It's a fairly sad state of events that teens in the united states have the understanding that smoking marijuana is safer than smoking tobacco as soon as, in reality, neither is secure. A Denver Post article,"Teens' marijuana use rises; fewer view it as harmful medication", by John Ingold, says"While teen smoking smoking has decreased over the past ten decades, marijuana usage is as large as it's been since the early part of the decade"" Nationwide, 21.4 percent of 12th-graders, 16.7 percent of 10th-graders, and 8 percent of 8th-graders reported having used marijuana in the previous 30 days. Every one of these figures was greater compared to the number who reported smoking cigarettes in the previous 30 days - 19.2 percent, 13.6 percent, and 7.1 percent, respectively."
What could potentially make adolescents think smoking marijuana is secure, particularly because they have the message about tobacco and we have seen its' usage in a 10 year decrease? Could it be our capital city, Denver, voted to legalize marijuana; that medical marijuana stores are available in Denver compared to Starbucks; it was a defeated ballot measure from the past California election; or even the hype surrounding the biggest Cannabis Convention at the united states currently happening in Denver?
We've done a disservice to our own adolescents, because both marijuana and tobacco have lots of the exact same ill effects. "The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) claims that marijuana smokers encounter respiratory disturbances like tobacco smokers, such as coughs and lung ailments. Additionally like marijuana, tobacco might increase the chance of heart attack because of its ability to boost blood pressure and heart rate" "Marijuana includes 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke..." Marijuana advocates can argue all they want they don't smoke up to cigarette smokers, but that's a moot defense - is secure.
Let us also tackle the present debate from the Colorado Legislature concerning the authorized limitation of THC (the key drug in bud ) for operating a motor vehicle, in which the legal and healthcare communities say the consequences are similar to alcohol. The experts tell us that there are psychological impacts on the teenager developing brain, such as these short-term consequences: memory and learning issues, difficulty with problem solving, distorted perception, and lack of motor coordination. Certainly marijuana usage has a negative effect on adolescent schooling, probably resulting in fewer children going on to college, fewer obtaining great jobs, etc.
I don't have any issue with medical marijuana usage, to alleviate the pain and distress of individuals with medical needs. But we've done a massive disservice to our youth by each the hype and press from well-intending adults (sic) to find bud about the election ballots, to start medical marijuana stores for gain, to encourage a conference, and who knows what else.
It took years and millions of dollars to reverse the tide on tobacco usage. It now seems we will need to begin down this route with bud due to the damage previously done. None of us need to be about the"street" with a few of these behind the wheel - and at the challenging job market, these children will be left behind causing enormous social issues because of our communities in many years ahead.