ANSWER: Despite a wider acceptance of marijuana use in our culture, there is still a lot of concern about the unregulated potency of marijuana products and what constitutes overuse and abuse of the drug. Long-term effects have been studied for many years, and according to the National Institutes of Health, marijuana use may have a wide range of effects, both physical and mental:

• Marijuana use affects brain development when users begin as teenagers, reducing thinking, memory and learning functions.

• It causes breathing problems because smoke irritates the lungs, and frequent marijuana smokers can have the same breathing problems that tobacco smokers have, including a higher risk of lung infections.

• Marijuana causes an increased heart rate which may increase the chance of heart attacks in older, at-risk people and those with heart problems.

• Marijuana use during pregnancy is linked to increased risk of both brain and behavioral problems in babies. Additionally, some research suggests that moderate amounts of THC are excreted into the breast milk of nursing mothers, which could affect a baby’s developing brain.

• Long-term marijuana use has also been linked to mental illness in some users and can worsen symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

There are also long-term therapeutic benefits being researched now. According to the Surgeon General’s report from November 2016, there is potential therapeutic importance in the compounds found in marijuana. The FDA has granted fast-track designation to four development programs of products that contain marijuana constituents or their synthetic equivalents. This means that a lot more research and education should be available in the near future. To view the Surgeon General’s report, visit addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/surgeon-generals-report.pdf. To view the NIH’s information on marijuana, visit www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/marijuana.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Share your time and talent to help an adult to improve their reading, writing, math or English conversation skills. If you are 21 or older, have at least a 12th-grade reading level, are creative, organized, flexible and patient, you could be an effective tutor.

We have many adults waiting with a wide range of skill levels and goals. In particular, we need volunteers who are comfortable assisting students trying to obtain their GED with math, reading and writing, as well as individuals who can assist learners from other countries.

Literacy tutor training is available on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St., Auburn. Preregistration is required by Jan. 9. The cost is $20. Call 207-333-4785 or email [email protected] for more information. Check out our website at www.literacyvolunteersandro.org. You can make a difference! — Tahlia Chamberlain, Auburn.

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