Worse Than Poison

NDLEA DISSECTS MARIJUANA FOR SCHOOL KIDS

Indian hemp became a specimen of study recently in Uyo, Akwa Ibom
State capital. The study attracted hundreds of students, teachers,
pharmacists, bureaucrats and who-is-who in Akwa Ibom State, during
celebration of the United Nations International Day Against Drug
Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Probably relying on the theme of the celebration, Children and Drugs,
and more so, on the attached slogan "Drugs are not Child's Play", the
state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had
ensured that secondary school students and other youth organizations
filled the governor's office annex -- venue of the celebrations,
where Mrs. Dora Ebong, a pharmacist, brought a live Indian hemp plant
not only to show to those who never saw the colour and shape of the
leaves before, but also to tell everybody that the seemingly
innocuous plant was more dangerous than poison.

Ebong said though marijuana, "a green, brown or gray moisture of
dried, shredded leaves, stems, seed and flowers" might have been
given more than 200 names, such as "pot, herb, weed, grass, boom,
Mary Jane, ganja, all forms of it are mind-altering. In other words,
they change how the brain works because they contain
delta-9-tetralydorcannobinol, otherwise abbreviated as --THC - the
main active chemical in marijuana".

Why Young People Use Marijuana

The reasons are legion, according to Ebong. But some are peer
pressure, imitating their parents or family members, imitating media
characters, attempts to escape from problems at home, school or with
friends. She warned, however: "No matter how many shirts and caps
you see printed with marijuana leaf, or how many groups sing about
it, remember this: ‘you don't have to use marijuana just
because you think everybody else is doing it.' Most teenagers do not
use marijuana".

Effects

Ebong listed some short-term effects of the drug as loss of memory,
distorted perception and increased heart rate. "These effects are
even greater when other drugs are mixed with the marijuana and users
do not always know what drugs are given to them." For the long-term
effect, she said the THC might play a role in cancer and in
respiratory and immune system problem.

"The drug can make you mess up in school, in sports or clubs, or with
friends. If you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to make
mistake that could embarrass or even hurt you. If you use marijuana
much, you could start to lose interest in how you look and how
you're getting along with schoolwork. Also, since marijuana can
affect judgment and decision making, its use can lead to risky sexual
behaviour, resulting in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases
like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS"