Marijuana as a social drug is one of the most critical substance abuse problems in the United States today. The use of marijuana and alcohol has risen to the point where almost every facet of society has been touched by the use of both. In addition, marijuana as a substance affects several aspects of human performance, including perception, memory, psychomotor skills, and social behavior. Marijuana, like tobacco and other drugs, does not have a single effect upon humans, but does have some similar properties which cause certain types of behavior to occur in most users (Kinfe, et al., 1989). One additional problem is social, in which many believe past marijuana use should be publicly documented for certain professions. Others see this as phony, moralizing, or counter-productive (Kinsley, 1990).
Marijuana, or cannabis sativa, has been linked with human culture for more than 4,000 years. In fact, the first written account of use of marijuana occurred in Chinese literature around 2700 B.C. (Smith, 1970, p. 3). As an historical phenomenon, the use of marijuana appeared in the literature of many ancient societies, and even from the earliest accounts, was noted to have a profound effect upon the human organism.
Marijuana has many names - it has been called hemp, hashish, dagga, bhang, loco weed, grass, and a myriad of other terms. It was formally named cannabis sativa in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, the famous botanist and developer of the modern system of taxonomy and biological classification. Marijuana, even according to Linnaeus, is one of nature's most hardy species of plants. It can thrive on little moisture, and in soils that are depleted or sandy. It is as vigorous as many common weeds, and flourishes in nearly every possible climatic and geographic region (Able, 1980, p. ix).
The principal ingredient of marijuana which causes it to give the user a feeling of euphoria and well being is the chemical delta-9-tetrahydroc...