SHORT‑TERM EFFECTS¹

Increased heart rate
Altered senses
Altered sense of time
Changes in mood
Difficulty with thinking and problem-solving
Impaired memory
Short attention span
Anxiety
Fear
Distrust
Paranoia
Impaired judgment
Dangerous driving behavior
Hallucinations (when taken in high doses)
Delusions (when taken in high doses)
Psychosis (risk is highest with regular use of high-potency marijuana)

LONG‑TERM EFFECTS

Poor school performance and higher chance of dropping out²
Decline in IQ (up to eight points if prolonged use started in adolescence)³
Impaired thinking and ability to learn and perform complex tasks⁴
Less satisfaction and achievement¹
Increased risk of heart attack⁵
Financial difficulties⁶
Relationship problems and intimate partner violence⁷
Greater chances of being unemployed or not getting good jobs⁶
Addiction: 1 in 10 people who use marijuana will become addicted. For those starting before age 18, the rate of addiction rises to 1 in 6.⁸
Increased risk of alcohol addiction⁹
Increased risk of opiate abuse

I started using on a dare from a best friend who said that I was too chicken to smoke a joint and drink a quart of beer. I was 14 at that time. After seven years of using and drinking, I found myself at the end of the road with addiction. I was no longer using to feel euphoria, I was just using to feel some semblance of normality.

“Then I started having negative feelings about myself and my own abilities. I hated the paranoia. I hated looking over my shoulder all the time. I really hated not trusting my friends. I became so paranoid that I successfully drove everyone away and found myself in the terrible place no one wants to be in—I was alone. I’d wake up in the morning and start using and keep using throughout the day.” —Paul