FACTS OR MYTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA
Marijuana impairs a person's ability to drive safely.
MYTH...about 47% of people who regularly use or are addicted to marijuana struggle physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptomsFACT... Marijuana affects a number of skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time. Marijuana makes it hard to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road.
The drugs known as bath salts are the same thing as the bath salts people use in the bathtub.
MYTH.. The lab-made cathinone products sold as “bath salts” should not be confused with products such as Epsom salts (the original bath salts) that people add to bathwater to help ease stress and relax muscles. Epsom salts are made of a mineral mixture of magnesium and sulfate.
Inhalants are not very commonly abused, especially by young people, because they are hard to obtain.
MYTH...-Inhalants are chemicals found in ordinary household or workplace products that people inhale on purpose to get “high.” Things like paint thinner, nail polish remover, correction fluid, felt-tip marker fluid, glue, spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, vegetable oil sprays can be found around a household making them highly accessible to young people.
If you are prescribed a medication and it seems to stop working or your symptoms persist, increasing your dosage is safe.
MYTH.. Taking a prescription medication in a way other than prescribed—for instance, taking more than the prescribed dose or taking it more often, is considered misuse and can lead to addiction or overdose.
All cough and cold medicines are dangerous and can be abused
MYTH.. When taken as instructed, these medicines can be safe and effective. OTC medicines with Dextromethorphan (DXM) and prescription Promethazine-codeine cough syrup are commonly abused.
People who use marijuana do not experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using
MYTH...about 47% of people who regularly use or are addicted to marijuana struggle physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms
"Bath Salts" contain methamphetamine and/or Ecstasy/Molly
MYTH... “Bath salts” is the name given to synthetic cathinones.
Cathinone is a stimulant found naturally in the khat plant, grown in East Africa and southern Arabia.Chemically, cathinones are similar to amphetamines such as methamphetamine and to MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly). Common lab-made cathinones found in “bath salts” include MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone. There is no way to know what is in bath salts unless it is tested in a lab.
Inhalants cause significant and permanent brain and nerve damage.
FACT...-Long-term inhalant use can break down the protective sheath around certain nerve fibers in the brain and elsewhere in the body. This hurts the ability of nerve cells to send messages, which can cause muscle spasms and tremors or even permanent trouble with basic actions like walking, bending, and talking.
Because prescription drugs are tested and regulated by the FDA, death from overdose is rare.
MYTH.. more than half of the drug overdose deaths in the United States each year are caused by prescription drug misuse. Overdose deaths involving prescription drugs—including pain relievers, benzodiazepines and antidepressants—increased steadily throughout the 1990s, peaked in 2017 and then decreased steadily in 2018 and 2019
It is difficult to die of an overdose of cough syrup.
MYTH..Codeine cough syrup slows down the central nervous system, which can slow or stop the heart and lungs. Mixing it with alcohol greatly increases this risk.
The amount of THC in marijuana has not changed over the past few decades.
MYTH... In the early 1990s, the average THC content in marijuana was less than 4 percent. It is now about 15 percent and much higher in some products such as oils and other extracts
Bath Salts can cause hallucinations.
FACT.. Bath Salts raise levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin which can cause intense hallucinations.
Inhalant use can cause death, even if used just once.
FACT...
Yes, using inhalants can cause death, even after just one use, by:
Even when used properly, prescription drugs can have negative effects.
FACT.. Prescription drugs can help with medical problems when used as directed. However, whether they are used properly or misused, there can be side effects.
Because it is available over-the-counter, cough syrup that contains DXM is not harmful if you take too much, it might just upset your stomach.
MYTH... - DXM acts on the same brain cell receptors as hallucinogenic drugs like ketamine or PCP. A single high dose of DXM can cause hallucinations (imagined experiences that seem real). Ketamine and PCP are called "dissociative" drugs, which means they make you feel separated from your body or your environment, and they twist the way you think or feel about something or someone.
A marijuana overdose can kill you.
MYTH... There are generally no reports of people fatally overdosing (dying) on marijuana alone. There are reports of people who use marijuana seeking treatment in emergency rooms, reporting unease and shaking, anxiety, paranoia, or hallucinations, and in rare cases, extreme psychotic reactions.
Bath Salts are sometimes labeled as “plant food,” “jewelry cleaner,” or “phone screen cleaner.”
FACT.. “Bath salts” are usually white or brown crystal-like powder and are sold in small plastic or foil packages labeled “Not for Human Consumption.” They are sold online and in drug product stores. These names or descriptions have nothing to do with the product. It’s a way for the drug makers to avoid detection by the Drug Enforcement Administration or local police
Damaging effects of Inhalant use are limited to the brain and nerves.
MYTH...- Some inhalants can cause liver and kidney damage, bone marrow damage, weakened immune system, increased risk of leukemia (a form of cancer), reproductive system complications, and much more
Opioids and other pain pills are the only type of prescription drugs that are abused.
MYTH.. There are three kinds of prescription drugs that are commonly misused:
Codeine is similar to cocaine in the way that it affects the brain.
MYTH... Codeine attaches to the same cell receptors as opioids like heroin. High doses of promethazine-codeine cough syrup can produce a high similar to that produced by other opioid drugs. Over time, it takes more and more of the drug to get that good feeling. This is how addiction starts.
Most teens in the US use marijuana.
MYTH...According to 2020 data, only 16% of 10th graders and 21% of 12th graders report using marijuana in the last month and only 4% of 10th graders and 7% of 12th graders report using marijuana daily.
Bath salts can be swallowed, snorted through the nose, inhaled, or injected with a needle, but the most dangerous method is swallowing
MYTH.. Snorting or injecting is the most harmful.
All inhalants slow brain activity.
MYTH...Nearly all inhalants (except nitrites) produce a "high" by slowing down brain activity. Nitrites, in contrast, expand and relax blood vessels.
The number of teens misusing prescription drugs has decreased over the last few years.
FACT... In 2017, 11% of 12th graders reported having misused prescription drugs within the last year. In 2019, that number was down to 8.5%
Cough medicine misuse by teens is on the rise over the last 5 years.
FACT...-In 2015, 1.6% of 8th graders reported having misused cough syrup in the last year. In 2020, it was 4.6%.