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Research Reports: Marijuana Abuse

What is marijuana?

This is an illustration of the different parts of the marijuana plant

Marijuana—often called pot, grass, reefer, weed, herb, Mary Jane, or MJ—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant. Most users smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints, among other names; some use pipes or water pipes called bongs. Marijuana cigars, or blunts, are also popular. To make blunts, users slice open cigars, remove some of the tobacco, and mix the remainder with marijuana (Timberlake 2009). Marijuana also is used to brew tea and sometimes is mixed into foods.

This page was last updated September 2010.

​Research Reports

This series of reports simplifies the science of research findings for the educated lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. The series reports on research findings of national interest.

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