Marijuana Use On The Rise Amoung Teens

This recent headline came as no surprise to those of us in the addictions field, because the youth in our country are not getting the message about the harmful effects of using marijuana.

In a recent national survey released by the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 1 in 20 high school seniors and 1 in 30 tenth graders is using marijuana on a daily basis.

Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, you will feel intoxicated, have dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance with decreased reaction time. Blood vessels in the eyes expand, so your eyes look red.

Numerous studies have shown that smoking marijuana impairs both short term and long-term memory, and reduces your ability to do things that require coordination and concentration, like driving a car. playing sports, dancing and studying.

Many adolescent marijuana users drink alcohol while they’re smoking. Since both drugs interfere with motor coordination, perception and judgment of speed and distance, drivers who have used both substances are extremely at risk of injury to themselves and others.

Since marijuana interferes with thinking and judgment, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV AIDS, violence, car crashes and the use of other drugs are possibilities when you use marijuana. Over time, users report that they require more of the drug to get the same effect.

According to Delbert Boone, addictions expert and consultant to GWC, “because many parents of this generation experimented with marijuana, themselves, they often find it difficult to talk about marijuana use with their children, and to set strict ground rules against drug use. But today kids start using marijuana at a much earlier age, and marijuana today is much more potent than the marijuana of the 60s and 70s.”

In his award winning video, Marijuana, Boone emphasizes that the dangers associated with marijuana use cannot be ignored or dismissed. Preview Boone’s video online or call GWC at 800-851-5406.