My Little Sister Smokes Pot Every Day..?!

My Little Sister Smokes Pot Every Day..?

Ok so shes just turned 16 and shes been doing it for about 2 years as far as i know. I thought it was ok (well not ok but not too bad) until i found out that she does it pretty much EVERY day!
When i've tried talking to her about it, telling her she shouldnt do it so much as it will give her mental health problems her and her 19 year old boyfriend go on the defence, saying that its weed that can make you paranoid, not pot and they've been doing it for years so they are proof that it does not make you paranoid! Well.. they are the most paranoid people i know!

I remember a report about drugs being on the radio a while back saying something about mental health problems in young people that do drugs but i cant remember the details.

So what are the facts here?

What damage can it cause?

Is it ok to smoke pot, as long as it isnt every day?

Her bf smokes and drives, isnt that just like drinking and driving??

4 weeks ago
Thats true sandy, it could be something worse than weed but my point is that its every day so surely it must be doing a lot of damage? and also her bf (who drives stupidly without the stuff) drives after smoking it. It starting sound like a death sentence to me

Marijuana is a green, brown or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. There are over 200 street names for marijuana including pot, herb, dope, reefer, grass, weed, ganja, Mary Jane, boom, gangster and chronic.
Sinsemilla, hashish and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana.
It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or bong. In recent years, marijuana has appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug, such as crack. Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.
The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol)... Marijuana's effects on the user depend on the strength or potency of the THC it contains.

The short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch); difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks.
THC in marijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after a smoking session. In heavy chronic users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they have stopped using marijuana.

People who smoke marijuana often have the same respiratory problems as cigarette smokers. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia. Marijuana contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke.

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception. Learning and attention skills are impaired among people who use marijuana heavily. Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who use marijuana have lower achievement than the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends.

While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent or addicted to the drug.
Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana develop a tolerance for it. Tolerance means that the user needs larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she used to get from smaller amounts.