Effect of Marijuana on Adolescents
Marijuana has a strong grip on today’s society. Many people can’t live without it. What are the consequences of using marijuana as a teenager? Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a psychoactive drug that has been used in recreational activities and to lower stress and help fight depression. Marijuana is seen as a gateway drug like alcohol and nicotine, its use can lead to trying more dangerous and life-threatening drugs such as LSD, Heroin, and cocaine. Which can ultimately lead to drug abuse. Marijuana is an addicting substance; Adolescents shouldn’t abuse the drug for its euphoric result. The usage of marijuana adversely affects development in teens.
Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs among youngsters. (Schweinsberg 1) What is Marijuana composed of exactly, and how does it work? According to a study done in Massachusetts General Hospital Yih Chieh Chen states, “Cannabis products include pure dried cannabis or hashish, which is a dried cannabis resin.” (Chen, Para 1) Marijuana consists of 400 different types of chemicals that alter your brain in some sort of way. In those dried leaves and stems, there is a substance called THC. Also known as tetrahydrocannabinol is what gives you that so-called “high”. THC from marijuana travels to the brain and alters how brain receptors communicate with the body. When it enters your bloodstream the equilibrium of brain chemicals is thrown off which causes you to experience that ecstatic feeling. The “high” after smoking or consuming marijuana is known to be very addicting and can ruin the average developing mind. In the research done by Chen from Boston Massachusetts hospital, she also illustrates that marijuana can be found in 3 forms: edibles, tinctures, or tobacco for smoking (Chen, Para. 1) Teens use all these forms and are most accustomed to the method of smoking. Marijuana can be found in various candies and sweets as well. It was also proved that Marijuana can now be mixed in with Tea and coffee. This is usually done for medical patients, but it’s absurd how a drug can be incorporated into our lives. In “Talking to teens about Marijuana” Mary Beth Nierengarten discusses how marijuana can be used as a therapeutic drug that can relieve pain and discomfort for some patients but shouldn’t be used by people who aren’t facing injuries or severe symptoms (Nierengarten, Para 7.) Teens abuse this drug even when they aren’t medically diagnosed with anything. They only use marijuana for the high and don’t care about what it’s doing to their bodies.
What is the known percentage of teens that use marijuana? According to the research done by Nierengarten on the National Institute of drug abuse in 2020, she said 35.2% of high school seniors used marijuana in the past year. (Nierengarten, Para 3.) This is an absurd amount of high school kids; High schoolers are at most 18 years old. This is hindering their ability to learn and function in class. In another study done by Schweinsburg, she states, “Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among teenagers: almost half of 12th graders have used cannabinoids, 20% report past-month use, and 5% disclose daily use” (Schweinsburg, Para 6.) This is ridiculous; kids have started an addiction, and this will eventually negatively affect their academic and social life. Addiction is terrible for teens who haven’t started anything in their lives. In the research done by Chen, she demonstrates that parents know their child is indulging in drugs and simply allow it. (Chen, Para 8) They think all teens go through a phase, they were once in their shoes too. But what they don’t realize is that it’s much worse in today’s day and age because of the potency in the drugs. Back in the 70s the drug had severely less THC and was considered less dangerous and toxic than the one in present society. (Nierengarten 24)
What are the consequences of using marijuana as a teenager? According to Allison Knopf in an Alcoholism & drug abuse weekly, it states “cognition impairment is concurrent with substance use but only temporary because neuroplasticity restores function. Long-term cognition impairment results from neurotoxicity caused by substance use.” (Drug Abuse Weekly Para.1) Cognitive impairment is most definitely something to be afraid of when smoking as an adolescent; you are just limiting your mental capacity. It’s especially critical in younger kids since they are still going to school and need to learn, smoking hinders that ability. The drug abuse weekly also talks about how marijuana impairs your learning capabilities, Cannabis usage has been associated to impaired areas of learning, memory, attention, and working memory (Knopf 3.) All these are essentially building blocks to mental function. According to the video published by Social Smart, “Talking with Teens About Marijuana Dr. Dolly Klock”, she highlights how smoking marijuana can impair you especially if you are smoking excessively. Once the drug is in the bloodstream, it affects different parts of the brain such as the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Marijuana causes delays in these sections which greatly increase your risk of accidents especially if you are behind the wheel. (Minute 4). She labels the importance of tolerance when using this drug. Try to understand your limits and don’t overuse as many teens often do.
Marijuana use has a negative impact on a teen development. The drug causes long-term issues, it can affect your brain in more ways than you can think. Smoking Marijuana at such an early age can cause the hippocampus in your brain to become underdeveloped, this ruins regular brain function and causes complications when older. Some examples may be memory loss and decreased cognitive function. Many teens use this drug as a temporary euphoric feeling, but I can assure you, they must be more careful. It’s extremely crucial to talk to your children and let them know the dangers and risks of marijuana, highlighting the impairment of this drug will give them some insight, and they will be less likely to indulge in this activity. Openly talking about this topic will allow them to be more comfortable telling you the truth. It is better to inform them now than later down the line when they’re suffering from the consequences.
References
Chen, Chieh Yih. “Cannabis- Related Emergencies in Children and Teens.” Login, 21 Jan. 2019, https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_CC/qlf695/cdi_pubmed_primary_31090567.
Knopf, Allison. “Cannabis Found More Harmful to Cognition than Alcohol in Teens.” Login, 4 Mar. 2019, https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_CC/qlf695/cdi_proquest_reports_2187130390.
Nierengarten, Mary Beth. “Talk to Teens about Marijuana.” Login, 1 Feb. 2016, https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_CC/qlf695/cdi_proquest_journals_1781573663.
Schweinsburg, Alecia D. “Abstinent Adolescent Marijuana Users Show Altered FMRI Response during Spatial Working Memory.” Login, 19 Oct. 2013, https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_CC/qlf695/cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_2832586.
“Talking with Teens About Marijuana Dr. Dolly Klock on Smart Social Com.” YouTube, uploaded by Smart Social, 22 Jan. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsxXtuf9kko&t=249s&ab_channel=SmartSocial.
