Marijuana

Aharon W. Zorea, MA, PhD, is professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.

Series Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Guide to Health Literacy

Common Misconceptions about Marijuana

Questions and Answers

The Social Context of Marijuana Use

1. What is marijuana?

2. What is the difference between marijuana that people smoke and other products that contain marijuana or marijuana extracts?

3. What compounds are found in marijuana, and which make you feel high?

4. How common is marijuana use in the United States and around the world today?

5. How is marijuana different today than it was in the past?

6. How have attitudes about marijuana use changed over time in the United States?

Marijuana's Effects on the Body and Mind

7. What are the general effects of THC on the biochemistry inside the human body?

8. How does THC impact motor functions such as physical movement, speech patterns, and reaction times?

9. How does THC impact cognitive functions and the limbic system?

10. Is there a difference in the kind of "high" resulting from marijuana when compared to alcohol and other drugs?

11. How do CBD extracts affect the body?

12. Does marijuana (THC) affect all people in the same way?

13. Does marijuana make people more creative?

Medical Marijuana

14. What were the main maladies that medical marijuana was originally intended to treat?

15. What do most patients actually use marijuana for?

16. What is "off-label" use?

17. Does marijuana provide unique benefits that cannot also be provided through other prescription drugs?

18. How long have researchers studied the usefulness of marijuana as a type of medicine?

19. How confident can patients be about the quality and potency of medical marijuana?

20. Does CBD provide more medical benefits than THC?

21. What other potential uses of medical marijuana are researchers currently studying?

Risks from Marijuana Abuse and Addiction

22. Is marijuana addictive?

23. Is marijuana a gateway drug?

24. What is marijuana abuse?

25. What are the signs of marijuana abuse?

26. How much marijuana can I take without becoming an abuser?

27. How do the health risks of marijuana compare to the health risks associated with alcohol and tobacco?

28. What are the most common social effects of marijuana abuse?

29. Is there a connection between marijuana abuse and mental illness?

30. Can marijuana use and abuse kill you?

31. I want to stop using marijuana. What treatment plans are available?

Marijuana Policy and the Law

32. Why are marijuana policies so controversial?

33. When did marijuana (and hemp) become restricted/prohibited by law?

34. My state legalized marijuana, so can I still get arrested for using, growing, buying, or selling it?

35. Is it illegal to buy marijuana products online?

36. Has legalization of marijuana ended the illegal drug trade?

37. How does marijuana policy reflect current political or moral ideologies?

38. Have other drug-related policy movements been affected by the movement to regulate marijuana?

Case Studies

Glossary

Directory of Resources

Index