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MPRC Marijuana Fact Sheet

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Name: Marijuana

Slang/Street Names: 420, Ace, Aunt Mary, Bag, Bowl, Blunt, Bong, Bud, Cheeba, Chronic, Dank, Doobie, Dope, Ganja, Grass, Green, Herb, J, Joint, KGB, Leaf, Loco, M, MJ, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, Schwagg, Skunk, Spliff, Sticky icky, Swag, Weed.  See more at the ONDCP Website.

Statistics: In 2010, marijuana had the second highest rates of use with approximately 15% of 9th graders and 30% of 12th graders reporting use one or more times in the past year .[1]

In 2010 there was a significant increase in daily use in all three grades, reaching 1.2%, 3.3%, and 6.1% in grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively . [2]

How it is ingested: Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or smoke it in a pipe or a water pipe, sometimes referred to as a bong. Some users mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew a tea. Another method is to slice open a cigar and replace the tobacco with marijuana, making what’s called a blunt. 

Signs and Symptoms: Behaviors that might indicate the use of marijuana include:

  • Dizziness
  • Trouble walking
  • Silly behavior
  • Uncontrolled giggling
  • Red/bloodshot eyes
  • Short-term memory loss
  • Odor on clothes

More about Marijuana: The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral effects. It can impair short-term memory and judgment and distort perception. Because marijuana affects brain systems that are still maturing through young adulthood, its use by teens may have a negative effect on their development .[3]

More information:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Marijuana Page

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

[1] Anfinson, A. (2011).  Youth today: what the Minnesota Student Survey can tell us about student alcohol and drug use.  Prevention with Impact, 29(2).

[2] Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2011). Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2010. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

[3] http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm