Marijuana goes by many street names, but the most common are “pot” and “weed.” It remains the most widely used illicit drug today. The primary compound responsible for its psychoactive effects is a cannabinoid called THC. Drug tests specifically look for this substance.
You can detect THC in urine within 2 to 7 days after a single use. However, if someone uses marijuana regularly, THC can stay in the system for up to 2 months. Employers typically include marijuana in a 5- or 10-panel drug test.
What Is Marijuana?
These days, marijuana represents many things. It acts as a mind-altering (psychoactive) drug derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. Moreover, marijuana contains over 480 compounds, including CBD and THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), with THC widely recognized as the primary ingredient that causes the “high.”
While this page doesn’t cover the social, political, or medicinal debates surrounding marijuana, it’s important to understand where it comes from. Farmers grow marijuana in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. They cultivate it in both outdoor fields and controlled indoor environments.
Common street names
Aunt Mary, BC Bud, Blunts, Boom, Chronic, Dope, Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Hydro, Indo, Joint, Kif, Mary Jane, Mota, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, and Yerba
What does it look like?
Marijuana is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves from the Cannabis sativa plant. The mixture typically is green, brown, or gray in color and may resemble tobacco.
Physical Dependence And Withdrawal Following Discontinuation
How Marijuana affects the mind and body
Short-term physical effects from marijuana use may include sedation, bloodshot eyes, increased heart rate, coughing from lung irritation, increased appetite, and decreased blood pressure. Many marijuana smokers experience serious health problems such as bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. Withdrawal from chronic use of high doses of marijuana causes physical signs including headache, shakiness, sweating, stomach pains, nausea, restlessness, irritability, sleep difficulties, and decreased appetite. No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported.
When marijuana is smoked, the THC passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, eventually reaching the brain. In the brain, the THC connects to receptors which influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. Short-term effects of marijuana include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, and loss of coordination
The effect marijuana has on perception and coordination is responsible for serious impairments in learning, associative processes, and psychomotor behavior (driving abilities). Long term, regular use can lead to physical dependence and withdrawal following discontinuation, as well as psychic addiction or dependence. Clinical studies show that the physiological, psychological, and behavioral effects of marijuana vary among individuals. They include:
Recognizing Marijuana Use
The following are observable, possible signs and symptoms of marijuana use that should be documented by a supervisor:
Physical signs can include:
How Do You Conduct a Marijuana Drug Test?
Unless specifically excluded Marijuana drug testing is included in just about every drug test panel.