Letter from the Director What is marijuana? What is the scope of marijuana use in the United States? How does marijuana affect the brain? What are the acute effects of marijuana use? How does marijuana use affect physical health? How does marijuana use affect school, work, and social life? Can marijuana use during pregnancy harm the baby? Is marijuana use addictive? What treatments are available for marijuana abusers? Where can I get further scientific information about marijuana? Glossary References

Glossary

Addiction: A chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemical changes in the brain.

Cannabinoids: Chemicals that help control mental and physical processes when produced naturally by the body and that produce intoxication and other effects when absorbed from marijuana.

Carcinogen: Any substance that causes cancer.

Dopamine: A brain chemical, classified as a neurotransmitter, found in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and pleasure.

Hippocampus: An area of the brain crucial for learning and memory.

Hydrocarbon: Any chemical compound containing only hydrogen and carbon.

Psychoactive: Having a specific effect on the mind.

THC: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; the main active ingredient in marijuana, which acts on the brain to produce its effects.

Withdrawal: Symptoms that occur after use of a drug is reduced or stopped.

• NIDA - National Institute on Drug Abuse
• HIV.drugabuse.gov - Information on the links between HIV/AIDS and Drug Use.
• Marijuana-Info.org - Information about Marijuana
• ClubDrugs.org - Information about Ecstasy, Methamphetamine, GHB and others
• SteroidAbuse.org - Information on Anabolic Steroids.
• Smoking.drugabuse.gov - Information on nicotine addiction