Anyone who uses marijuana will suffer side effects – it’s just a matter of when and how severe they will be?

A drug of addiction cannot be used safely because it is harmful.

There are no proven benefits to the use of marijuana.

You become dependent upon marijuana to make you feel ‘normal’.

You become dependent upon marijuana to make you feel comfortable when interacting socially.

You become dependent upon marijuana to help you think.

You become dependent upon marijuana to relieve boredom –

Which is caused by the drug in the first place!

THE FACTS:

75% of people in our Mental Health System are there because of drugs.

Marijuana is more addictive than heroin

Marijuana detox takes far longer than heroin detox.

The symptoms of marijuana detox can be just as severe as heroin.

Marijuana is a ‘gateway’ drug for youth. i.e. it does lead to the use of other drugs.

The MENTAL effects include: 

Decreased motivation

Decreased ability to take in, process and use new information

Decreased long & short term memory recall

Increased appetite

Decreased self esteem

Decreased attention span

Drug induced psychosis

Paranoia

Schizophrenia

The EMOTIONAL effects include - 

Depression

Anxiety

Confusion

Uncontrollable anger & aggression

75% of the people in our mental health system are there because of drug related psychosis. Young people are most at risk because they have not fully developed physically, emotionally or mentally. 

Every relevant medical authority in the USA has rejected cannabis for medical use.

Rare head and neck cancers, which used to be seen in the 60+ age group, are increasingly common in young cannabis users.

Males can become more feminine, fewer sperm are produced and some are abnormal.  Impotence can occur.

Blood pressure rises to the levels of real stress.  Blood flow to the brain is affected.

Physical and psychological addiction have both been observed.  There is no foolproof way of curing either.

Schizophrenia can be precipitated or worsened by using cannabis.  Cannabis psychosis is common.

Cannabis interferes with a delicate system known as the “CANNABINOID SYSTEM” of your Central Nervous System.  This area of your brain controls various Mental, Physical & Emotional Responses.

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN

THAT MARIJUANA IS NOT

A HARMLESS DRUG!

It is a drug of dependence.

It is psychologically addictive and has the capacity to cause physical addiction.

It is carcinogenic and can cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, larynx, jaw, neck and lungs.

Marijuana smoke not only produces airway injury, lung inflammation and acute and chronic bronchitis, but it also decreases the pulmonary system’s ability to fight infection.

A single joint of marijuana can deposit up to four times the amount of cancer-causing tar in the airway compared to one cigarette.

Marijuana is also capable of causing the user to suffer from paranoid reactions, confusion, delusions, hallucinations and toxic psychosis.

Marijuana has been proven to trigger attacks of mental illness such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis.

Marijuana is responsible for the adult onset of Schizophrenia, for which there is no cure.

Evidence has shown that marijuana users are six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than non-users.

Marijuana is mutagenic (capable of causing mutations) and foetotoxic (poisonous to the foetus).

It has been proven to cause genetic mutations in both the mother and the unborn child.

Mothers who smoke marijuana just before or during pregnancy are 10 to 11 times more likely to cause their child to develop Non-Lymphoblastic Leukemia ("Childhood Leukaemia") for which there is no cure.

If you’re male: marijuana diminishes testosterone levels and lowers your sperm count and motility level.

Long-term use of marijuana can cause irreversible damage to the area of the brain associated with memory.

Short-term use of marijuana can impair or reduce your short-term memory and ability to concentrate, judge distance and react swiftly in a dangerous situation such as driving.

The mental impairment and dysfunction caused by smoking only one marijuana ‘joint’ can last for up to 24 hours or more.

The memory of a marijuana user may be effected for up to 6 weeks.

Children who are parentally exposed to marijuana have been shown to have increased behavioural problems as well as decreased visual perception and language comprehension.

Research shows that children exposed to marijuana by their parents have a lower IQ level compared to children who were not.