• Marijuana affects your brain because it is both a depressant and psychoactive drug. That means that it lowers the activity of the central nervous system and can cause hallucinations. In some cases, it can also cause severe paranoia and delusions. The main ingredient in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is proven to interfere with the brain's short term memory. Most people who use marijuana find that over time it affects their ability to remember things. In this way, marijuana use can also impair learning
• Marijuana also affects a person's self control and judgement. It can interfere with a person's sense of time and space, placing them in a state of confusion. The most serious results from this are automobile crashes and injuries from falls.
• Marijuana affects your lungs. One joint of marijuana has been found to contain four times as much cancer causing tar as a filtered cigarette. It also has been found to contain four hundred different chemicals, several of which have are detrimental to the health of a person's lungs.
• Marijuana affects your immune system. Long term and frequent use of marijuana lowers the ability of the human body to fight off various infections. Many users are plaqued by frequent colds, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses.
• Marijuana isn't always what it seems to be. A typical blunt (a hollowed out cigar filled with marijuana) can actually be a combination of marijuana and other deadly drugs such as crack cocaine, heroin, PCP or embalming fluid. When the marijuana is combined with these other harmful drugs, the potency of the marijuana and the potential for dependence on the drugs are each increased. Also, when the drugs are combined, the potential for a lethal dose is greatly increased.
• Like all drugs, marijuana can be addictive. Not every user of marijuana will become addicted, but many regular users develop signs of dependence. Psychological dependence can occur fairly easily. However, there is now some research to suggest that marijuana is also physically addictive. (The reason this is difficult to guage is because THC is stored in fat cells and is slowly released over time. Traces of THC can be found in the body several weeks after the last incidence of use by a person!) In 1995 alone, 165,000 people entered drug treatment programs to kick their dependence on marijuana.

Know the risks. Using marijuana or other drugs increases your risk of injury from car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and other accidents.

Keep your edge. Marijuana affects your judgment, drains your motivation, and can make you feel anxious.

Look around you. Most teens aren't smoking marijuana. According to a 1997 study, 4 out of 5 12- to 17-year-old youths had never even tried marijuana.

Know the Signs...

How can you tell if a friend is using marijuana? Sometimes it's tough to tell. But there are signs that you can look for. If your friend has one or more of the following warning signs, he or she may be using marijuana:

• Seeming dizzy and having trouble walking
• Having red, bloodshot eyes, and smelly hair and clothes
• Having a hard time remembering things that just happened
• Acting silly for no apparent reason

What can you do to help someone who is using marijuana or other drugs? Be a real friend. Encourage your friend to stop or seek professional help.