Marijuana - Parents, Be Afraid - What You Need to Know

A lot of us may have smoked a little pot in years past and never had much of a problem with it. We don't want to see our kids using any type of drug, but if it was only marijuana, at least internally, we'd be relieved.

After all, what's the harm?

Unfortunately, time marches on, and since we used marijuana as kids, the bud has changed somewhat. Marijuana is as much as ten times stronger than it was in decades past, and with increased strength comes increased addiction, social problems and mental and physical harms. The marijuana of 20 years ago bears little resemblance to what's circulating in schoolyards today, and once you get into today's marijuana can have a lot of trouble getting out.

There are currently more teens in drug programs in America for marijuana addiction than for any other form of drug.

The Harms

Addiction

Marijuana is now addictive, has a syndrome of detox, and an awful lot of people who might otherwise like to stop or at least cut back their consumption find that they can't

The detox symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include insomnia, headaches, irritability, nausea, lethargy and a lack of appetite, and they are combined with some pretty serious cravings to use. It's not a heroin detox, but it's pretty tough, pretty uncomfortable, and the cravings are enough to stop most who try on their own before they make it out of the first week.

Cognitive declines

Marijuana makes you dumb; not forever, but for about 24 hours after you smoke you show significant declines in concentration performance, verbal and mathematical reasoning and in general memory abilities.

Obviously for kids whose main job is the learning they'll need for a successful future, anything that lowers their mental performance significantly is pretty problematic. Especially so as since marijuana is so addictive many people who begin as occasional users become daily smokers, and essentially exist perpetually under the negative influence of their abuse.

A lack of initiative

It's sad but true, while you're high, your main ambition in life seems to be to sit on the couch, eating snacks and playing video games. Not exactly the path to success in life.

Psychiatric conditions

The more kids smoke and the earlier they start, the greater the probability that they will experience depression or even psychosis later in life. Marijuana is not what it was, and the long term influence of today's powerfully psychotropic marijuana can be profound, and tragic.

Cancer

While it's not something that living in the present teens think about too much, marijuana smoke is carcinogenic, and smoking marijuana exposes you to a lot of the same health risks as does smoking cigarettes.

Take it seriously

Marijuana is not meth, and it's true that your kids could be doing far more dangerous things than smoking a joint; but marijuana is harmful, it can derail otherwise promising futures, it does carry some pretty significant health risks and you need to take it seriously.

Marijuana is not what it was.

Keep your kids safe from marijuana:

http://www.choosehelp.com/addiction-treatment/marijuana-addiction-treatment

Or read the daily blog entry at http://www.troubleblog.com/category/god/