The Küsnacht Practice

Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Marijuana, is the most often used illegal drug in many countries although some countries allow for legal personal use. It is a product of the hemp plant and the main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Of the roughly 400 chemicals found in the cannabis plant, THC affects the brain the most.

Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a "joint". Weed can be smoked in a water pipe, called a "bong", or mixed into food or brewed as tea. It has also appeared in cigars called "blunts".

Addiction to marijuana is sometimes difficult to treat because users are often in denial about it being a powerful drug that can lead to serious physical and psychological problems. The denial has a lot to do with the drug’s widespread use and cultural mystique.

• here is our drug addiction test
• how we treat marijuana addiction

Short-term effects of marijuana include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch), trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety. These effects are even greater when other drugs are mixed with cannibas. A user may also experience a dry mouth and throat.

Long term use can lead to paranoid psychosis sometimes called cannabis psychosis leading to long term institutionalization. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco, sometimes in higher concentrations. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer - causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.