The Clarity Campaign

Providing clarity and honesty to youth about marijuana use and to support positive messages of non-use, because with clear eyes, comes a clear mind.

What is the Clarity Campaign?

The Clarity Campaign seeks to:• Inform the youth about marijuana use by providing factual

information regarding marijuana and its consequences. • Empower the youth through positive messages of non-use.• Promote and support research-based protective factors.

Clarity does not:• Chastise marijuana users • Use fear tactics

Marijuana

• Has over 200 street names• Is a psychoactive drug• Contains over 400 chemicals• Is not considered medicine by

the FDA

What does marijuana look like?

Marijuana use has significant effects on IQ and learning

• Persistent and heavy use among adolescents reduces IQ by 6-8 points • According to a government survey, youth with poor academic results are more than four times likely to have used marijuana in the past year than youth with an average of higher grades.

Marijuana use is linked to low productivity and job performance

Linked with: • dropping out of school, • unemployment, • social welfare dependence, • and lower self-reported quality of life

Myth, or Fact?Marijuana is not addictive.

MYTH!Repeated marijuana use can lead to addiction—which

means that people have difficulty controlling their drug use and often cannot stop even though they

want to, and even though it undermines many aspects of their lives. Research indicates that the earlier kids

start using marijuana the more likely they are to become dependent. More teens enter treatment each

year with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than all other illicit drugs combined.

Increased Potency

Today’s marijuana is not the marijuana of the 1960s.

• In the past 15 years, marijuana potency has tripled and since

1960 it’s grown 5 times stronger.

Potency of Marijuana

Myth, or Fact?It is not safe to drive while under the influence of

Marijuana.

FACT!Marijuana affects a number of skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time—so it's not safe to drive high or to ride with someone who's been smoking. Even a moderate

dose is shown to impair driving performance.

Myth, or Fact?Marijuana use, occasional or habitual, will have

an effect on a user’s school work.

FACT!Compared with their peers who don't smoke,

students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. Longtime marijuana users report being less satisfied

with their lives, experiencing memory and relationship problems, poorer mental and physical

health, lower salaries, and less career success.

Myth, or Fact?Marijuana can help the user relax from the stresses of

school, work, and life.

MYTH!High doses of marijuana can cause psychosis or panic, when under the influence. Some people experience an acute psychotic reaction (disturbed perceptions

and thoughts, paranoia) or panic attacks while under the influence of marijuana.

Myth, or Fact?If a person uses marijuana once and stops, it will be out

of their system in a few days, or weeks.

MYTH!Depending on the amount and potency of the

Marijuana, it can stay in your system and be detected for weeks, sometimes months. The THC in marijuana is

rapidly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs throughout the body. The more fatty tissue you may have, the longer marijuana can stay in your system.

Myth, or Fact?There are numerous withdrawal symptoms from

Marijuana use.

FACT!The symptoms are similar in type and severity to those

of nicotine withdrawal—irritability, sleeping difficulties, anxiety, and craving. Withdrawal

symptoms can make it hard for someone to stop using marijuana.

Myth, or Fact?Marijuana can enhance athletic performance.

MYTH!Marijuana affects timing, movement, and coordination, which can throw off athletic

performance. Also, many schools can test athletes for drug use, including marijuana.

Myth, or Fact?Since Marijuana is used as a medicine, it can’t be that

bad.

MYTH!Several states have passed medical marijuana laws,

but marijuana has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat any diseases, it is not classified as a medication. It still carries all of the

negative consequences and risks that non-medical marijuana has.

Is Marijuana Medicine?

• Marijuana has not been approved by the FDA for two reasons:1. Benefits vs. Health Risks2. Lack of consistency

• Benefits of THC• Marinol• Delivery of THC

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Marijuana Use Among AZ Youth

Average Age of First Use: 13.6 years old

Youth Perception of Harm

Perception of Approval

58.0% of Arizona youth think their parents would not feel that it would be wrong, for youth to have smoked marijuana at least once in the past 30 days.

34.3% of Arizona youth feel that they would be seen as cool if they had smoked marijuana at least once in the past 30 days.

Availability of Marijuana

Annual Child Fatality Report

• 2011, 837 child fatalities (0-17 years old)– 95 of the 837– 20 of the 95

Marijuana IQ Study• Persistent marijuana use linked to a severe

drop in IQ

“Regular marijuana use in adolescence is known to be a part of a cluster of behaviors that can produce enduring detrimental effects and alter the trajectory of a young person’s life – thwarting his or her potential. Beyond

potentially lowering IQ, teen marijuana use is linked to school dropout, other drug use, mental health problems,

etc.”- Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA Director

Sources• AYS 2012• 2011 Data, 19th Annual Child Fatality Report• Office of National Drug Control Policy• http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/

marijuana-facts-teens• http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/

drugfacts/marijuana • www.claritycampaign.org • http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/

marijuana-iq-study-successfully-defended-scientists

Thank you for your attention!

Questions?