ASK ANNIE: INHALATION INFORMATION

Dear Annie,

Please tell me a little about the effects of marijuana on the body.

. Suspicious Smoker

Dear Suspicious Smoker,

Marijuana is a hot issue today because of its debated legalization
and widespread use. It is the third most popular recreational drug in
the country, behind alcohol and tobacco. Most specifically, there are
three different species of Cannabis: sativa, indica, and ruderalis.
Cannabis has been around for ages in various forms as a naturally
growing plant around the world. Since it is literally a weed, it
grows abundantly in many different climate conditions.

The Cannabis plant contains over 400 chemical components, and
approximately 60 of them are completely unique to cannabis. Delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol (better known as THC) is the most mind-altering
substance in marijuana. But the effects are also due to many other
chemicals, including CBD, CBN, CB1, and CB2.

About 20 to 25 percent of the chemicals are absorbed when smoking,
and about six percent are absorbed when marijuana is ingested. The
strength of the effects of marijuana depends on the amount of THC
contained in the bud, but the most potent THC comes from the female
plant because the female does not have to expend energy making seeds.

When you smoke marijuana, it takes only seconds to begin to work. The
few different ways to smoke marijuana result in different
concentrations of THC in the body. FYI, paraphernalia is illegal,
especially on campus. The "healthiest" way to smoke marijuana is
through a vaporizer. A vaporizer heats the buds just enough to
release the THC without generating smoke. The next healthiest device
is the water pipe, or bong. These devices filter the smoke through
water, sometimes multiple times depending the elaborateness of the
pipe. Water filtration is beneficial because it filters some
carcinogen, and also cools the smoke so it is less harsh on your
lungs. Pipes and joints allow direct smoke to enter into the lungs
and are the harshest ways to smoke. Remember, when smoking joints
mixed with tobacco, called "spliffs," it's a little more dangerous,
because the tobacco is not filtered like it is in a cigarette.

Upon inhalation, the smoke travels directly to your lungs where it is
quickly absorbed by millions of alveoli (receptors in the lungs) and
the chemicals enter your bloodstream where they travel to the brain.
THC affects the parts of the brain that contain cannabinoid receptor
sites. These receptor sites contain anadamide, a chemical in the
cannabinoid family that exists naturally within the brain. THC mimics
anadamide, which interferes with normal neurotransmission. The
receptor sites are concentrated mostly within the basal ganglia,
which deal with unconscious muscle movements, the hippocampus, which
is involved in making new memories and short-term recollection, and
the cerebellum, which controls coordination. Marijuana will take
longer to kick in when it is eaten and consequently, the effects will
also last longer. THC takes longer to absorb into the body through
the stomach and liver than the lungs.

The apparent reality of the effects of marijuana is that everyone is
affected differently. Some people love it; they feel more relaxed,
less stressed, and without pain. Some people hate it, experiencing
paranoia, slugginess, or depression. The other negative effects of
marijuana are that smoking it is dangerous to your lungs and
short-term memory may be altered. Some people experience bloodshot
eyes because of dilated blood vessels, and the "munchies" are caused
because marijuana interferes with the part of your brain that
regulates food intake (cannabinoids regulate hunger).

Marijuana is not known to be physically addictive, but it can
definitely be psychologically addictive. Although the effects of
marijuana usually leave the body within a few hours, traces THC are
not completely gone. After smoking, the marijuana is stored in body
fat. THC stays is detectable urine for a few days, or for a few weeks
in heavy users. It takes over a month for THC to go undetected in the
blood, and just stays put in the hair!

What is 4:20? No one really knows, but it has become an international
symbol of marijuana culture. Some people believe it's the best time
of the day to smoke, or the experience can be appreciated more if one
waits until 4:20 in the afternoon. Another rumor is that it's the
best day to plant marijuana seeds in the spring. There is no police
code for 420, and there never has been. To end this on a "high" note,
April 20 was also Hitler's birthday, as well as the day of Columbine Massacre.

Some say the Chinese were using cannabis seeds for food as early as
6000 B.C. and by 4000 B.C., they were known to use the cannabis plant
to produce fibers for clothing. The first recorded medical use of
marijuana was in China, 2737 B.C. Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 passed
a law that required farmers to grow hemp, and in the 1700s, even
Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew hemp at Monticello and
Mt. Vernon, respectively. The first anti-marijuana law was passed in
Utah in 1915, because too many Mormons were using it, and in Utah the
church had influence on the state. In 1937, Cannabis was made illegal
in the U.S., with the Marijuana Tax Act, even though the American
Medical Association advised otherwise. The laws kept getting harsher.
Ironically, marijuana became illegal just after alcohol became legal
again after prohibition. In Connecticut in 2007, there was a proposed
bill that would allow use of medical marijuana to relieve sick
patients (at the re! commendation of doctors) but it was vetoed by
Governor Jodi Rell.

Marijuana helps with nausea, stress, anxiety, arthritis, HIV/AIDS,
Parkinson's, glaucoma, and other painful illnesses. In fact, it is
one of the most effective pain relievers because it does not cause a
lot of unnatural side effects. What's more, hemp is used to make
textiles, insulation materials, papers, and even composites for cars.

After all, it is certainly a peaceful, nonviolent drug that has been
grouped with more dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin. In fact,
no deaths have ever occurred directly from this multi-functional plant.

I certainly do not advocate smoking marijuana. Moreover, possessing
this stuff on Trinity campus will get you in serious trouble with the Campo.