Cannabis or marijuana is one of the most well-known, cheap and easy to get drug substance in the world. Even though this drug is very common, it is very difficult to classify in one category due to the plethora of effects it can have on the human body which can also differ from person to person. Marijuana, for example can act as a depressant which means it can calm down the nerves, a very effective opioid which can relieve pain, a hallucinogen, and also a stimulant. This is why marijuana classified as a depressant with some stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. Because marijuana is so popular, it has many common names such as Weed, Pot, Reefer, Grass, Mary Jane, Herb, and Dope, etc. There are many studies done on young adults or adolescents and one of them found that more than 1.3 million American young adults suffer from marijuana addiction problems (Hartzler, et al, 2017). The legal status of marijuana is very complicated most particularly in the United States. Even though possession of marijuana is illegal all across the United States according to federal law, the use of cannabis is legal for both recreational and medical use in states such as California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, and Alaska. On the other states, the legal status of marijuana is either mixed, which means it can be only be used for medical purposes in states such as Maryland and North Dakota or it is still fully illegal to possess marijuana in states such as Alabama and Tennessee. Even though possession usage of marijuana is completely illegal for individuals under 18 all across the country, many cases of it being used and abused are being reported. Legalization of Cannabis for medical purposes only will not increase its usage among adolescents but the data on whether full legalization will drastically increase it is inconsistent and must be monitored more for a better understanding of the situation (Melchior, et al) but it is also important to note that adolescent usage is much lower in places where medical marijuana hasn’t compared to the places it had been legalized.
There are several behavioral effects and patterns associated with the use of Marijuana when it is used by adolescents, there is some potential of it becoming addicting or habit-forming but there is also a potential for it to be used for medical reasons. First, one study suggests that, adolescents who are exposed to marijuana are negatively affected by it due to their brains being particularly vulnerable to the exposure, especially regarding to their neurocognitive operations. Because the human brain goes through massive developmental changes, marijuana use among young adults has been associated with decreased intelligence or IQ decline, reduced memory, poorer attention, and lower verbal ability (Jackson, et al). Regular usage of this substance expose adolescents to the long term effects of cannabis which further proves the previously mentioned effects. Second, even though the addiction potential of marijuana is much less than most other drugs, it has a small chance of acting as a trajectory for young adults to other harmful drugs. According to a United Kingdom study, out of the chosen 5315 adolescents, one fifth of them continued using cannabis and those people were more likely to move on to other drugs(Taylor, et al). Their socio economic backgrounds and prior exposure to cigarettes and alcohol were a major factor in their regular cannabis use and it is also important to note that long term users of cannabis are more likely to be addicted to it. Third, long term and excessive marijuana use can have drastic effects on the human body, especially on young adults. Regular users of marijuana especially adolescents have an increased likelihood of suffering serious consequences which include, short-term impairments in memory, coordination and judgement, and longer-term risk of decreased brain development and also cognitive damages(Hasin, et al). Fourth, as it was mentioned before, marijuana has been legalized in many states in the United States primarily because of its medicinal benefits and continue to be legalized in others. Medical marijuana dispensaries commonly sell marijuana to cancer patients, individuals with physical injuries people with acute anxiety and other mental ailments.
The use of marijuana even for medicinal purposes is engulfed by controversial social issues all over the world and especially in the United States of America. Young adults who face certain types of socio economic situations are more like to be exposed to marijuana which in some cases can also lead to the long term use of this substance and even expose them to even more harmful substances. According to a United Kingdom study, factors such as living in a rented or government subsidized housing, maternal tobacco smoking during childhood. Children from the ages of 10 to 12 exposed to the substance were more likely to be associated with regular marijuana use and also children who use tobacco and alcohol prior to cannabis are also like to go through early-onset occasional cannabis use. It is also important to note that, having older siblings who take cannabis increase the odds of early-onset occasional cannabis use. Being female on the other hand was found to be inversely associated with regular marijuana use. Lower levels of maternal education were also associated with lower odds of late-onset and-early onset occasional cannabis use of the children (Taylor et al). Due to the American social structure, marijuana usage and its effects can have a high societal cost through increased levels of unemployment in poor communities, absenteeism, decreased efficiency, and an increased rate of imprisonment and crimes (Jackson, et al).
Even though there are a few well known harmful effects of long term marijuana use, there also several public misconceptions about this drug which spreads fear and paranoia among the populace. First of all, contrary to popular beliefs, it is near impossible to overdose on marijuana. This is because of the high amount of dosage it will be needed to do so. Second, it is not nearly as addictive as other drugs. According to the previously presented data, most of the people who take marijuana do not become regular users and also unlike other drugs like heroine and cocaine, those who quit marijuana don’t suffer as harsh withdrawal symptoms. Third, the effect of marijuana on our lungs is not as severe as cigarette smoke. Long term smoking of cannabis is known to cause chronic bronchitis and lung infection but unlike the long term effects of cigarette smoking, it can’t cause cancer.
Due to the somewhat mild effects of cannabis comparing with other drugs and the medicinal value it has, making legislation on either banning or legalizing it is very difficult. There are many significant effects of fully legalizing marijuana in the United States such as, the decreased rate of incarceration due to marijuana related crimes, new opportunities in the medicinal marijuana sector opening up which can create new businesses that can generate a large amount wealth that can completely transform poor communities, cannabis is also a better and much less addictive option for patients who suffer pain who can take medicinal marijuana than the more addictive opioid pills and so on. On the other hand, because marijuana usage and the culture surrounding it is so popular, this substance will inevitably fall on the hands of minors which in some cases can be incredibly harmful to their physical health and mental development. The previously mentioned issue of long term usage leading to harder drugs is also an alarming fact. But after weighing both sides I believe that changing legislation and making marijuana illegal again will not help current problems regarding marijuana but only bring back marijuana related crimes and imprisonment problems that ravaged poor communities because of the harsh drug enforcement policies. The fact that marijuana is cheap, popular and easy to produce will always make it widely available and in high demand no matter what approach the authorities take against it and also it is important to note that none of the studies were presented stated that this problem has the potential of turning into a public health crisis no matter the legislative status. I believe legalizing and strongly regulating the marijuana business sector is the most practical way forward.
In conclusion, adolescents using marijuana for recreational purposes is a serious health issue and it is a problem that must be paid more attention to. In my opinion, treating people who are addicted to any drug as patients and not as criminals is the best response to a drug problem.
References
Taylor, M., Collin, S. M., Munafò, M. R., MacLeod, J., Hickman, M., & Heron, J. (2017). Patterns of cannabis use during adolescence and their association with harmful substance use behavior: findings from a UK birth cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health, 71(8), 764-770.
Melchior, M., Nakamura, A., Bolze, C., Hausfater, F., El Khoury, F., Mary-Krause, M., & Da Silva, M. A. (2019). Does the liberalization of cannabis policy influence levels of use in adolescents and young adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 9(7), e025880.
Hartzler, B., Lyon, A. R., Walker, D. D., Matthews, L., King, K. M., & McCollister, K. E. (2017). Implementing teen marijuana check-up in schools—a study protocol. Implementation Science, 12(1), 103.
Hasin, D. S., Wall, M., Keyes, K. M., Cerdá, M., Schulenberg, J., O'Malley, P. M., ... & Feng, T. (2015). Medical marijuana laws and adolescent marijuana use in the USA from 1991 to 2014: results from annual, repeated cross-sectional surveys. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(7), 601-608.
Jackson, N. J., Isen, J. D., Khoddam, R., Irons, D., Tuvblad, C., Iacono, W. G., ... & Baker, L. A. (2016). Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies .proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(5), E500-E508.
Zucker, R. A., & Brown, S. A. (Eds.). (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Oxford University Press.
Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2017). Drugs and Society. Jones & Bartlett Learning.