Signs of marijuana use
By OFFICER WANDA BRISTER Wanda Brister

Every month the Jasper Police Department will be working to keep parents aware of the most current information on safety tips and drug awareness.

This month we focus on marijuana. The law says it is illegal, period. Marijuana is the most often used illegal drug in this country. It is a product of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa.

The main active chemical in marijuana, also present on other forms of cannabis, is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Of the roughly 400 chemicals found in the cannabis plant, THC affects the brain the most. What does it look like?

Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant. It is often packaged in small plastic baggies, then rolled into a cigarette with both ends twisted ready to smoke. How is it used?

Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a "joint." It 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."

Marijuana is one of the world's most commonly used illegal drugs. There are approximately 300 million users worldwide and 28 million users in the United States. Signs of use: 6 dilated pupils 6 reduced coordination and reflexes 6 reduced blood pressure 6 sleepiness 6 disruption in attention 6 an altered sense of time and space

THINGS TO LOOK FOR: items associated with marijuana use.

The effects of marijuana start as soon a one to 10 minutes after it is taken and can last three or four hours or longer.