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.
