The true effects of using marijuana

Marijuana can lead to the use of other more serious drugs.

Marijuana is a green, brown or grey mixture of the dried shredded leaves and flowers of the hemp plant or cannabis.

According to Sanca Central Rand, marijuana is known by other names such as zol, weed, herb, ganja, pot, Mary Jane. Marijuana is usually smoked as a joint, but it can also be smoked through a pipe or a bong.

It can also be mixed with food or baked and called space cookies.

Kgomotso Dhlamini, Sanca Central Rand’s community development of programmes and project coordinator in Johannesburg South, said people may think it is cool to use marijuana as it is promoted in music videos, TV and movies.

“They are often not aware of the serious effects it has on the brain and body.

“Marijuana is a hallucinogen, which means using this drug causes hallucinations. People may begin to see things that are not there and hear voices. This can lead to people having mental disorders as this drug can damage the brain.

“The use of marijuana should not be underestimated. It can cause irreversible brain damage. Teenagers’ brains are in the process of developing and smoking marijuana stunts the development of the brain.

“Most of our teens are defensive about the use of marijuana and argue that it is not addictive as other drugs.

However, frequent marijuana users can develop a tolerance for it. Tolerance means the user needs larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results he or she used to get from smaller amounts. This then leads to the use of other drugs such as tik and nyaope,” she said.

“If a person wants to quit using the drug, there are no medications for treating marijuana dependence. However, there are treatment programmes offered by Sanca.”

She said these programmes are designed especially for teenagers and adults who abuse drugs.