WHAT ARE THE RISKS
OF USING MARIJUANA?
|marijuana dependence and creating a need for treatment|
|overdose, fatal and nonfatal|
|emphysema and other respiratory problems|
|increasing the likelihood of future hard drug use (both the “gateway effect” among youth and the effect of marijuana dependence; see chapter 11)|
|impaired mental health|
|adverse education and employment outcomes|
|effect of parental use on children|
Estimating the extent of marijuana-related damage to users, their families, their neighbors, and the wider public is complex.
The hard truth is that the scientific community has not reached a consensus on many of these questions, so both sides