What is Marijuana?

Marijuana is dried leaves, flowers, stems, and/or seeds of the cannabis plant. Marijuana is used by smoking, eating, drinking, inhaling the vapors and applying to the skin. Two components of marijuana are THC and CBD. THC is the active, mind-altering ingredient in marijuana that causes the high effect. Over the years, the amount of THC in marijuana has increased. CBD is often associated with medicinal use however there is continued research on the claimed positive impacts of CBD.

Prevalence

  • Thirty-eight percent (38%) of high school students report having used marijuana in their life.

  • It is assumed that more than 82% of college students use marijuana in the last 30 days. However, only 19% of students actually used.

Effects

  • Immediate effects include:
    • Impairment of cognition and coordination (which impacts driving)
    • Production of anxiety and psychotic symptoms
    • Irregularity in function of both the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
    • Increased risk of developing a respiratory infection
  • Long-term effects include:
    • Cannabis dependence, or Cannabis Use Disorder
    • Impairments in cognition
    • Higher rate of development of mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or exacerbation of preexisting mental health conditions
    • Decreased respiratory function
    • Increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer

Myths and Marijuana

Studies are showing that marijuana use before bed can actually decrease the amount of REM sleep a person is able to get. This can lead to feeling tired the next day, anxiety, irritability, and jumpiness. After ending use, a person can experience stranger dreams or insomnia up to 3 weeks after stopping.

The use of marijuana can increase symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, anxiety can increase due to withdraw symptoms when abstaining from marijuana use.

Marijuana might be natural and even legal in many places, but those facts do not mean that it is safe or harmless.

The earlier a person first begins using cannabis, as well as the consistency with which they use it, have been shown to put those individuals at an increased risk for these side effects.

According to the DSM V., Cannabis Use Disorder is a diagnosis that is given for problematic marijuana use, which can take the form of addiction. Physical withdrawal symptoms of cannabis start approximately 24 hours after cannabis cessation, peak within 2-4 days, and subside after 1-3 weeks. Withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Anorexia
  • Aggression and/or irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Anger
  • Restlessness and/or sleep disruption

According to the data recorded from the 2018 NCHA survey, over 50% of students reported that they had never used cannabis, although 62% reported that they thought the majority of their peers used cannabis at least once a week if not more. If a school has campus-wide data, sharing campus statistics helps dispel this misperception more effectively than sharing national data.

Marijuana toxicity is possible and quite common (especially for those utilizing products with higher concentrations of THC such as oils, concentrates, or “edibles”). Students may refer to this as "Greening Out." Some symptoms of this include:

  • Rapid heart rate / increased risk for heart attack
  • Hallucinations, loss of contact with reality, paranoia and mental confusion
  • Loss of control of body movements
  • Panic attacks and feelings of anxiety
  • Dizziness or feeling faint
  • Worsening of seizures
  • Nausea and vomiting

An overdose on marijuana does not look the same as overdoses on other drugs because of marijuana consumption, in and of itself, is not life-threatening. But using too much of the drug can have hazardous results (listed above), which may increase the risk of death. 

Numerous studies have shown that the risk of accident involvement and driving-related injuries, both non-fatal and fatal, is 2-3 times higher among cannabis-impaired drivers compared with non-impaired drivers. There is no evidence for safe levels of cannabis use for driving. It is illegal to operate a vehicle under the influence of cannabis (medical or adult-use). In Michigan, this is determined by impairment noted by an officer during a field sobriety test rather than a specific amount of THC in the body.

Acute impairment signs include :

  • Red or bloodshot eyes
  • Delayed reaction time
  • Distorted sense of your surroundings
  • Poor coordination
  • Feeling anxious or panicky
  • Feeling dizzy or tired
  • Body/eyelid tremors
  • Divided attention

Marijuana Frequently Asked Questions

  • It is illegal to smoke in a public place (i.e. parking lots, sidewalks, parks, in cars (even if not driving) etc.) or prohibited area. It is also illegal to grow marijuana visibly to the public or possess more than 2.5 ounces in one’s home and not in a locked area/container.
  • You cannot use marijuana on GVSU's campuses
  • Landlords and property owners can prohibit tenants/residents from smoking on their properties.
  • Keep in mind taking your marijuana “home” to another state where it is still illegal could result in criminal charges.

Because GVSU receives federal funds and must follow federal vs. state law when it comes to marijuana, it is not permitted on campus (including medicinal marijuana). Students can still receive university sanctions if they use, possess, or grow marijuana on campus properties. 

See GVSU's Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy

Since the questions on FAFSA ask about a drug conviction for possession or selling drugs, using marijuana without a drug conviction for possession or selling wouldn’t be reportable. However, if a student is caught in another state where marijuana is not legal, a conviction there would be reportable.

  • Employers, internships, clinical placements, etc. can still have a zero-tolerance policy for those they hire, select, or employ. They can choose not to hire or they can fire someone if they test positive for marijuana while they are one of their employees.
  • Certain careers and professional jobs will not allow those in that career to use marijuana. For example, law enforcement officers will be prohibited from using marijuana on or off duty. Other careers may have standards around being impaired on the job or “fit for duty”.
  • Possession of marijuana accessories or possessing or consuming marijuana is prohibited on the grounds of a public or private school where children attend Preschool, K-12 classes.
  • Operating, navigating, or being in physical control of any motor vehicle, aircraft, snowmobile, off-road vehicle, or motorboat while under the influence of marijuana.
    • The impairing effects of marijuana can last up to 8 hrs.

Marijuana and Memory

The memory issues come from the way marijuana hits the hippocampus, the region of the brain that regulates short-term memory. The effect of cannabis temporarily prevents the brain from developing new memories and learning new things, which is a form of short-term memory.

Researchers who published their findings in the Molecular Psychiatry journal discovered that heavy cannabis users are at risk for developing false memories, even if those users had gone without smoking pot for over a month.

Such a finding is one of a number that suggests people who were regular marijuana smokers in their teenage years are more likely to have memory problems as adults. One such study was published in the Hippocampus journal, which found that teenagers who smoked pot every day for three years had “abnormally shaped” hippocampal regions when they reached their early 20s. Those individuals “performed around 18 percent worse in long-term memory tests,” compared to other test subjects who had never smoked marijuana.

Another study published noted the same thing, with researchers surprised that there was “a consistent association with verbal memory for chronic exposure to marijuana,” even when cigarettes and alcohol were accounted for. As past years of marijuana use went up, verbal memory scores went down; or in other words, 50 percent of pot smokers tended to remember one fewer word from a list of 15 words. One of the study’s authors worried that this effect could damage how the brain processes information and how that information is recalled later.

There is a lot more research that suggests people who smoke marijuana on a daily basis for a number of years, struggle with cognitive tasks more than those who either do not smoke marijuana or who do so infrequently and/or for shorter periods of time. According to one researcher speaking to Reuters Health, people who smoke marijuana occasionally and then give up the habit have a lower risk of developing problems with their thinking power and memory. Nonetheless, he warned that cannabis is still a drug, and all drugs have some level of harm to them, especially if they are consumed under certain circumstances.


Page last modified April 15, 2022
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