Pubdate: Sun, 05 Jan 2014 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2014 The Washington Post Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Authors: Brady Dennis and Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post BASIC FACTS ON USE OF POT AFTER COLO. LAW What to Know About Legalized Marijuana On Wednesday, Colorado became the first state to allow legal sales of marijuana for recreational use. Washington state will do the same this year, and other states might follow suit. Here are answers to some basic questions about marijuana, its effects on the body and the interesting issues raised by legalization: Q: How does marijuana work? A: Marijuana's main active ingredient is delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. It binds to the surface of nerve cells in high density areas of the brain involved in feelings of pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, coordination and movement, and sensory and time perception. THC stimulates this communication network, resulting in a marijuana "high." Q: What are its medicinal uses? A: About 20 states and the District of Columbia allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Most patients seek the drug for controlling pain for medical issues including cancer, nervous system diseases, glaucoma and migraines. It is also being used to treat nausea and improve appetites for people with chronic illnesses. Q: What are the health effects of marijuana use? A: In the short term, it can lead to a rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, red eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite and slowed reaction time. Long-term use has been linked to impaired thinking, memory problems, panic attacks and other psychological issues. There have also been studies showing a weakened immune system and, for those who smoke the drug, impaired lung function. Q: How much marijuana is safe to use? Can you overdose on marijuana? A: There are no recorded cases of someone dying from an overdose of marijuana, but it has been a factor in accidents or medical issues that can lead to death. Q: How does marijuana use affect driving? A: One of the key questions Colorado lawmakers had to wrestle with in setting up a legal marijuana market: When is someone too stoned to drive? The answer isn't so simple. Prosecutors and some state lawmakers have long pushed for strict blood-level limits for THC, the key ingredient in cannabis. Many marijuana advocates argue that the drug affects people differently and that a hard limit could lead to wrongful DUI convictions. They also argue that, unlike alcohol, traces of the drug remain in the bloodstream long after an individual smoked pot. Officials in favor of blood-level limits say tests exist that can pinpoint "active" THC in the bloodstream in the hours immediately after marijuana usage. Studies have shown that smoking marijuana tends to affect spatial perceptions. Drivers might swerve or follow other cars too closely. They can lose concentration and have slower reaction times. Such findings have led some researchers to conclude that driving while high greatly increases chances for an accident and that smoking pot and drinking before driving is a particularly dangerous mix. Last year, Colorado lawmakers approved a bill that creates a "permissive inference" that someone with a certain level of THC in their blood is impaired. Drivers suspected of driving high generally would have to consent to have their blood drawn, and they could lose their license if they refuse. Q: Can you use marijuana if you're pregnant? A: A number of studies have shown that babies born to some women who regularly used marijuana suffered from an increased risk of cognitive and attention deficits, memory and learning issues, low birth weight, preterm delivery and other issues. But more research is needed to figure out to what extent environmental factors played a role in these studies. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom