Study: Pot use among high school students increasing
By Anahad O’Connor, New York Times
A federal report shows that the percentage of American high school students who smoke marijuana is slowly rising, while the use of alcohol and almost every other drug is falling.
The report raises concerns that the relaxation of restrictions on marijuana, which can now be sold legally in 20 states and the District of Columbia, has been influencing use of the drug among teenagers. Health officials are concerned by the steady increase and point to what they say is a growing body of evidence that adolescent brains, which are still developing, are susceptible to subtle changes caused by marijuana.
“The acceptance of medical marijuana in multiple states leads to the sense that if it’s used for medicinal purposes, then it can’t be harmful,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which issued the report. “This survey has shown very consistently that the greater the number of kids that perceive marijuana as risky, the less that smoke it.”
Volkow said that one way marijuana might affect cognitive function in adolescents was by disrupting the normal development of white matter through which cells in the brain communicate.
Why do we need to say more ?
I bet most of the teen users have a medical card that gives them the green light to smoke as much pot as they can score. I have my doubts that there is a true medical condition though, at least not yet. Certainly they can look forward to a life of lung issues, attitude issues, weight issues, and a treasure chest of excuses for why they have to smoke pot. Thanks steve for the enabeling of teens in our town.
when I was a kid it was alcohol, LSD, mushrooms, Quaaludes, or stealing you mom’s diet pills (and no shortage of pot) – before then it was sniffing glue. The intoxicating chemical of choice may change; the kids (and clueless parents) haven’t.
go figure: Oy Vey!
These days, even the police support medical marijuana and the only folks who still oppose it tend to be drug dealers. Since we don’t know the identity of those who post these anti-medical marijuana comments, I will assume they are drug dealers who hate the fact that they will soon be out of business in SLT.
weeds not a drug