Marijuana

Marijuana

Marijuana is a green brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. There are more than 200 slang terms for marijuana, including scwhag, nug, pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic.

Sinsemilla (sin-seh-me-yah;a Spanish word), hashish (hash for short) and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana.

All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. In other words, they change how the brain works. They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's effects on the user depend on its strength or potency, which is related to the amount of THC it contains. The THC content of marijuana has been increasing since the 1970s.

Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts.

How long does marijuana stay in the user's body?

THC in marijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces (metabolites) of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after a smoking session. However, in chronic heavy users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they have stopped using marijuana.

How many teens smoke marijuana?

Contrary to popular belief, most teenagers do not use marijuana. Among students surveyed in a yearly national survey, only about one in five 10th graders report they are current marijuana users (that is, used marijuana within the past month). Fewer than one in four high school seniors is a current marijuana user.  

Marijuana's Street Value in the Fargo Moorhead Area    

Marijuana prices may vary based on either actual or perceived quality of the drug.  Drugs with lower actual or perceived potency sells for less, this type of marijuana is offten referred to as "Schwag."  Marijuana with higher actual or perceived potency sells for more and is often referred to as "nug."

Sources:  Partnership for a Drug-Free America, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Photos:  Courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration