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Summary
Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mix of dried, crumbled parts from the marijuana plant. It can be rolled up and smoked like a cigarette or cigar or smoked in a pipe. Sometimes people mix it in food or inhale it using a vaporizer.
Marijuana can cause problems with memory, learning, and behavior. Smoking it can cause some of the same coughing and breathing problems as smoking cigarettes. Some people get addicted to marijuana after using it for a while. It is more likely to happen if they use marijuana every day, or started using it when they were teenagers.
Some states have approved "medical marijuana" to ease symptoms of various health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the marijuana plant as a medicine. However, there have been scientific studies of cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana. This has led to two FDA-approved medicines. They contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. They treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and increase appetite in patients who have severe weight loss from HIV/AIDS. Scientists are doing more research with marijuana and its ingredients to treat many diseases and conditions.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Latest News
- U.S. Report Cites the Good and Bad on Marijuana (01/12/2017, HealthDay)
- Vomiting Disorder on Rise in Weed-Friendly Colorado (01/06/2017, HealthDay)
- Does Legalizing Pot Spur Kids to Try It? (12/27/2016, HealthDay)
- More News on Marijuana
Diagnosis and Tests
- Signs of Marijuana Abuse and Addiction (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
- What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Does Marijuana Help Treat Glaucoma? (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
- Is Marijuana Medicine? (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
- Marijuana (Cannabis) and Multiple Sclerosis (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
- Marijuana Use & Educational Outcomes (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- What Are Synthetic Cannabinoids? (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
Images
- DEA Multimedia Drug Library: Marijuana (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Games
- Test Your Knowledge: Marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Statistics and Research
- Among High School Seniors, Driving After Marijuana Use Surpasses Drunk Driving (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Early-Onset, Regular Cannabis Use Is Linked to IQ Decline (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Medical Marijuana in Certain Neurological Disorders (American Academy of Neurology) - PDF
- Regular Marijuana Users May Have Impaired Brain Reward Centers (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Research Reports: Marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
- State Estimates of Adolescent Marijuana Use and Perceptions of Risk of Harm from Marijuana Use: 2013 and 2014 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Study Parses Comorbidity of Cannabis Use and Social Anxiety (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Synthetic Marijuana Lands Thousands of Young People in the ER, Especially Young Males (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Trends in Adolescent Substance Use and Perception of Risk from Substance Use (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Marijuana Abuse (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Cannabinoids (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Medical Marijuana (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services Locator (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Also in Spanish
- Partnership at Drugfree.org (Partnership for a Drug-Free America)
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Children
- What You Need to Know about Drugs: Marijuana (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Marijuana and Teens (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
- Marijuana: Facts for Teens (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
- Mind Over Matter: The Brain's Response to Marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- What Is Spice? (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Women
- Marijuana and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Marijuana intoxication (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Medical marijuana (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Substance use -- marijuana (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Tips for Teens: The Truth about Marijuana (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information) - PDF