Drug Abuse Information

Q: Does Marijuana lead to the use of other drugs?

A: Long-term studies of high school students and their patterns of drug use show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. For example, the risk of using cocaine is much greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it. Using marijuana puts children and teens in contact with people who are users and sellers of other drugs. So there is more of a risk that a marijuana user will be exposed to and urged to try more drugs. To better determine this risk, scientists are examining the possibility that long-term marijuana use may create changes in the brain that make a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine. Although many young people who use marijuana do not go onto use other drugs, further research is needed to determine who will be at greatest risk.

Q: How can you tell if someone is using Marijuana?

A: If someone is high on marijuana, he or she might:

• seem dizzy and have trouble walking
• seem silly and giggly for no reason
• have very red, bloodshot eyes
• have a hard time remembering things that just happened

When the early effects fade, over a few hours, the user can become very sleepy.

Questions and answers quoted from www.nida.nih.gov

This graph provided bymedicalmarijuana.procon.org

“In 2006, 25 million Americans age 12 and older had abused marijuana at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.” National Survey on Drug Use and Health