Marijuana Addiction
Marijuana - often called "pot," "grass," "reefer," "weed," "herb," "mary jane," or "mj" - is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded buds, leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa, the hemp plant. Most users smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints, among other names; some use pipes or water pipes called bongs. Marijuana cigars called blunts have also become popular. To make blunts, users slice open cigars and replace the tobacco with marijuana, often combined with another drug, such as crack cocaine. Marijuana also is used to brew tea and is sometimes mixed into foods.
Marijuana Glossary and References at Drug Treatment
Glossary of Marijuana Terms
Addiction: A chronic, relapsing disease characterizedby compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemicalchanges in the brain.
Cannabinoids: Chemicals that help control mental and physicalprocesses when produced naturally by the body and that produceintoxication and other effects when absorbed from marijuana.
Carcinogen: Any substance that causes cancer.
Dopamine: A brain chemical, classified as a neurotransmitter,found in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion,motivation, and pleasure.
Hippocampus: An area of the brain crucial for learningand memory.
Hydrocarbon: Any chemical compound containing only hydrogenand carbon.
Psychoactive: Having a specific effect on the mind.
THC: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; the main active ingredientin marijuana, which acts on the brain to produce its effects.
Withdrawal: Symptoms that occur after use of a drug isreduced or stopped.
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