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 Q: What are the short-term effects of marijuana use?
A: The short-term effects of marijuana include:
- problems with memory and learning (11);
- distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch) (6);
- trouble with thinking and problemsolving (5);
- loss of motor coordination; and
- increased heart rate.
Effects can be unpredictable, especially when other drugs are mixed with marijuana.
Q: Does marijuana affect school, sports, or other activities?
A: It can. Marijuana affects memory, judgment, and perception
(11). The drug can make you mess up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. If you’re high on marijuana, you are more likely to make mistakes that could embarrass or even hurt you. If you use marijuana a lot, you could start to lose interest in how you look and how you’re getting along at school or work.
Athletes could find their performance is off; timing, movements, and coordination are all affected by THC. Also, since marijuana can affect judgment and decisionmaking, its use can lead to risky sexual behavior, resulting in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
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