The Dangers of Marijuana   

By Ryan S.

         Have you ever wondered how much marijuana is scattered throughout the U.S? Have you ever wondered how many people are marijuana users?  As of the end of 2016, roughly 24 million U.S. inhabitants over the age of 11 qualified as marijuana users.

          In 2008, horror struck when Jeffery Veatch’s son Justin ended his story with heroin but started it with marijuana. Justin was a young musician and only at the age of 14 when he started using Marijuana. It came with great anxiety he could not handle. So Justin started using opiates, but when Justin didn’t have a strong enough pill, he started using heroin. Not too long after, he died. Just like Justin,15.3 percent of people are affected by the gateway way drug known as cannabis. Gateway drugs lead people to try and become addicted to other drugs.

Marijuana affects the brain’s reward system, which changes the way you are aware of negative impacts. THC targets a specific spot in the brain called cannabinoid receptors. Usually, these receptors are activated by chemicals similar to THC that are part of our communication system in your brain. It also slows down thinking and is very irritating to the lungs. This is because Marijuana has toxins and carcinogens which are released from the combustion of materials. A study from Yale university has shown slowed down thinking is caused by Marijuana Heightening your senses (colors might seem brighter and sounds might seem louder).  It distorts your sense of time and hurts your motor skills and makes driving more dangerous.

The brain has a long journey to recover from addiction. Marijuana can stay in your body for up to 24 hours. So if you did start to recover it would take up to one week just to start to rebuild the prefrontal cortex and recover your lost brain receptors.

You may wonder how teens even get their hands on it anyway. Now it is legal in 18 states, including New York, where you get medical Marijuana. Some people need this for serious pain and need a muscle relaxant. However, doctors generally prescribe patients with medical Marijuana if they believe that the patient is in need of it; Marjuana does a prodigious job at relaxing your body.

The problem is that 90% of Americans with substance abuse problems started smoking marijuana before the age of 18, but this is when your body is still growing and can impact you majorly. You should know the risks and how much of an effect on your body it has. So at the very least, we need to stop legalizing it right away, realizing the harder it is to buy, the fewer people will use it. We can stop or even slow the rate of all the harm that can and will happen.