions.