eral states. Because today's marijuana is stronger than that of the '60s due to the higher levels of THC now available, the studies done with standard two percent THC marijuana will need to be redone usingtoday's more potent form if we are to understand the health effects caused by marijuana use during the '80s and '90s.
             Hashish, which is produced from the resin of the marijuana plant, has a slightly different chemical composition. The THC levels in hashish will vary from two percent to 20 percent. Other biologically active chemicals appear in higher concentrations than in the unaltered marijuana. Hashish also burns at a much higher temperature than marijuana. This higher temperature may explain the very early tissue damage seen in the young hashish smoker. Hashish oil is a thick, black, oily substance which is obtained by the further refinement of hashish. The THC level in "hash oil" may reach 30 percent and can produce intense hallucinations. Since the hash oil does not contain sugars found in the plant material, it will not have the familiar "sweet" marijuana smell when burned. Hash oil, being quite high in THC content, is very disorienting and dangerous.
             Even under the very best research conditions, the chemical content of street marijuana is unknown. This leaves both researcher and user in doubt as to what chemicals actually enter the body. The complexity and unpredictability of marijuana makes controlled, scientific experimentation a slow, tedious and sometimes contradictory process.
             Marijuana refers to the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis sative plant that contains the psychoactive chemical THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) at various potencies. Most hemp plants have an average of 3% THC in them, as well as over four hundred other chemicals. THC is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in different organs, and traces of it can be detected by standard urine tests for several days following usage, even weeks i...