About the Marijuana Legalization Debate
Marijuana was first legalized for medical use in California in 1996. In that same year, marijuana use among youths in 8th – 10th grades went up an average of 2.8% – from an average of 26.4% of kids smoking pot to 29.2%. This was just the beginning.
At present count, 20 states have approved marijuana for medical or recreational use. In Denver Colorado, there are now more pot dispensaries than there are Starbucks. Daily or almost daily weed use has increased from 5.1 million Americans in 2007 to 7.6 million in 2012.
We are seeing legislators seriously wondering why they are not in on this hottest new government revenue trend: taxing the production, distribution and sale of marijuana to their citizens, and hopefully attracting devoted pot-smokers to their state for marijuana tourism.
Obviously, this extreme marijuana use and widespread approval of use doesn’t just affect cancer patients or patients with terminal illness. This use affects our children, their desire to use, and their perception of danger when it comes to marijuana abuse.
A Few Facts about Marijuana
Any discussion of marijuana should begin with a few essential facts. Marijuana is a Schedule 1 substance which means it has high risk for abuse, no known medical benefit and has not been proven safe. Schedule 1 is the product of a joint effort by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration and in the world of abuse it includes such big hitters as heroin, LSD and Ecstasy.
Make no mistake about it, marijuana is a mind altering drug which is addicting and can, and in many cases does, lead to harder, deadly drug use resulting in completely ruined or criminal lives. It is essential to understand that starting to smoke pot while one is younger has been shown to greatly increase the likelihood that the user will become a multiple drug user and addict. Just do an online search on effects of marijuana or marijuana addiction and you’ll see a studies and data documenting the adverse and addictive effects that go on for pages.
So why do adults and kids use it? The answer is simple and is critical to thinking correctly about the legalization debate. They use it to get high.Getting high can mean a lot of things to different people but if you made a list of all the possible elements that are part of being “high” there are a few things you WON’T find on it, no matter how much marijuana is consumed by those making the list:
Clarity of thought, logical reasoning and problem solving
Responsibility
Ability to see and predict consequences
Ability to be accountable
Improved reaction time
Remembering faster and with more accuracy
Developing hand-eye coordination with rapid movement
Accurate rendering of what one has perceived through sight, sound, touch and smell.
Drive or ambition to do better not only for self but for others
The marijuana user has one reaction to such a list: “That list is a bummer, man!”
Thus, it’s no wonder that you don’t find advocates of legalizing marijuana promoting that it will help our children who smoke it increase their achievement in school or, more importantly, prepare them for the realities of a life as an adult or future parent. Nor will you find credible educators in America advocating its use in schools or at home for their students.
Yet marijuana use among all youth groups – children, teens, and young adults – is on the rise. One reason for this is the rapidly changing attitude among young people that marijuana is neither harmful physically or mentally. This rapidly changing attitude is coincident with the legalization campaigns being run by marijuana advocates. If legalized marijuana is only for those who are of a minimum age then why are the Seattle Public Schools seeing a meteoric rise in marijuana use in their system for students as young as 12 years old?
Common sense tells us that which gets one high is not going to mix well with education, going to school, and aspiring to higher personal achievement.
Let’s look more closely at the effects of marijuana. When smoked, it begins to effect users almost immediately and can last for one to three hours. Short term effects include distorted perception and this includes perception of sights, sounds, time sense and touch. Loss of coordination, slowed reaction time, difficulty thinking or remembering, increased heart rate and reduced blood pressure. Imagine the difficulty of a student in high school or college (let alone middle school) learning or retaining any knowledge under those physical and mental challenges.
The active ingredient in marijuana is THC and this chemical stores in the body for long periods. Its action is to directly affect receptors in the brain. That it stores for long periods is why some marijuana users test positive for the drug even several weeks after they have last used the drug. Long term use of marijuana includes memory loss, decreased cognitive thinking and problem solving, lowered IQ, depression, anxiety and there is a new study that points to long term marijuana use resulting in schizophrenia as well as much evidence of it being a cause of depressive and paranoid thoughts.
That’s some bad stuff for an adult – but have we really looked at doing this to children?
The marijuana debate is no minor issue. Even though all the discussion revolves around either adult recreational or medical use, the facts are that marijuana is primarily a youth issue. By way of example: 80% of marijuana use falls in the 12-26 year old age group. Have I mentioned yet that the brain is still developing up to age 25 years old? Why do you think it is you have to be 25 years old to rent a car? They obviously knew something.
Now this age group is made up of our middle school, high school and college students. Marijuana use has proven lowered grades, poor academic achievement, lack of motivation for future and career goals, more time partying and less time studying. Marijuana is being used as an escape from reality, the stresses of school, growing up and responsible achievement for oneself and for the society of which every person is a member. These are the very skills our youth should be learning and strengthening – such things as how to address and solve problems, overcome stress, tackle a project and complete it with success. We count on the youth of today having these qualities and skills since they are our future.
If adults and parents are saying yes to marijuana, why would we expect our children to say no?
Marijuana is not only a gateway drug. It is a problem drug by itself and often abused.
If you or someone you know has a problem with Marijuana use, contact the Narconon Suncoast Rehabilitation Center at the number on the top of this page. Drug abuse does not have to continue.
Refs: NCSL.org, Foxnews.com, CBSnews.com
