Cannabis Fact Sheet

Cannabis Fact Sheet

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  Cannabis Fact Sheet

Coast to Forest Resources

Thank you for exploring our fact sheet series. To learn more about substance use and mental health, check out our other fact sheets. To find local resources, check out the Coast to Forest County-Specific Resource Guides. For a variety of national and state-focused resources, please visit our Helplines & Practical Tools page.

What is Cannabis?

  • Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that includes over 500 different chemicals such as THC1

  • Cannabis is derived from the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant2

  • THC is the chemical component in cannabis that is responsible for the “high” associated with cannabis use4

Common Names

  • Aunt Mary, BC Bud, Blunts, Boom, Chronic, Dope, Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Hydro, Indo, Joint, Kif, Marijuana, Mary Jane, Mota, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, and Yerba3

Forms

  • Smoking dried cannabis
    • In a joint, pipe, bong, blunt, e-cigarette (e-cig), or vape4
  • Consumed in food or tea (edibles)4
  • Via THC-rich resins known as dabbing
    • Extract forms include hash oil or honey oil, wax or budder, shatter4

How Cannabis Works

  • When cannabis is consumed, THC connects with cannabinoid receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for learning, memory, appetite, coordination, and pleasure5

Short Term Health Effects

  • Though cannabis is sometimes medically prescribed, there is a lack of evidence on its efficacy for medical use7
  • Short-term health effects include: bloodshot eyes, coughing, increased appetite, problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, psychosis, sedation3-5

Long Term Health Effects

  • Addiction, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, headache, immunosuppression, shakiness, sweating, and stomach pain/nausea3
  • Marijuana Use Disorder (MUD): When consumption of cannabis results in significant impairment of daily living6

Withdrawal Symptoms

  • Cravings, decreased appetite, headache, irritability, restlessness, shakiness, sweating, and stomach pains and nausea, sleep difficulties3

Addiction Treatment

  • Therapeutic interventions:
    • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Contingency management, Motivational enhancement therapy (MET)6
  • There are currently no approved medications for MUD, though there is ongoing research6

References

  1. Health Effects of Marijuana 
  2. Know the Risks of Marijuana
  3. Marijuana/Cannabis: Drug Fact Sheet
  4. Cannabis (Marijuana) DrugFacts
  5. Want to Know More? Some FAQs about Marijuana
  6. Cannabis (Marijuana) Research Report
  7. A Systematic Review of the Evidence for Medical Marijuana in Psychiatric Indications

Acknowledgments

This fact sheet was developed by the Oregon State University Coast to Forest team, a collaboration of the College of Health, OSU Center for Health Innovation and OSU Extension Service Family & Community Health program. We would like to thank the H 310 Health Field Experience students for their contributions.

For more information and to explore local resources, check out the Coast to Forest County-Specific Resource Guides.