Y10: Welcome to "lightingfools". below you will find some information on cannabis that I have collected, plus some links to other reliable websites. Remember, you are looking for facts and statistics which will help your argument.

Marijuana- frequently asked questions
Can you die of a marijuana overdose?
No. There is no evidence that anyone has ever died of a marijuana overdose. Tests performed on mice have shown that the ‘effective’ to ‘lethal’ ratio for cannabis is about 40,000: 1 – in other words, if one joint gets you ‘stoned’, it would take 40,000 joints to kill you. The ratio for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1- in other words, if you feel drunk after a pint of beer, 10 pints will certainly kill you.

Does marijuana cause brain damage?
No. Marijuana is psychoactive because it stimulates certain brain receptors, but it does not produce toxins that kill them (like alcohol), and it does not wear them out as other drugs do. There is no evidence that marijuana use is a cause of brain damage.

Does marijuana affect your memory?
Yes. Marijuana does impair short-term memory. Persistent impairment of short-term memory can occur in marijuana smokers even after giving the drug up.

Does marijuana cause heart problems?
Probably. Smoking anything, including marijuana, may cause and will certainly worsen heart problems like hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary atherosclerosis.

Does marijuana damage the immune system?
Yes. Studies in which lab rats were injected with large quantities of cannabinoids have found that marijuana does harm the body’s ability to fight infection. It shuts off certain cells that fight bacteria, but this is only for the duration of intoxication. There also exists some evidence that marijuana stays in the lungs for up to seven months after smoking has ceased, possibly affecting the immune system of the lungs.

Does marijuana cause cancer?
Yes. Smoking marijuana has the potential to cause both bronchitis and cancer of the lungs, throat, and neck; some scientists believe it is more carcinogenic (cancer-causing) than tobacco, others disagree. However, marijuana is usually mixed with tobacco in a ‘joint’, and tobacco is a major cause of lung cancer. Because joint-smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs for longer than cigarette-smokers, tobacco smoke does more damage to joint-smokers than to cigarette-smokers.
Joint smokers who average 3 - 4 joints per day show similar symptoms to cigarette smokers who get through a whole pack of 20 in a day, including a bad cough and chest problems.

Does marijuana decrease motivation?
Sort of. ‘Amotivational syndrome’ is as a condition in which a person loses ambition or motivation. Recent studies have found that marijuana use may consistently produce amotivational syndrome in adolescent monkeys. However, a full recovery to normal motivation levels occurred about three months after the scientists stopped exposing the monkeys to marijuana.

Is marijuana addictive?
Sort of. It is generally agreed that marijuana does not create a tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, or physical dependence in the user. However, many long-term marijuana users find it very difficult to give up and often have trouble sleeping or relaxing without the drug.

Does marijuana cause accidents?
Yes. One study shows that daily marijuana smokers tend to have a 30% higher risk of accidental injuries than non-users.

Does marijuana use lead to the use of other drugs?
Difficult to say. Many people believe that marijuana use acts as a ‘gateway’ to the use of harder drugs. However, studies show that when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 70's, heroin and cocaine use substantially declined. If the ‘gateway’ theory were true, use should have gone up rather than down. Some people argue that marijuana use tends to substitute the use of more dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin, rather than lead to their use. A National High School survey in the USA tells us that in 1990, 40.7% of all high school students had tried marijuana at least once, whereas only 9.4% and 1.3% had ever used cocaine and heroin. This means that, at maximum, only 23% of marijuana users go on to use cocaine, and only 3% go on to use heroin.

Health Consequences of Marijuana Abuse
Acute (present during intoxication)
· Impairs short-term memory
· Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions
· Impairs coordination and balance
· Increases heart rate
Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent)
· Impairs memory and learning skills
Long-term (cumulative, potentially permanent effects of chronic abuse)
· Can lead to addiction
· Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema
· Increases risk of cancer of the head, neck, and lungs


http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p45-mari.html

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/index.html

http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm