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CHAPTER 10
Marijuana Use and Misuse
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
•
10.1: Understand the history of marijuana
•
10.3: Describe the scope of the problem of marijuana use and misuse
•
10.5: Describe the adverse effects and consequences of chronic marijuana
misuse
•
10.6: Understand the DSM criteria for cannabis-related disorders
CHAPTER OUTLINE
A History of Marijuana Use/Misuse
Anecdotal Claims of Efficacy
A Question of Potency
A Technical Point
Scope of the Problem
The Pharmacology of Marijuana
Interactions Between Marijuana and Other Chemicals
Methods of Marijuana Use
Subjective Effects of Marijuana Use
Adverse Effects of Marijuana Misuse
Dangers of Marijuana Misuse: An Ongoing Debate
Known and Suspected Adverse Effects of Marijuana Misuse
Marijuana-Induced Violence
Addiction to Marijuana
Marijuana Withdrawal Syndrome
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The main purpose of this chapter is to review the manner in which marijuana has become such a
controversial substance of use and misuse in the United States. The fact that marijuana is not a
“drug” in its own right but a plant that contains many compounds with psychoactive effects is
discussed. The subjective and objective effects of these compounds on the body and the
growing evidence that in spite of social myth marijuana use/misuse is not as innocuous as was
once believed are also discussed.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Break-Out Discussion #1:
But it’s natural! One of the arguments often heard from proponents of marijuana use, or those
who have been arrested for marijuana-related offenses, is that marijuana is “natural,” and
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surely nothing natural could be harmful! They often lament that society does not have the right
to interfere with one’s use of something that grows naturally in the environment. Before you
read on, think about whether you would agree with this line of thinking, and if you think it is
based on a sound logic.
Arsenic is “natural,” as is carbon dioxide, yet the line of those who wish to use either compound
for personal pleasure is rather short. Water is natural, and yet the ingestion of too much water
Another challenge to the “it’s natural” claim can be found in the selective breeding experiments
that have yielded strains of marijuana with THC levels far higher than those found in the
marijuana plants of even two decades ago. Is a plant that has been genetically altered through
selective breeding natural? Questions have been raised about the safety of genetically altered
corn modified to resist certain pathogens or to grow more rapidly. “Free–range” chickens, bred
without exposure to hormones designed to assist in speeding up the growth process, are
considered by many to be superior to those raised commercially. However, these chickens have
been cross bred over the centuries to reinforce desired characteristics. Thus, one must ask: are
these truly “natural” chickens?
Even if one accepts that marijuana is natural, does that mean that marijuana is harmless? As
Questions
1. Do you think that marijuana use is safe? Why or why not?
2. Do you know an individual who uses marijuana and has developed any of the consequences
of marijuana use discussed in your text? If you had experienced such an adverse reaction, would
you be willing to discuss it in class?
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Break-Out Discussion #2:
Marijuana use by others: Imagine that you are standing in the hallway of a major airport
terminal, awaiting your flight. A small group of men and women dressed in the uniforms of
pilots, first officers, and flight engineers passes you, and you catch the aroma of marijuana.
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Notice that I did not say that you should discuss it in class, only that if you had developed such
a marijuana-related problem, would you be willing to discuss it in class? If you choose to do so,
that is your decision.
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Somebody in the crowd of airline crew members that just passed you has recently used
marijuana, and you do not know whether it may be a crew member on your flight.
On the basis of your reading, you know that even occasional marijuana use can increase the
individual’s chance of being in a motor vehicle accident by an astronomical amount. What are
the effects of this compound on the efficiency of airline pilots? The ability to concentrate is one
characteristic of a successful pilot, reflected in part by the ability to make the number of crash-
free departures equal the number of crash-free arrivals. Does marijuana enhance or detract
from this ability? If you are about to board a trans-Atlantic flight, this may be a matter of some
concern to you. All right, you say, pilots should be banned from using marijuana because of the
responsibilities that their job requires them to assume. Then what about surgeons? Or police
officers? Daycare workers?
Questions
1. Do you believe marijuana should be legalized everywhere? If so, what do you think the limits
for its legal use should be, and who should decide those limits?
2. If a person were to be pulled over under suspicion of driving under the influence of
marijuana, there are now a variety of ways police may test their suspicions. Would you be
willing to submit to one of the possible tests, such as a saliva drug swab if pulled over? Why or
why not?
KEY CONCEPTS AND TERMS:
Hemp: The term used for cannabis plants grown for their ability to produce fiber
Marijuana: Term used for cannabis plants grown for their ability to produce compounds with a
psychoactive effect
Glioma: Cancer arising from the glial cells in the brain
∆-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol: The chemical name for THC, the compound found to produce the
majority of marijuana’s effects
Endocannabinoids: A family of compounds bound within the brain or body where molecules of
compounds found in marijuana bind. These natural, or endogenous, cannabis-like compounds
carry out essential functions such as guiding the growth of neural cells in the cortex in utero and
after birth, regulation of the immune system, and so on
Acetylcholine: One of the major excitatory neurotransmitters. Acetylcholine activates muscle
cells in response to motor activation commands from the brain, and is also involved in anger,
aggression, and sexual behaviors
Adenylate cyclase: An enzyme involved in the process of transmission of pain messages in the
central nervous system, which may be inhibited by marijuana use
Edibles: Term used to refer to marijuana prepared in products for oral ingestion
Vaping: Term used for the vaporization of substances, such as marijuana
Synesthesia: A phenomenon in which information from one sensory modality slips over into
another sensory interpretation system. Persons who possess this ability naturally will speak of
Anaphylactic shock: Severe, potentially fatal whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that the
body views as an allergen. Various tissues in the body release massive amount of histamine,
triggering the allergic reaction cascade. Some of the symptoms of anaphylactic shock include
rapid swelling of the mouth and throat, causing the airway to constrict (and possibly close
entirely), chest discomfort, hives, loss of consciousness, cardiac arrhythmias, and potential
death
White matter: A region of the brain comprised of nerve cells responsible for the relay of
LO/STANDARDS CORRELATION CHART
A-head
LO
Standard—CACREP
A History of Marijuana
Use/Misuse
Anecdotal Claims of
Efficacy
10.1:
Understand
the history of
marijuana
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
A Question of Potency
A Technical Point
10.2: Describe
the issues
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
related to
potency of
marijuana
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Scope of the Problem
10.3: Describe
the scope of
the problem
of marijuana
use and
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
The Pharmacology of
Marijuana
Methods of Marijuana Use
Subjective Effects of
Marijuana
10.4:
Comprehend
the
pharmacology,
methods of
use, and
subjective
effects of
marijuana
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Adverse Effects of
Marijuana Misuse
10.5: Describe
the adverse
effects and
consequences
of chronic
marijuana
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Marijuana Use Disorders
and the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, 5th
Edition
10.6:
Understand
the DSM
criteria for
cannabis-
related
disorders
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors