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A Crash Course on Cannabis
Cannabis sativa is a plant, of which the leaves, stem, and flower buds of the female herb are dried for their drug-
inducing effects (NIH, 2017). Other popular names for cannabis include: marijuana, weed, pot, dope, ganja, reefer,
Mary Jane and herb. Hash is also a cannabis product; however, it refers to the resin, or sap, that is extracted from
the plant (NIH, 2017). The active ingredient in cannabis, that which creates its psychoactive (mind-altering) affects, is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

References
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Inhalants, Hallucinogens, and Marijuana - Including Caffeine. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co.
Casey, B.J., Jones, R.M., & Hare, T.A. (2008). The Adolescent Brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124,
111–126.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (2014). Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in
Colorado. Retrieved from: http://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/DC_MJ-Monitoring-Health-Concerns-Related-
to-Marijuana-in-CO-2014.pdf
Giedd, J.N. (2004). Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Adolescent Brain. in R.E. Dahl & L.P. Spear (Eds.).
Adolescent Brain Development: Vulnerabilities and Opportunities (77–85). New York, N.Y.: Annals of the New York
Academy of Sciences.
Hasin, S., Wall, M., Keyes, K.M., Cerda, M., Schulenberg, J., O’Malley, P.M., Galea, S., Pacula, R., & Feng, T. (2015).
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Cross-Sectional Surveys. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(7), 601-608.
Hill, K. (2015). Medical Marijuana Does Not Increase Adolescent Marijuana Use. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(7), 572-573.
Hopfer, C. (2014). Implications of Marijuana Legalization for Adolescent Substance Use. Substance Abuse, 331-335.
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the Laws and Their Limitations. Public Health Policy, 23(4), 413-39
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https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881
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About the Author
Kimberly Lynn Clark, Ed.D. is a practitioner-researcher, who currently works at Pinelands Regional,
a 7-12 public school district in New Jersey, as an assistant principal. In addition to her building-level
responsibilities, she is the district supervisor of several departments including English-as-a-second-
language, special education, and gifted and talented education. As a researcher, Dr. Clark focuses on
the topics of educational leadership, leadership development, feminist theory, gender performance, and
nontraditional administrative preparation. Dr. Clark also serves on the NJPSA Board of Directors.

Educational Viewpoints -16- Spring 2018