Mind Over Matter - Teacher's Guide

Marijuana Activity Two

Objective
The student will understand how marijuana interferes with information transfer and short-term memory.

Activity
Read aloud a list of 20 words to the class; then ask the students to write down as many words as they can remember. Next, have several students, stand in pairs around the room and carry on loud conversations while you read another list of 20 words to the remainder of the class. Ask students once again to write down as many of the words as they can remember. Compare the performance of the two trials. Tell the students that, like the disruptive pairs of students, marijuana interferes with normal information transfer and memory. Students will then identify the areas of the brain and structures responsible for these functions and will be reminded that marijuana alters neurotransmission in these areas. Students can also search the Internet and other sources for more research into the effects of marijuana on information transfer and memory, and then prepare a brief report summarizing their findings.