Whacked Brochure - Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto ...

Let’s be real
(harm reduction]
You are the captain of your ship, the driver of your
Ferrari, the … well, you get the idea. We want to share
with you some info about the connections between
marijuana, physical and mental health. Beyond that,
it’s up to you to make your own decisions. We know
that some people may not feel that stopping smoking is
an option. Even if you choose to keep using marijuana,
there are things you can do to reduce your risks.
1. Make sure that you know your dealer well. Ask
your dealer straight up where they get their stuff.
Check around to see if other people have heard
anything – you don’t want to be buying from a
shady dealer.
2. If you don’t buy your own pot, ask your friends
if they know their dealer and can say for certain if
their pot is clean (i.e. not cut with cocaine or other
junk.)
3. Make sure that you smoke with people you trust.
If you end up having a bad trip, your friends will
make sure they’ve got your back.
4. Cut back on your use. The more pot you smoke
and the more often you smoke, the greater your
risk of developing a mental illness or making your
psychosis worse, in addition to other serious side
effects, such as brain loss and lung disease.
How to help a friend
who has become a
[space cadet]
Is your boy/girlfriend, buddy, brother or cousin
constantly smoking pot? Have they forgotten the sacred
arts of bathing and full conversation? If you’re sick of
talking to a brick wall and want to lend a hand to your
loved one, here are our suggestions:
1. Let the person know that you will support them!
Try to avoid blaming or shaming them. Calling them a
dumb ass probably won’t be of much help.
2. Tell the person that you are concerned about them.
Show them this brochure and let them know that
there are real risks associated with using marijuana.
3. Offer to join the person if they are interested in
seeing someone and getting help.
4. Suggest that you do something fun together – like
go to the movies or check out vintage vinyls at the
record shop – without smoking up.
If you or your friend is ready to do something about your
marijuana use consider the following resources:
• Community Alcohol & Drug Service, Guelph
519-836-5733
• St. Mary’s Counselling Services, Kitchener
519-745-2585
• Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH)
Regional Services 519-883-2189
• Drug and Alcohol Treatment Info line
1-800-565-8603
there’s
something
[whacked]
about mary
Understanding the
risks of marijuana use
Brochure Writing Ashling Ligate
Design writedesign.ca | Photos iStockphoto, Veer, Google Images
1st Step Program
147 Delhi Street, Guelph, ON, N1E 4J3
519-821-2060 ext. 738

[whacks] & facts
WHACK
Marijuana brings all the girls to my yard!
FACT
The girls might come to your yard but they’ll
run the other way once they figure out that
marijuana can make you sexually impotent.
Translation: Smoke too many spliffs and you
won’t be able to get stiff. ‘Nuff said.
WHACK
Without a doobie to relax, I’d be like
Napoleon Dynamite … but less cool.
FACT
Lots of people – not just high schoolers
– use pot to relax and feel comfortable
around others. But there are other ways to
ease social situations! Google the net: ‘Tips
for overcoming social anxiety’ and find
something that works for you.
WHACK
I can’t stop because all my friends smoke.
FACT
If you do want to cut back or stop smoking,
try to tell at least one of your friends so
that they can support your choice. Feel
free to blame us: tell your buddies you read
something in a pamphlet that made you
change your mind! Try using the following
excuses: “Just say that you have already had
far too much tonight.” or “No way man, it
makes my teeth yellow!” Say: “No thanks,
I’m already weird enough,” or “No thanks, I
like my brain the way it is.”
WHACK
Smoking pot is the only way to open my
third eye and expand my mind.
FACT
Unless you are a for real, Salassie-propping,
dreadlocked Rastafarian, marijuana will not
grant you spiritual transcendence. With
each toke you are actually burning holes in
your brain and increasing your chances of
developing a mental illness. That’s right –
75% of young folks who smoke pot regularly
are at risk of experiencing a psychotic episode.
So before you smoke up, ask yourself if it’s
worth the risk of potentially hearing voices
and seeing demons. And that’s no joke.
WHACK
At least I’m not a crackhead! You can’t get
addicted to pot.
FACT
Addiction can be a mental or physical
dependence: just because you don’t get the
shakes like a heroin junkie doesn’t mean
you’re not addicted to pot. If you feel like
you need it to get by or enjoy life, you are
addicted. Also, the more you smoke – in
frequency and amount – the more pot you’ll
need to ingest in order to get the same high.
WHACK
At least I’m not getting drunk every
weekend! Green is better than booze.
FACT
And jumping off a cliff is better than
drowning? Both drinking and smoking in
excess can mess you up and the risks are
much worse for younger folks. Though we
may feel invincible, our brains will continue
to develop even into our late 20s. You don’t
want to take a one-way trip to loony land
and get stuck there for the rest of your life.
WHACK
Mary J is a natural, harm-free high.
FACT
We’ve heard it all: “But it’s a plant!” “It’s all
natural!” “My grandma uses it for arthritis!”
If you offered a toke to your Auntie (who’d
never tell you that she was a groupie in the
‘60s) she’d be flying out to Mars. The pot
on the market right now is a zillion times
stronger than it was in the ‘60s or even the
’90s. Not only do growers right now use
hybridized seeds but many dealers also cut
their stuff to add weight (meaning mixing in
cocaine with the pot, for example). So that
pile of “au naturel” bud is in fact a heap of
chemically saturated power pot.