What is Marijuana?

Marijuana—also called weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane, and a vast number of other slang terms—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant. Some users smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints; many use pipes, water pipes (sometimes called bongs), or marijuana cigars called blunts (often made by slicing open cigars and replacing some or all of the tobacco with marijuana). Marijuana can also be used to brew tea and, particularly when it is sold or consumed for medicinal purposes, is frequently mixed into foods (“edibles”) such as brownies, cookies, or candies. In addition, concentrated resins containing high doses of marijuana’s active ingredients, including honey-like “hash oil,” waxy “budder,” and hard amber-like “shatter,” are increasingly popular among both recreational and medical users.

The main psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical in marijuana, responsible for most of the intoxicating effects sought by recreational users, is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC). The chemical is found in resin produced by the leaves and buds primarily of the female cannabis plant. The plant also contains more than 500 other chemicals, including over 100 compounds that are chemically related to THC, called cannabinoids.

Marijuana Addiction Signs/Symptoms

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States. Marijuana is a dry, shredded mix of the flowers, stems, and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis sativa. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.

Behavioral changes that may be symptoms of marijuana addiction include:

  • distorted perceptions
  • impaired coordination
  • difficulty in thinking and problem solving
  • ongoing problems with learning and memory
Additionally, several other signs of marijuana abuse are frequently visible in users:

  • red, blurry, bloodshot eyes
  • constant, mucus-filled cough
  • rapid heartbeat
  • hunger, referred to as munchies
  • dry mouth
  • anxiety, paranoia, or fear
  • poor memory
  • poor coordination
  • slow reaction time
  • loss of control
  • addiction

Desert Mountain Health’s Marijuana Treatment

Marijuana is the most commonly used gateway drug that leads to many other addictions. Overall mental and physical health is monitored by members of our medical and treatment team. Our team will speak to the client to find out the reasons why they began smoking marijuana and we will employ IOP, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR (Trauma Therapy) when needed, and all of our other wellness and life coaching services to help move our clients along in life.