Many teens and their parents trivialise marijuana use. They shouldn't.
I could't tell you how many times at Teen Challenge Tasmania we sit with students, parents, teachers and community members and they trivialise Marijuana as a drug. "Well he smokes a bit of pot but nothing really heavy", "It's organic, a plant its not dangerous" or "She doesn't do drugs just smokes cigarettes and a little weed"
I don't think people really understand much about Marijuana and in particular what is on the market these days. Every person I have spoken to with a serious addiction has the same story, they started smoking cigarettes then moved to Marijuana and then on to ICE, Heroin, Cocaine, Ecstasy and so on. That is why it is called the "Gateway"drug.
I came across this article recently and felt it important to pass on to you and so have copied in below. Don't be fooled its not "JUST" anything. Be informed and help your kids, don't turn a blind eye to Marijuana use. Become informed ( http://www.preventteendruguse.org )
The average potency of today's marijuana is 244% higher -- yes, you read that right -- than the average potency of marijuana smoked in the 1980s. As a result, today's marijuana is more addictive and harmful -- especially for adolescents, who are in crucial stages of brain development. Parents shouldn't dismiss today's teen marijuana use based on their own use of lower potency pot when they were young. What kids smoke today is not their parents' marijuana.
Largely because of the legalization of marijuana for medical use in several states, the drug is more available, accessible -- and socially accepted. Already, government agencies across our country are reporting sharp increases in problems associated with adolescent marijuana use. High school seniors are using marijuana at rapidly increasing rates that have not been seen in the United States for three decades.
This combination of a stronger drug and more drug use is bad news. Decades of research on the negative effects of marijuana on the developing brain are yielding disturbing results. These new findings -- many of which point to long term and permanent cognitive deficits -- should concern parents and teenagers. Marijuana use is associated with:
- lower academic achievement
- high school and college dropout
- serious mental health problems
- chronic, lifelong struggle with drug addiction.
While many teenagers use marijuana with no apparent ill effects, the drug robs many others of their future.
This website, produced by The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., aims to give parents and teens facts about today's marijuana and to encourage public discussion about the risks of using this drug. We hope to discourage teen marijuana use and we invite you to get involved.