Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis). The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a joint. It can be smoked in a pipe or water pipe, called a bong. Marijuana can be mixed into food or brewed as tea and it has also appeared in cigars called blunts. Marijuana/pot have quite a lot of slang names: Bud, cheeba, chronic, dagga, dak, dank, dope, doobage, draw, dro, electric puha, frodis, ganja, grass, green, hash, hay, herb, indo, instaga, IZM, KB (kind bud/killer bud), kind, leaf, Mary Jane, nugget, nug, pot, reefer, schwag (low quality), sensi, skunk, sticky-icky-icky, tea, tree, wacky tobacky and weed. Click these links for pictures pic 1 - pic 2

Short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate and anxiety. Just smoking a small amount of cannabis can slow your reactions enough to make driving dangerous. Timing, coordination, alertness and performance are all affected by using marijuana. Driving while stoned on pot is impaired driving.

Marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco and sometimes in higher concentrations. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.

Use of marijuana usually peaks during the teen years and as a result is often termed an entry-level or gateway drug that paves the way to more addicting and dangerous drugs.

Marijuana's intoxicating affects usually fade after about three hours. However, THC can be detected in the bloodstream for days or weeks after heavy use. Click here for FAQ about Marijuana.

Salvia Divinorum

Salvia is becoming the number one legal alternative to Marijuana and Ecstasy among teenagers today. Salvia Divinorum has been used as a “vision-inducing” mint by the Mazatec people of Oaxaca, Mexico and is a powerful hallucinogen. The fresh herb leaves can be chewed and kept in the mouth or dried and smoked. It is an extremely powerful mind altering compound. Its effects are often extremely unnerving and there is a very real potential for physical danger with its use.

When the herb is consumed either by smoking the dried leaf or chewing the fresh leaves the effects are usually milder than when it is vaporized and inhaled (manner of use like free-basing cocaine). When consumed as such, one completely loses awareness of and control over their body, often moving about recklessly, while the individual has no awareness of where their body is or what it is doing. Afterwards, users report they have no memory of any of their actual behaviors and they often remember very different events.

“The first time I successfully smoked it; I loaded up a decent-sized bowl and took a few hits. When you smoke salvia, it feels like smoking weed, except the smoke is a bit harsher. To successfully have a "salvia experience" or trip or whatever you want to call it, you need to smoke a deep, slow hit and hold it for about 30 seconds”

Salvia is legal in the United States and can be easily bought on the internet or in head shops for as little as $7.99 oz. This extremely potent hallucinogen is becoming popular with teenagers and young adults. It is most often dried and smoked in a pipe or bong. Parents should be on the look out for Salvia Divinorum.

Raves and Ecstasy

A rave usually refers to a party, or all night dance party. Open to the general public, where loud music is mostly played and many people partake in a number of different drugs particularly ecstasy. A large part of the concept of raves is built upon sensory overload, a barrage of audio and very often visual stimuli are brought together to elevate people into an altered state of physical or psychological existence. Most raves are filled with free physical motion or dance, both spoken and unspoken interaction with other people, and positive changes of mood. Raves are usually located in a non-licensed, non-permitted site such as a warehouse, open land or a private home. There is also a heavy exposure to designer drugs and alcohol. Some raves may attract as many as 1,000 people and last until sunrise.

Many teens will tell you they are going to raves because of the dancing and that they have no interest in drugs. While this may be true for a small percentage of teenagers, there is however, an undeniable connection between drugs and raves. There is no sane reason to allow your teen to be put in any situation where they are surrounded by drugs. The peer pressure alone is strong enough to make the saintliest teen cross over the line.

This is an environment where another group of drugs are apparant and sadly used. These are tranquilizer type drugs called rape drugs. These drugs are slipped into drinks and the victim has no memory of the evenings events the day after. The only way to stay completely safe is not to use drugs at all, since it is impossible to monitor our teen 24hrs a day we must do our best to limit their exposure to the obvious risks associated with raves.

Ecstasy (MDMA) is the drug of choice for most candy kids. Some signs of ecstasy use to look for: The pills themselves with their candy-like facade appear totally innocent and are often marked with butterflys, Playboy bunnies, Ck, Nike swoosh... Veiw pic. Pacifiers and lollipops to protect users from involuntary jaw clenching and teeth grinding are often worn around the neck as part of their candy necklaces. Now some are switching to “mouthguards” which are less noticeable (as cops are starting to zero in on the pacifier issue) and also because some are made to hold the tiny mouth glow sticks. Butterfly “wings” and emblems are the universal symbol of ecstasy. Vicks inhalants & Vicks are used along with painters masks with vapor rub inside to intensify the high, resulting in a pleasurable sensation. Light shows and glow sticks are common because visual images are also enhanced by ecstasy. Since ecstasy severely dehydrates the body, water bottles are often brought to raves.


More to come...