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Module 1.3b

explorers while enduring monotony, isolation, and cold (Suedfeld & Mocellin, 1987).
The philosopher-neuroscientist Patricia Churchland (2013, p. 70) has called such expe-
riences “neural funny business.”

LSD
Chemist Albert Hofmann created — and on one Friday afternoon in April 1943 accidentally
ingested — LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). The result — “an uninterrupted stream of fan-
tastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors” — reminded
him of a childhood mystical experience that had left him longing for another glimpse of
“a miraculous, powerful, unfathomable reality” (Siegel, 1984; Smith, 2006).
The emotions experienced during an LSD (or acid) trip range from euphoria to detach-
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
ment to panic. Users’ mood and expectations (their “high hopes”) color the emotional
experience, but the perceptual distortions and hallucinations have some commonalities.
Marijuana
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
The straight dope on marijuana: Marijuana leaves and flowers contain THC (delta-9-
®
tetrahydrocannabinol). Whether inhaled (getting to the brain quickly) or consumed (traveling AP Science Practice
through the body slowly), THC produces a mix of effects. An analysis of 15 studies showed Research
that the THC in a single joint may induce psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations,
delusions, and anxiety (Hindley et al., 2020). Synthetic cannabinoids (also known as syn- Statistically analyzing the results of
multiple studies to reach an overall
thetic marijuana, Spice, or K2) mimic THC. conclusion, as Hindley did here, is
Marijuana amplifies sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells. But like the depres- referred to as a meta-analysis.
sant alcohol, it relaxes, disinhibits, and may produce a euphoric high. As is the case with
alcohol, people sometimes consume marijuana to help them sleep or improve their mood
(Buckner et al., 2019; Wong et al., 2019). Both alcohol and marijuana impair the motor coor-
dination, perceptual skills, and reaction time necessary for safely operating a vehicle or other
machine. “THC causes animals to misjudge events,” reported Ronald Siegel (1990, p. 163).
“Pigeons wait too long to respond to buzzers or lights that tell them food is available for
brief periods; and rats turn the wrong way in mazes.”
Like people who repeatedly consume alcohol, marijuana users develop tolerance —
a lesser high with the same single dose. But marijuana and alcohol also differ. The body
eliminates alcohol within hours, while THC and its by-products linger in the body for
more than a week; so with repeated use marijuana accumulates in the body’s tissues
( Volkow et al., 2014).
After considering more than 10,000 scientific reports, the U.S. National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017) concluded that marijuana use
• alleviates chronic pain, chemotherapy-related nausea, and muscle soreness among peo-
ple with multiple sclerosis;
• may offer short-term sleep improvements;
• does not increase risk for tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer;
• predicts increased risk of traffic accidents, chronic bronchitis, psychosis, social anxiety
disorder, and suicidal thoughts; and
• likely contributes to impaired attention, learning, and memory, and possibly to academic
underachievement.

The more often the person uses marijuana, especially during adolescence, the
greater the risk of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and suicidal behavior (Gage, 2019;
Gobbi et al., 2019; Huckins, 2017). One study of nearly 4000 Canadian seventh graders
concluded that marijuana use at that early age was “neurotoxic”; it predicted long-term

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