Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding

Marihuana Use and Its Effects - Dosage

US National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse

Table of Contents

I. Marihuana and the Problem of Marihuana

Origins of the Marihuana Problem

The Need for Perspective

Formulating Marihuana Policy

II. Marihuana Use and Its Effects

The Marihuana User

Profiles of Users

Becoming a Marihuana User

Becoming a Multidrug User

Effects of Marihuana on the User

Effects Related to Pattern Use

Immediate Drug Effects

ShortTerm Effects

Long Term Effects

Very Long Term Effects

III. Social Impact of Marihuana Use

IV. Social Response to Marihuana Use

V. Marihuana and Social Policy

Drugs in a Free Society

A Social Control Policy for Marihuana

Implementing the Discouragement Policy

A Final Comment

Ancillary Recommendations

Legal and Law Enforcement Recommendations

Medical Recommendations

Other Recommendations

Letter of Transmittal

Members and Staff

History of Marihuana Use: Medical and Intoxicant

II. Biological Effects of Marihuana

Botanical and Chemical Considerations

Factors Influencing Psychopharmacological Effect

Acute Effects of Marihuana (Delta 9 THC)

Effects of Short-Term or Subacute Use

Effects of Long-Term Cannabis Use

Investigations of Very Heavy Very Long-Term Cannabis Users

III. Marihuana and Public Safety

Marihuana and Crime

Marihuana and Driving

Marihuana - Public Health and Welfare

Assessment of Perceived Risks

Preventive Public Health Concerns

Marihuana and the Dominant Social Order

The World of Youth

Why Society Feels Threatened

The Changing Social Scene

Problems in Assessing the Effects of Marihuana

Marihuana and Violence

Marihuana and (Non-Violent) Crime

Summary and Conclusions: Marihuana and Crime

Marihuana and Driving

History of Marihuana Legislation

History of Alcohol Prohibition

History of Tobacco Regulation

The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse

Marihuana - A Signal of Misunderstanding.

Chapter II

marihuana use and its effects

Dosage

The dosage or quantity of the drug (tetrahydrocannabinol) consumed is the most important variable. As with most drugs, the larger the dose taken, the greater the physical and mental effect will be and the longer the effect will last. The effect of a high dose of marihuana on an individual would be quite different from the effect of a low, usual "social" dose.