Marijuana
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; THC for short.
How is Marijuana Abused?
Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana. Since the blunt retains the tobacco leaf used to wrap the cigar, this mode of delivery combines marijuana's active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil.* Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.
How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?
Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.
THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the “high” that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.1
Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.2 As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.
Research on the long-term effects of marijuana abuse indicates some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system3 and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.4 Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.
Addictive Potential
Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.5
Marijuana and Mental Health
A number of studies have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia. Some of these studies have shown age at first use to be a factor, where early use is a marker of vulnerability to later problems. However, at this time, it not clear whether marijuana use causes mental problems, exacerbates them, or is used in attempt to self-medicate symptoms already in existence. Chronic marijuana use, especially in a very young person, may also be a marker of risk for mental illnesses, including addiction, stemming from genetic or environmental vulnerabilities, such as early exposure to stress or violence. At the present time, the strongest evidence links marijuana use and schizophrenia and/or related disorders6. High doses of marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction, and research suggests that in vulnerable individuals, marijuana use may be a factor that increases risk for the disease.
What Other Adverse Effect Does Marijuana Have on Health?
Effects on the Heart
One study found that an abuser’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana.7 The researchers suggest that such an outcome might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood pressure and heart rate (it increases both) and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.
Effects on the Lungs
Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in their lung tissue, which could lead to cancer;8 however, a recent case-controlled study found no positive associations between marijuana use and lung, upper respiratory, or upper digestive tract cancers.9 Thus, the link between marijuana smoking and these cancers remains unsubstantiated at this time.
Nonetheless, marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.10 Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Effects on Daily Life
Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.11 Several studies associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.
What Treatment Options Exist?
Behavioral interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational incentives (i.e., providing vouchers for goods or services to patients who remain abstinent) have shown efficacy in treating marijuana dependence. Although no medications are currently available, recent discoveries about the workings of the cannabinoid system offer promise for the development of medications to ease withdrawal, block the intoxicating effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse.
The latest treatment data indicate that in 2006 marijuana was the most common illicit drug of abuse and was responsible for about 16 percent (289,988) of all admissions to treatment facilities in the United States. Marijuana admissions were primarily male (73.8 percent), White (51.5 percent), and young (36.1 percent were in the 15–19 age range). Those in treatment for primary marijuana abuse had begun use at an early age: 56.2 percent had abused it by age 14 and 92.5 percent had abused it by age 18.**
How Widespread is Marijuana Abuse?
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2006, 14.8 million Americans age 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2005 rate. About 6,000 people a day in 2006 used marijuana for the first time—2.2 million Americans. Of these, 63.3 percent were under age 18.***
Monitoring the Future Survey
According to the 2007 Monitoring the Future survey—a national survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, marijuana use has been declining since the late 1990s. Between 2000 and 2007, past-year use decreased more than 20 percent in all three grades combined. Nevertheless, marijuana use remains at unacceptably high levels, with more than 40 percent of high school seniors reporting use at least once in their lifetimes. ****
Percentage of 8th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana:
Monitoring the Future Study, 2007
| |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Lifetime |
16.7% |
19.9% |
23.1% |
22.6% |
22.2% |
22.0% |
20.3% |
| Past Year |
13.0 |
15.8 |
18.3 |
17.7 |
16.9 |
16.5 |
15.6 |
| Past Month |
7.8 |
9.1 |
11.3 |
10.2 |
9.7 |
9.7 |
9.1 |
| Daily |
0.7 |
0.8 |
1.5 |
1.1 |
1.1 |
1.4 |
1.3 |
|
| |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Lifetime |
20.4% |
19.2% |
17.5% |
16.3% |
16.5% |
15.7 |
14.2 |
| Past Year |
15.4 |
14.6 |
12.8 |
11.8 |
12.2 |
11.7 |
10.3 |
| Past Month |
9.2 |
8.3 |
7.5 |
6.4 |
6.6 |
6.5 |
5.7 |
| Daily |
1.3 |
1.2 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
|
Percentage of 10th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana:
Monitoring the Future Study, 2007
| |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Lifetime |
30.4% |
34.1% |
39.8% |
42.3% |
39.6% |
40.9% |
40.3% |
| Past Year |
25.2 |
28.7 |
33.6 |
34.8 |
31.1 |
32.1 |
32.2 |
| Past Month |
15.8 |
17.2 |
20.4 |
20.5 |
18.7 |
19.4 |
19.7 |
| Daily |
2.2 |
2.8 |
3.5 |
3.7 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
|
| |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Lifetime |
40.1% |
38.7% |
36.4% |
35.1% |
34.1% |
31.8% |
31.0% |
| Past Year |
32.7 |
30.3 |
28.2 |
27.5 |
26.6 |
25.2 |
24.6 |
| Past Month |
19.8 |
17.8 |
17.0 |
15.9 |
15.2 |
14.2 |
14.2 |
| Daily |
4.5 |
3.9 |
3.6 |
3.2 |
3.1 |
2.8 |
2.8 |
|
Percentage of 12th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana
Monitoring the Future Study, 2007
| |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Lifetime |
38.2% |
41.7% |
44.9% |
49.6% |
49.1% |
49.7% |
48.8% |
| Past Year |
30.7 |
34.7 |
35.8 |
38.5 |
37.5 |
37.8 |
36.5 |
| Past Month |
19.0 |
21.2 |
21.9 |
23.7 |
22.8 |
23.1 |
21.6 |
| Daily |
3.6 |
4.6 |
4.9 |
5.8 |
5.6 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
|
| |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Lifetime |
49.0% |
47.8% |
46.1% |
45.7% |
44.8% |
42.3% |
41.8% |
| Past Year |
37.0 |
36.2 |
34.9 |
34.3 |
33.6 |
31.5 |
31.7 |
| Past Month |
22.4 |
21.5 |
21.2 |
19.9 |
19.8 |
18.3 |
18.8 |
| Daily |
5.8 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
5.6 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
5.1 |
|
“Lifetime” refers to use at least once during a respondent’s lifetime. “Past year” refers to use at least once during the year preceding an individual’s response to the survey. “Past month” refers to use at least once during the 30 days preceding an individual’s response to the survey.
|
* For street terms searchable by drug name, street term, cost and quantities, drug trade, and drug use, visit: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/default.asp.
** These data are from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights – 2006: National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services (Office of Applied Studies, DASIS Series: S-40, DHHS Publication No. SMA 08-4313, Rockville, MD, 2008), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The latest data are available at 800-729-6686 or online at www.samhsa.gov.
*** Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–32, DHHS Publication No. SMA 07-4293 Rockville, MD, 2007). NSDUH is an annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Copies of the latest survey are available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.
**** These data are from the 2007 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, and conducted annually by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. The survey has tracked 12th graders’ illicit drug use and related attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th and 10th graders were added to the study. The latest data are online at www.drugabuse.gov.
1 Herkenham M, Lynn A, Little MD, et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in the brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 87(5):1932–1936, 1990.
2 Pope HG, Gruber AJ, Hudson JI, Huestis MA, Yurgelun-Todd D. Neuropsychological performance in long-term cannabis users. Arch Gen Psychiatry 58(10):909–915, 2001.
3 Rodríguez de Fonseca F, Carrera MRA, Navarro M, Koob GF, Weiss F. Activation of corticotropin-releasing factor in the limbic system during cannabinoid withdrawal. Science 276(5321):2050–2054, 1997.
4 Diana M, Melis M, Muntoni AL, Gessa GL. Mesolimbic dopaminergic decline after cannabinoid withdrawal. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 95(17):10269–10273, 1998.
5 Budney AJ, Vandrey RG, Hughes JR, Thostenson JD, Bursac Z. Comparison of cannabis and tobacco withdrawal: Severity and contribution to relapse. J Subst Abuse Treat, e-publication ahead of print, March 12, 2008.
6 Moore TH, Zammit S, Lingford-Hughes A, et al. Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: A systematic review. Lancet 370 (9584):319–328, 2007.
7 Mittleman MA, Lewis RA, Maclure M, Sherwood JB, Muller JE. Triggering myocardial infarction by marijuana. Circulation 103(23):2805–2809, 2001.
8 Tashkin DP. Smoked marijuana as a cause of lung injury. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 63(2):92–100, 2005.
9 Hashibe M, Morgenstern H, Cui Y, et al. Marijuana use and the risk of lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers: Results of a population-based case-control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15(10):1829–1834, 2006.
10 Polen MR, Sidney S, Tekawa IS, Sadler M, Friedman GD. Health care use by frequent marijuana smokers who do not smoke tobacco. West J Med 158(6):596–601, 1993.
11Gruber AJ, Pope HG, Hudson JI, Yurgelun-Todd D. Attributes of long-term heavy cannabis users: A case control study. Psychological Med 33(8):1415–1422, 2003.
Revised 6/08
Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website
(http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
 |
Marijuana Addiction Recovery Rehab and Drug Treatment Detox Facility
Seabrook, New Jersey (NJ)
(800)761-7575
Seabrook House is an internationally
recognized, private and exclusive, and CARF accredited inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism rehab treatment center. Our main facility is located in rural Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ), convenient to New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA), Maryland (MD), Delaware (DE), Virginia (VA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA). Our extended-care luxury transitional living facility is located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania (PA), within minutes of the New York state border.
Our alcohol and drug rehab campus in New Jersey extends over a 40-acre manicured estate,
providing a serene and healing drug rehab environment. Our 90 day rehab transitional living facility in Pennsylvania is similarly situated on a 14-acre estate with rolling hills and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. For over
34 years we have been helping families find the courage to find
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as marijuana addiction, heroin dependency, cocaine addiction, xanax abuse, prescription medication abuse and other compulsive diseases.
If you have a loved one that does not want help, don't give up! Many have come to our rehab program and into full recovery as a direct result of a Family Intervention. Call or click now for more information on how family intervention may work for you.
Applying
our research-based recovery treatment center methods for drug addiction
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and help patients stay in drug rehab treatment. You may also apply
for admission online to our drug rehab center by using our
encrypted Preadmission
Assessment form. Please be assured that your alcohol and drug
rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected
by Federal confidentiality laws and we cannot share your information
with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact a Clinical Outreach Representative in your area if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Our main drug rehab facility
is located in southern New Jersey (NJ), approximately 1 1/2 hour
drive from Princeton, New Jersey (NJ), Seabrook House's residential
drug rehab addiction recovery treatment services are convenient
to rehab Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA), Radnor, Pennsylvania (PA),
Reading, Pennsylvania (PA), Wilmington, Delaware (DE), Dover,
Delaware (DE) or within a 2 to 3 hour drive from New York City, New York (NY), Long Island, New York (NY), Bridgeport, Connecticut (CT), Gaithersburg, Maryland (MD),Washington, DC, Virginia Beach,
Virginia (VA) and Baltimore, Maryland (MD), or within a 5 hour
drive from Boston, Massachusetts (MA), Worcester, Massachusetts (MA). We have treated individuals from as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) .
We accept addiction treatment admissions 24 hours
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and drug withdrawal detoxification,
so please call now if you are in need of immediate assistance
or would like more information about detoxes, drug rehabs, heroin
detox, family intervention, substance abuse treatment or residential
addiction treatment in the New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA),
Delaware (DE), New York (NY), Massachusetts (MA), Connecticut
(CT), Rhode Island (RI), Virginia (VA) and Maryland (MD) areas.
Who
Are Seabrook House's Alcohol Rehab and
Drug Addiction Rehab Patients?
Seabrook House's alcohol and drug addiction rehab
patients come primarily from New Jersey (NJ), many from the Cherry
Hill / Haddonfield / Moorestown area, as well as the Princeton
area in central New Jersey and Montclair area in northern New
Jersey. In addition, from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania
(PA), the mainline Philadelphia, PA suburbs, New York City (NYC)
including Manhattan (NY), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD) and other
Mid Atlantic states, although we have treated many from as far
away as Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA),
New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT), California (CA), Bermuda, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands. They range in age from 17 to 80.
Many of our patients are referred by family members, employers,
large union health & welfare funds, health insurance companies,
small local unions, employee assistance professionals (EAP), and
managed care companies. Many patients transfer directly from hospitals,
other detoxes, community mental health centers, intensive outpatient
programs (IOP), union member assistance programs, and primary
care physicians. We have provided them drug detox, drug rehab,
alcohol detox, alcohol rehab, and many other forms of addiction treatment. Substance abuse treatment is our specialty.
Because of our close proximity to Manhattan, New
York (NY), New York City (NYC) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(PA), Seabrook House addiction rehab center has for many years
provided alcoholism and drug addiction rehab treatment to members
of the arts & entertainment communities. These have included radio,
television, stage and film industry associates from the east coast
as well as California (CA). We understand that high profile individuals
with substance abuse and alcoholism problems may have special
needs related to the media as well as confidentiality issues.
Protecting the anonymity of alcoholic or drug addicted patients
in rehab and controlling media takes experienced addiction professionals.
Many addiction rehabs cannot address these special needs. We understand
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nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, lawyers and other professionals
have sought our alcohol rehab and drug addiction rehab treatment
services and gone on to lead happy, healthy, clean and sober lives.
Contact
800.761.7575 for Immediate Admission for Alcoholism Detox and
Drug Treatment or Family Intervention
Seabrook House addiction rehab center is a licensed
residential addiction treatment facility with 125 beds and provides
alcohol and drug detox treatment and inpatient rehab treatment
through its Adult Rehab Program for both men and women, and its MaterLiber Program, for alcoholic
and drug addicted mothers and their dependent children. We specialize
in detox treatment for opiates such as heroin, morphine, oxycontin,
vicodin, codeine,demerol, fentanyl, methadone, percodan and percocet.
In addition, Seabrook House addiction rehab center offers professional Family
Intervention treatment services to those families attempting
to help a resistant loved one with a substance abuse problem in
need of heroin detoxification or addiction rehab treatment services.
The family education and drug information programs, family intervention
treatment services, and substance abuse counseling treatment services
of Seabrook House have been nationally recognized.Our addiction rehab center and detox program accepts
most health insurance companies, managed care, and union health
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Call
our 24 Hour Alcohol Rehab & Drug Treatment Rehab Helpline
for Immediate Detox Addiction Help
Transportation Services for Alcoholism
Detox and Drug Rehab Centers from New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY),
Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), Rhode Island (RI), Pennsylvania
(PA), Delaware (DE), Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), Washington,
DC, California (CA), Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), Nevada (NV),
Idaho (ID), Utah (UT), Arizona (AZ)
Seabrook House will provide private and discreet
individualized transportation to and from all airports to ensure
the safety and confidentiality of all of our patients. Please
speak to your Admissions Counselor for more information on how
you may qualify for direct airport pickup. Seabrook House also provides "sober escorting"
if the patient is clinically and medically appropriate. This specialized
service offers a Seabrook House staff person to fly to the home
location of the patient and personally pick them up and accompany
them directly to our drug rehab treatment facility. The escort
is an experienced addiction professional, also in recovery from
chemical dependency. Upon discharge the escort will then accompany
the patient to the next level of care at a transitional sober
living environment. Flight times to Seabrook House are brief from many east coast and Midwestern
airports (see chart below). The Philadelphia International Airport
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA), is the closest airport
to our alcohol detox and drug rehab facility
From Boston, Massachusetts
(MA) - 45 minute flight time
|
From Providence, Rhode Island
(RI) - 45 minute flight time
|
From Columbia, South Carolina (SC) - 60 minute flight time
|
From Atlanta, Georgia (GA) - 90 minute flight time
|
From Miami, Florida (FL) - 2 hour flight time
|
From US Virgin Islands (USVI) - 3 hour flight time
|
From Columbus, Ohio (OH) -
45 minute flight time
|
From Hartford, Connecticut
(CT) - 45 minute flight time
|
From Bermuda (BM) - 90
minute flight time
|
From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
(FL) - 2 hour flight time
|
From Indianapolis, Indiana
(IA) - 2 ½ hour flight time
|
From Los Angeles, California
(CA) - 5 hour flight time
|
From Chicago, Illinois (IL) - 3 hour flight time
|
| From Honolulu, Hawaii (HI) - 10 hour flight time |
Patients coming from out of state may fly into
a variety of airports at discounted airfare rates. All airports are conveniently
located within minutes of the Seabrook House addiction
rehab facility:
Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania (PHL) 45 minute drive
|
Atlantic City International
Airport, New Jersey (ACY) 60 minute drive
|
Newark International Airport, New Jersey (EWR) 90 minute drive
|
Princeton Airport, New Jersey (PCT) 75 minute drive
|
John F. Kennedy International
Airport, New York (JFK) 120 minute drive
|
LaGuardia Airport, New York (LGA) 120 minute drive
|
Baltimore Washington International
Airport, Maryland (BWI) 120 minute drive
|
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