WHY ARE OUR MARINES USING

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WHY ARE OUR MARINES USING?
REAL?
Or NOT REAL?
THC
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit
drug
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SLANGHAVE YOU HEARD ANY OF THESE?

• 420 (or even Military time 1620) Time to use!
• HYDRO? (Powerful Cannabis)
• B? (Bag)
• CS? (Cannabis)
• Daddy? (Cannabis Cigarette)
• Dank? (High Quality)
• Charge? (Cannabis)
• Ditch? (Cannabis)
• Dew? (Cannabis)
• Cadillac? (Ounce)
• Area 51? (A place where you smoke only with
  friends)
• THIS LIST IS ONLY FROM A-C AND GOES ON TO
  Z
• SLANG WEBSITE www.erowid.org

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STASHES

• Look Normal?

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Subliminal Clothing
Below the threshold of conscious perception

Common hats that say
theyre a Player!
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Common Rationalization for the use of Marijuana

• It is natural
• It is legal in
• If they could find a way to tax it..
• It is used for medical purposes..
• Cancer patients
• HIV/AIDS patients
• Glaucoma, etc.

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Rationalization

• It is not as bad as
• I am only affecting myself
• It has harmless side-effects ..
• It makes me hungry
• It mellows me out
• It gives me the giggles

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Marijuana and the Mind

• Symptoms/effects
• Depression
• Withdrawal
• Short term attention span
• Lack of motivation (chronic use)
• Suicidal thoughts (chronic use)

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Marijuana effects on the Mind and Body

• Symptoms/effects
• Increased appetite
• Sleep disorders
• Excessive sweating
• Lack of fine motor skills
• Problems with balance and coordination
• Trouble walking
• Distorted perception of time

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Memory Complications

• Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to
  occur because THC alters the way in which
  information is processed by the hippocampus, a
  brain area responsible for memory formation. In
  one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking
  and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on
  standardized tests of verbal and mathematical
  skills. Those who were heavy marijuana smokers,
  i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more
  times per week, scored significantly lower in
  12th grade than nonsmokers.
• http//www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marij
  uana/index.html

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Medical Risks

• Young people, age 12-17 who smoke at least weekly
  are three times more likely than non-users to
  have suicidal thoughts and some suicidal
  ideations continue into the early adulthood.
• There is substantial evidence linking marijuana
  to causal symptoms of depression and
  schizophrenia.

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Marijuana Dangers

• Impaired perception
• Diminished short-term memory
• Loss of concentration and coordination
• Impaired judgment
• Increased risk of accidents
• Loss of motivation
• Diminished inhibitions
• Risk of AIDS and other STDs
• Increased heart rate
• Anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Damage to the respiratory, reproductive, and
  immune systems
• Increased risk of cancer
• Psychological dependency

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USMC AVERAGE AGE USERSARE COLLEGE AGE!!

• of College Students and Not attending college
  young Adults
• Using Marijuana 20032004
• College Students 2003 2004 Non
  College  2003 2004
• Past Month 19.3 18.9
  17.3 16.5
• Past Year 33.7 33.3
  29 29.2
• Lifetime 50.7 49.1
  57.2 57.4
• During 2004, 49.1 of college students and
  57.4 of non college
• (ages 1928) reported lifetime use of
  marijuana

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• INCREASED USE
• 2004 National Survey On Drug Use and Health
  (NSDUH) survey results indicate that, the number
  of youths aged 12 to 17 using marijuana daily or
  almost daily declined from 358,000 in 2002 to
  282,000 in 2003 but increased to 342,000 in 2004.
  https//nsduhweb.rti.org/

How many Marines have a Drug Waiver FOR
Marijuana use and actually told the Recruiter
the actual amount they smoked?
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MARIJUANA DAMAGE TO THE USMC

• 7.9 of Marines in the latest DoD Health
  Behaviors survey reported illicit drug use
• 7.9 of 175,000 13,825 Used
• USMC Confirmed positives for Cannabis (THC)
  
• 2000 3094, 2001 2810, 2002 2890,
  2003 2065,
• 2004 2252, 2005 2180
• and as of May 2006 1149 (Now as of 5 July
  06 1545)
• ALMOST 1/8TH OF THE ESTIMATED 21,000
  RECRUITS
• TRAINED YEARLY AT MCRD, SAN DIEGO, WILL BE
• PROCESSED OUT JUST FOR CANNABIS

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MUSIC TO THE EARS OF CANNABIS USERS

• D-Tension, Lowkey, Afroman, and
• Bob Marley
• I was gonna clean my room, until I got highI
  was gonna get up and find the broom,But then I
  got highMy room is still messed upAnd I know
  why ... (Afroman)
• (Too many to list, lyrics are abundant with using
  and supporting Marijuana)
• Lets not forget your own era
• Led Zepplelin, Black Sabbath, Cheech and Chong
• ect..

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MARIJUANA AND YOUR STATE

• According to http//www.usdoj.gov/dea
• Virginia Most widely used drug, with locally
  commercially grown.
• North Carolina Most prevalent and used.
• California Most widely available.
• Arizona Most widely available in LARGE
  quantities.
• South Carolina Most prevalent and used.
• Georgia Most commonly abused and readily
  available.
• Kansas Is readily available.
• Hawaii Second most significant drug threat
  (Meth is 1), nationally recognized
• leader in high grade cultivation.
  Hawaiian grown cannabis, commonly
• cultivated and contains some of
  the highest tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• in the nation.
• Louisiana Most widely available, increase
  indoor cultivation and high grade.

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Additional Recourses/Websites

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_Health_issu
  es
• http//medindia.net/
• http//prevention.samhsa.gov/
• http//www.drugfree.org/
• http//www.drug-addiction.com/
• There are numerous websites with helpful
  information to become more aware of the drug
  problem.

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We're not retreating, Hell! We're just attacking
in a different direction!"GEN. OLIVER SMITH,
USMC

• QUESTIONS?
• Fred Mossop
• DDRC/ADC II/CSAC
• Substance Abuse Counseling Center
• MCAS, Cherry Point, NC
• [phone] (DSN) 466-3907