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Column: Concerns about use of cannabis

Rhea Jones 001
Rhea Jones Dear Mom and Dad

Since most big plans for this summer have been cancelled, kids have had to come up with some alternative ways to keep themselves busy.

For some kids, that means playing sports, video games, or spending time with friends. However for a lot of kids that also means experimenting with alcohol or drugs out of boredom or stress. In fact, it’s not just kids whose usage of alcohol and drugs has increased during these stressful times.

By the end of high school, the majority of kids have been exposed to marijuana either by trying it themselves or by being around others who smoke. Although this is an uncomfortable topic, since its legalization, marijuana is becoming more and more mainstream. That’s why it’s important that we discuss why teens start using different drugs and how our education system regarding substance usage needs to accommodate to the changing times.

There are many reasons young people start using marijuana: boredom, curiosity, entertainment. However, I believe, a major one is due to mental health, for example, low self-esteem, feelings of despair, sense of no control, and stress, all of which are running rampant right now. Being high gives people a sense of euphoria which can be an escape from emotions kids might feel trapped by. Marijuana can also help people sleep, relax, and just laugh and have fun.

Social influence also plays a big role. If all of your peers are doing something, it’s hard to be the odd one out and resist that temptation. Similar to alcohol, getting high has become a social activity that bonds people together and gives them something to do.

With the legalization of marijuana, it has inevitably become more common for underage kids to smoke or take edibles. This shows that if we are going to change the laws regarding marijuana then we also need to change the way we are educated about it. Simply telling kids “don’t do drugs” does not qualify as education. And where is the science - surely after two years of legalization some different facts and myths can be brought to light?

In my personal experience, the only formal education I’ve had regarding substance usage was a short program called DARE which stood for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This program was problematic because kids weren’t taught the difference in severity between different drugs. We were taught that all drugs are bad and essentially put marijuana on the same level as meth and heroin. Instead, we should be taught that yes there are risks to all drugs but some are far more dangerous than others. As marijuana becomes further embedded into our social norms, we need to stop treating teen usage of drugs as a taboo topic and open up the discussion around it. It’s better to be honest about it than to pretend the issue doesn’t exist. If the education system isn’t providing adequate information then it’s on parents to have open conversations about it with their children. Regardless of the pros and cons, it’s here to stay, so let’s adapt with the changing times.

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