Side Effects of Marijuana Use
Side Effects of Marijuana Use
One of the topics that are constantly in the news now days is marijuana. Several people are for the legalization of marijuana and several articles will tell you the benefits of marijuana. It is less common to see articles now days that tell you about the side effects of the use of marijuana, namely the addictive properties that cause an individual to become so addicted to need to be placed in rehab. Most people are surprised to learn that marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States and that most abusers start using in their early teens (NIDA for teens, 2012). People are also unaware that marijuana has some of the same addictive properties of alcohol. Marijuana users build up a tolerance to the drug like alcoholics do when they drink. Users form habits and even have rituals for when and how they use. Most regular users become addicts over time. They will eventually get to a stage in their life when they will do anything they have to in order to support their habit, including lying and stealing. All of these things and more add up over time until they are so addicted that they need to be placed in rehab to help kick the habit.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States (Walker, Neighbors, Rodiguez, Stephens, Roffman, 2011). Studies have shown that from 2007-2010 the number of users of marijuana dramatically increased. In these studies the estimated number of users in 2007 was only 14.4 million. The same study showed that the estimated number of users in 2010 was 17.4 million. That means that in just a matter of 3 years the number of users increased by 3 million. This same study showed that most users are 12 years of age and older. Most individuals start using marijuana in their teen years. This is due in large part to peer pressure. When a teen has friends that use marijuana they will at one point or another be asked to “join in” or “try it just once”. Marijuana is called a “gateway drug”
One of the topics that are constantly in the news now days is marijuana. Several people are for the legalization of marijuana and several articles will tell you the benefits of marijuana. It is less common to see articles now days that tell you about the side effects of the use of marijuana, namely the addictive properties that cause an individual to become so addicted to need to be placed in rehab. Most people are surprised to learn that marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States and that most abusers start using in their early teens (NIDA for teens, 2012). People are also unaware that marijuana has some of the same addictive properties of alcohol. Marijuana users build up a tolerance to the drug like alcoholics do when they drink. Users form habits and even have rituals for when and how they use. Most regular users become addicts over time. They will eventually get to a stage in their life when they will do anything they have to in order to support their habit, including lying and stealing. All of these things and more add up over time until they are so addicted that they need to be placed in rehab to help kick the habit.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in the United States (Walker, Neighbors, Rodiguez, Stephens, Roffman, 2011). Studies have shown that from 2007-2010 the number of users of marijuana dramatically increased. In these studies the estimated number of users in 2007 was only 14.4 million. The same study showed that the estimated number of users in 2010 was 17.4 million. That means that in just a matter of 3 years the number of users increased by 3 million. This same study showed that most users are 12 years of age and older. Most individuals start using marijuana in their teen years. This is due in large part to peer pressure. When a teen has friends that use marijuana they will at one point or another be asked to “join in” or “try it just once”. Marijuana is called a “gateway drug”