Marijuana ~10-15x stronger than in the 60's ~motor skills reduced by 41% after 1 joint -63% after 2 joints ~over 7000 published studies showing the danger in using Mari -none have shown it to be safe ~data shows that people high on mari show the same lack of coordination as a drunk driver ~smoking 1-3 joints can produce the same lung damage and potential cancer risk as smoking 5x as many cigarettes ~2nd most common drug after alcohol in blood stream of non-fatally and fatally injured persons ~among teens 12-17, the avg. age of first use is 14 years ~contains 421 chemicals, only 60 of which found naturally in the plant ~75% of drug-related criminal charges are connected to m ~65% of people arested for m-related chrims are for possession

Marijuana

Marijuana also called pot, grass, reefer, weed, herb, Mary Jane, or MI is a mixture of all parts of the Cannabis (aka Hemp) plant, excluding its roots. Marijuana is used in a variety of mediums, including hand rolled cigarettes called joints, in pipes or water pipes called bongs. There are also Marijuana cigars called blunts. Blunts are often mixed with other drugs, such as crack cocaine. Marijuana is also brewed in tea and is sometimes mixed with foods, such as cakes and brownies. Pot is one of the nations most common used illicit drugs. More than 40% of Americans ages 12 and above have tried weed at least once in their lifetime. Marijuana is used most widely in the adolescent and young adult age groups. Although it was used very highly in past years, recently its use among school aged children and young adults has drastically dropped. Marijuana was also recorded as a contributing factor in over 119,00 ER visits in the US. Approximately 15% of the patients were between the ages of 12-17. Almost 2/3’s were male. It has also been shown that those who have tried to quit smoking tobacco, who also use Marijuana find it much more difficult than those who smoke tobacco alone. It was also shown in a conclusive study that those who smoke weed miss work more often, and are sick more often due to respiratory problems than those who choose to be sober.

Some of the effects of infrequent marijuana use include burning and stinging in the mouth and throat, as well as the smokers cough. Those who smoke pot regularly have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do. Smoking marijuana also increases the risk of cancer, and the more you smoke the higher the risk. Weed users tend to inhale more deeply and hold heir breath longer than plain tobacco smokers do, which in turn exposes the lungs longer to the carcinogens which are in pot, which also means that smoking pot is worse than tobacco with each puff taken. The chance of suffering a heart attack during the first hour after marijuana use is four times higher due to the resulting low blood pressure, the reduced heart rate and the lack of oxygen circulating.

Ecstacy

Ecstasy is MDMA, or 3, 4- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. The group of drugs to which t belongs is called Entactogen, meaning “touching within.” Before being made illegal in the mid 1980’s, MDMA was used as a therapeutic tool by psychiatrists. It currently is being tested for its affects of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in Jerusalem and Spain.
Ecstasy is a stimulant, or mood elevator that makes the user feel euphoric and relaxed, hence the name Ecstasy. MDMA takes approximately 20-0 minutes to talk effect and its high lasts for about 3-5 hours. The drug’s peak effect usually falls around 60-90 minutes after the initial dosage. This is true for real ecstasy. The standard dosage is about 100-125 mg. When buying the drug off of the black market you can never be sure of the dosage, or of its purity. MDMA is often mixed with other drugs or at times, it is completely replaced all together. This is extremely dangerous, as you can never know what you are putting into your body or what the side effects of the unknown drug will be. It is very easy to over dose on black market ecstasy as the dosages tend to be higher and the drugs used and mixed in more potent.
Although ecstasy is not physically addictive, it can become very important to a person, possibly for filling a void in that person’s life, or for self-medications of depressions. If that is the case, that person should find professional psychiatric help immediately so that they do not harm themselves in any way. When taking ecstasy there are many dangers to face. As it is an illegal substance, there is a high probability of a LONG jail sentence as well as expensive fines. Also there has been neurotoxic damage shown in lab animals that were exposed to high or frequent dosages of ecstasy. There is also a high chance of depression after coming off of the high, as MDMA affects the production of brain chemical serotonin, which effects mood. After coming off the high, as the chemical is depleted and will be for a long time. Also, death has been found as a result of using ecstasy due to dehydration. Also never mix ecstasy with alcohol as it will increase all negative effects of the drug.

Ecstacy ~In June 2000 US Customs intercepted aprox. 9 mil tablets ~July LAX confiscated 16 packages containing 2.1 mil X tablets (1069 lbs) worth at least $41 mil street value ~people who use ecstasy have at least 25x lower serotonin levels for as long as a year after quitting ~About 8% of high school seniors have tried X at least once in thier lives ~About 5.5% of 19-22 year-olds have used Ecstacy ~Ecstasy-related emergency room incidents increased nationwide from 250 in 1994 to 637 in '97 to 1142 in'98 to 2859 in '99 ~Most MDMA pills are produced in Belgium and the Netherlands -have been atempts to establish labes in CEWG sights such as San Diego, South FL as well as other cities and areas in the USA ~28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has used X - 17% knowing more than one user

Alcohol ~Each year, a typical young person in the US is inundated w. more than 1000 commercials for beer and wine coolers and severa thousand fictional drinking incidents on TV ~Involved in 50% of all driving fatalities ~Every 30 min someone is killed in an alcohol related traffic accident ~Over 15 mil Americans are dependent on alcohol. 500,000 are between the age of 9 and 12 ~Liquor industry spends almost $2 bil on advertising per year ~Americans spend over $90 bil dollars total on alcohol per year ~An average American may consume over 25 gallons of beer, 2 gallons of wine, and 1.5 gallons of distilled spirits each year ~Pregnant women who drink are feeding alcohol to their babies !!! Leads to an underdeveloped liver of the baby !!! Alcohol stays in baby's system twice as long !!! Leads to under development of baby !!! Increases risk of a miscarriage ~Students spen $5.5 bil on alcohol per year, more then what is spent of soda, tea, milk, juice, coffee, or books combined. ~56% of students in grades 5-12 say that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink