Overview
Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from the same plant. Other forms of cannabis include sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs.
The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety.
Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint) or in a pipe or bong. Marijuana has also appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, sometimes in combination with another drug, such as crack. It can also be mixed into foods or used to brew a tea.
Extent of Use
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 97.5 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, representing 40.1% of the U.S. population in that age group. The number of past year marijuana users in 2005 was approximately 25.4 million (10.4% of the population aged 12 or older) and the number of past month marijuana users was 14.6 million (6.0%).
Among 12-17 year olds surveyed as part of the 2005 NSDUH, 6.8% reported past month marijuana use. Additional NSDUH results indicate that 16.6% of 18-25 year olds and 4.1% of those aged 26 or older reported past month use of marijuana.
The 2005 NSDUH results also indicate that there were 2.1 million persons aged 12 or older who had used marijuana for the first time within the past 12 months.
A 2002 SAMHSA report, Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns and Implications, concludes that the younger children are when they first use marijuana, the more likely they are to use cocaine and heroin and become dependent on drugs as adults. The report found that 62 percent of adults age 26 or older who initiated marijuana before they were 15 years old reported that they had used cocaine in their lifetime. More than 9 percent reported they had used heroin and 53.9 percent reported non-medical use of psychotherapeutics. This compares to a 0.6 percent rate of lifetime use of cocaine, a 0.1 percent rate of lifetime use of heroin and a 5.1 percent rate of lifetime non-medical use of psychotherapeutics for those who never used marijuana. Increases in the likelihood of cocaine and heroin use and drug dependence are also apparent for those who initiate use of marijuana at any later age. Results of the 2006 Monitoring the Future survey indicate that 15.7% of eighth graders, 31.8% of tenth graders, and 42.3% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of marijuana. In 2005, these percentages were 16.5%, 34.1%, and 44.8%, respectively.
Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, 2005–2006
2005
2006
2005
2006
2005
2006
Past month
6.6
6.5
15.2
14.2
19.8
18.3
Past year
12.2
11.7
26.6
25.2
33.6
31.5
Lifetime
16.5
15.7
34.1
31.8
44.8
42.3
Approximately 73.2% of eighth graders, 64.9% of tenth graders, and 57.9% of twelfth graders surveyed in 2006 reported that smoking marijuana regularly was a "great risk."
Percent of Students Reporting Risk of Using Marijuana, 2006
Try marijuana once/twice
32.2
22.2
17.8
Smoke marijuana occasionally
48.9
35.6
25.9
Smoke marijuana regularly
73.2
64.9
57.9
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys high school students on several risk factors including drug and alcohol use. Results of the 2005 survey indicate that 38.4% of high school students reported using marijuana at some point in their lifetimes. Additional YRBS results indicate that 20.2% of students surveyed in 2005 reported current (past month) use of marijuana.
Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, 2001–2005
Current use Lifetime use Approximately 49.1% of college students and 57.0% of young adults (ages 19–28) surveyed in 2005 reported lifetime use of marijuana.
Percent of College Students/Young Adults Using Marijuana, 2004–2005
2004 Past month Past year Lifetime According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 77.6% of State prisoners and 71.2% of Federal prisoners surveyed in 2004 indicated that they used marijuana/hashish at some point in their lives.
Percent of Prisoners Reporting Marijuana Use, 1997 and 2004
At time of offense In month before offense Regularly* Ever in lifetime * Used drugs at least once a week for at least a month. Health Effects
Marijuana abuse is associated with many detrimental health effects. These effects can include frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks and tolerance. Marijuana meets the criteria for an addictive drug and animal studies suggest marijuana causes physical dependence and some people report withdrawal symptoms.
Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.
Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.
Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,997,993 were drug-related. DAWN data indicate that marijuana was involved in 215,665 ED visits.
DAWN also collects information on deaths involving drug abuse that were identified and submitted by 128 death investigation jurisdictions in 42 metropolitan areas across the United States. Cannabis ranked among the 10 most common drugs in 16 cities, including Detroit (74 deaths), Dallas (65), and Kansas City (63). Marijuana is very often reported in combination with other substances; in metropolitan areas that reported any marijuana in drug abuse deaths, an average of 79 percent of those deaths involved marijuana and at least one other substance.
Treatment
From 1995–2005, the number of admissions to treatment in which marijuana was the primary drug of abuse increased from 171,344 in 1995 to 292,250 in 2005. The marijuana admissions represented 10.2% of the total drug/alcohol admissions to treatment during 1995 and 15.8% of the treatment admissions in 2005. The average age of those admitted to treatment for marijuana during 2005 was 24 years.
Arrests & Sentencing
There were a total of 1,846,351 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations in the United States during 2005. Of the drug arrests, 4.9% were for marijuana sale/manufacturing and 37.7% were for marijuana possession.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported 5,599 marijuana-related arrests during 2005. This is down from 6,252 in 2004 and 6,216 in 2003.
According to a 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of state and Federal prisoners, approximately 12.7% of state prisoners and 12.4% of Federal prisoners were serving time for a marijuana-related offense. This is a decrease from 1997 when the figures were 12.9% and 18.9%, respectively.
During FY 2006, there were 6,423 Federal defendants sentenced for marijuana-related charges in U.S. Courts. Approximately 96% of the cases involved marijuana trafficking.
Production & Trafficking
Most of the marijuana available in the domestic drug markets is lower potency commercial-grade marijuana—usually derived from outdoor cannabis grow sites in Mexico and the United States. However, an increasing percentage of the available marijuana is high potency marijuana derived from indoor, closely controlled cannabis cultivation in Canada and the United States. The rising prevalence of high potency marijuana is evidenced by a significant (52.4%) increase in average potency of tested marijuana samples, from 5.34% THC to 8.14% THC within the past 5 years.
Most foreign-source marijuana smuggled into the United States enters through or between points of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, drug seizure data show that the amount of marijuana smuggled into the United States from Canada via the U.S.-Canada border has risen to a significant level. The quantity of marijuana seized increased 129% in a 5-year period from 11,546 kilograms in 2001 to 26,414 kilograms in 2005.
Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) data indicate that a total of 4,209,086 marijuana plants were seized in the U.S. during 2005. This is up from 3,200,040 plants seized during 2004. The states where cannabis cultivation and eradication were highest in 2005 include California, Kentucky, Tennessee, Hawaii, and Washington.
U.S. Federal agencies seized 1,103,608 kilograms of marijuana in 2005. This is down from 1,118,608 kilograms in 2004.
According to the 2004 NSDUH, most users (55.1%) got the drug for free or shared someone else's marijuana. Approximately 40% of marijuana users bought it. More than half (52.7%) of users who bought their marijuana purchased it inside a home, apartment, or dorm.
Legislation
Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
In the case of United States v. Oakland Cannabis Club the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that marijuana has no medical value as determined by Congress. The opinion of the court stated that: "In the case of the Controlled Substances Act, the statute reflects a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception outside the confines of a government-approved research project." The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court after the federal government sought an injunction in 1998 against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative and five other marijuana distributors in California.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling on May 24, 2002, upholding DEA's determination that marijuana must remain a schedule I controlled substance. The Court of Appeals rejected an appeal that contended that marijuana does not meet the legal criteria for classification in schedule I, the most restrictive schedule under the Controlled Substances Act.
Street Terms
"Grass," "pot," and "weed" are common street terms for marijuana. Other terms include:
Marijuana Street Terms
Term Definition Term Definition 420 Marijuana use Homegrown Marijuana BC bud High-grade marijuana from Canada Hydro Marijuana grown in water (hydroponic) Bud Marijuana Indo Marijuana term from Northern CA Chronic Marijuana Kind bud High quality marijuana Dope Marijuana Mary Jane Marijuana Ganja Marijuana; term from Jamaica Shake Marijuana Herb Marijuana Sinsemilla Potent Marijuana