An article by the Narcotic Educational Foundation of America stated that, since 1937, restrictive legislation on marijuana had increased in quantity and severity. Even though it is illegal, recent figures indicate that marijuana is still one of the four major cash crops grown in the United States in terms of dollar value of sales. It ranks along with corn, wheat and soybeans.
Nevertheless, as long as marijuana and other associated drugs are still illegal in the US, there will always be a reason to be tested or screened. This affects every individual especially when looking for employment and even frequent tests when in a job, sometimes also affecting students, probationers and parolees.
Some of the techniques used for drug testing are urine, sweat, saliva and hair testing, as well as drug recognition experts. The major effects of testing positive for marijuana and other illegal drugs, (especially for students) are exclusion from extracurricular activities and dismissal from work.
The major chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which once in the body takes awhile to be excreted by the bile. THC accumulates in fat tissue which has a high affinity for the chemical. In a laboratory study, the retention of labeled THC in humans was found to be about 40 percent at three days, 30 percent at one week, and by extrapolation, 10 percent at 48 days and one percent at 4.6 months. Therefore the retention of THC may remain in the body fat for many months following abstinence and evidence of marijuana may be demonstrated in heavy users by urine testing up to one month of discontinued use.
If one is not a chronic user or an addict, it is easier to abstain from marijuana. Some of the physical effects that one may experience during cessation attempts are intermittent headaches for the first few months which are associated with mild withdrawal symptoms. Individuals may also experience sleepiness, restlessness, agitation which can be alleviated with the help of a physician.Another way to help in the process of abstinence is through physical exercise which helps re-establish the normal vigor of the pleasure mechanism that rules over brain functions.
This article’s information has been complied from the following sources: Narcotic Educational Foundation of America: www.cnoa.org, 2 Marijuana myths and facts: www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana, 3 Marijuana in Medline Plus: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus.