Straight Talk About Marijuana
Straight Talk About Marijuana - A quiz and discussion guide for parents and youth
- What percentage of teens smoke marijuana every day?
- What are some of the potential physical health risks of using marijuana?
- Is marijuana addictive?
- Is it true that marijuana is bad for your mental health?
- Is it safe to get into a car if the driver has been smoking marijuana?
- Is it safe to use marijuana and alcohol and then drive?
- Isn't the Canadian government legalizing marijuana?
- Is the strength of marijuana always the same?
- People use marijuana medically and, after all, it's just a plant. That makes it safe, right?
- What proportion of teens have not used marijuana more than once?
- Can you have a bad trip with marijuana?
- Answer: Less than 3%.
- Answer: Respiratory system damage, impaired coordination, balance, and motor skills, and impaired inhibitions and judgment leading to unprotected sex.
- Answer: The severity of the addiction isn't like alcohol, tobacco or heroin, but regular, heavy users of marijuana may become dependent.
- Answer: That depends. There is a possibility that, in people at high risk for schizophrenia, such as those with a family history of the disorder, marijuana use may trigger psychotic episodes. Some research has also shown that frequent marijuana use is a risk factor for later depression and anxiety.
- Answer: No. The driver's judgment and coordination are impaired. Any psychoactive substance will impair driving ability.
- Answer: Absolutely not. Using either drug increases the risk of accidents, and mixing them raises the risk even more. In fact, mixing substances, whether you're driving or not, is a bad idea.
- Answer: No. Marijuana is, and will remain, illegal.
- Answer: No. There are no standards for street drugs like marijuana.
- Answer: No. Firstly, smoking any plant, whether marijuana, tobacco or just about anything else, is unhealthy. Secondly, because gravely or terminally ill people use it to live more comfortably and in less pain doesn't mean that it's harmless. Inappropriate use of a drug, whether natural or not, can cause harm and have damaging consequences.
- Answer: Two thirds.
- Answer: It happens sometimes.
Keep talking
These questions are posed as a starting point for discussions on the use of marijuana. They are important questions and they're worth thinking about and talking about.
- How strongly do you think social pressures affect whether or not a person will start and continue to use marijuana?
- Are these pressures strongest at school? On the street? At parties? With a small group of close friends?
- What are the best ways to say no thanks?
Put yourself in a young person's shoes. What would you do in these situations?
- You were at a party and a joint was passed to you.
- Your best friend used marijuana regularly and wanted you to try it.
- You tried marijuana a few times and you enjoyed the effects, but were concerned about the risks.
- You had a friend who you thought had a problem with marijuana.
- You were using marijuana frequently and then found out that your nine-year-old brother or sister was trying it.
- Someone said they needed marijuana to relax or cope or have a good time.
- You and your friends were smoking up in the car, and a police officer pulled you over and could smell the marijuana in the car. You are busted. What do you do?
- One of your friends said, "It's my body, so I'll do what I want."
- You wanted to say no but felt pushed to say yes.
Know and minimize the risks
- Mixing marijuana with other substances like alcohol is a bad idea
- Using large amounts carries extra risks
- Don't drive or get into a car with someone who is stoned-on marijuana, alcohol or any other substance
- Put yourself in a place and among people where you feel comfortable
- Remember that marijuana impairs your judgment and lowers inhibitions. Always avoid unplanned and unprotected sex
- Use that interferes with day-to-day functions and responsibilities should be a warning
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