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- Knowledgebase: Questions about Drugs and Tobacco
- Questions about drug use, for adolescents and their parents.
- 7. How is Marijuana used? - Top
- Q: How is marijuana used?
A: Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts.
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Q: How long does marijuana stay in the user's body?
A: THC in marijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces (metabolites) of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after a smoking session. However, in heavy chronic users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they have stopped using marijuana.
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Q: How many teens smoke marijuana?
A: Contrary to popular belief most teenagers have not used marijuana and never will. Among students surveyed in a yearly national survey, only about one in five 10th graders report they are current marijuana users (that is, used marijuana within the past month). Fewer than one in four high school seniors is a current marijuana user.(10)
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Q: Why do young people use marijuana?
A: There are many reasons why some children and young teens start smoking marijuana. Most young people smoke marijuana because their friends or brothers and sisters use marijuana and pressure them to try it. Some young people use it because they see older people in the family using it.
Others may think it's cool to use marijuana because they hear songs about it and see it on TV and in movies. Some teens may feel they need marijuana and other drugs to help them escape from problems at home, at school, or with friends.
No matter how many shirts and caps you see printed with the marijuana leaf, or how many groups sing about it, remember this: You don't have to use marijuana just because you think everybody else is doing it. Most teens do not use marijuana!
- Updated: March 10, 2001
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- Knowledgebase: Questions about Drugs and Tobacco
James L Horwitz, MD
David C. Thomas, MD
Barbara Lindberg, PNP