Marijuana: Download the Facts

First published 2011. To view the latest Heads Up content, click here.

Welcome Teachers,

Teenagers are increasingly bombarded with mixed messages about marijuana—from TV, the Internet, popular music, and even friends and family. These messages can make it difficult for students to sort fact from fiction. How do they know who or what to believe?

As an educator, you are aware of how important it is for teens to have reliable information about drugs. Scholastic and the scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have created this poster/teaching guide, Marijuana: Download the Facts, to help students learn how to distinguish facts from myths.

The lessons and critical-thinking activities included in this guide will give your students important tools to help them analyze the meaning behind media and social messages. Paired with essential facts about the risks associated with marijuana use, these lessons will equip your students to make informed decisions. Below you’ll find:

Thank you for sharing this valuable information with your students.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Ann Amstutz Hayes
Vice President, Scholastic Inc.

LESSON PLANS

Lesson 1: Marijuana Facts
Students will review some basic facts about marijuana, and understand how to use this knowledge, along with critical thinking skills, to make informed decisions about marijuana use.

Lesson 2: Consider the Source
Students will understand the difference between a fact that can be verified and a personal opinion. Students will also determine the difference between an opinion based on facts vs. an opinion based on special interest.

Lesson 3: Think It Through
Students will learn how to “read” and understand editorial cartoons.

Lesson 4: Analyzing Media Messages
Students will practice analyzing messages in a popular song or music video to better understand the number of messages they are exposed to and how, over time, that exposure might influence their decision making.