It is a pretty sad state of affairs that teens in the US will have the perception that smoking marijuana is safer than smoking tobacco when, in fact, neither is secure. A Denver Post post, ‘Teens’ marijuana use increases; fewer see it as dangerous drug’, by John Ingold, states ‘While teenager tobacco smoking has declined over the past ten years, marijuana use can be as high 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 documented having used marijuana in the past thirty days.
Every one of these results was greater than the number who reported smoking cigarettes in the past 30-days – 19.2 percent, 13.6 percent, and 7.1 percent, respectively.’What may make teenagers think smoking marijuana is safe, especially given that they got the message about tobacco and we’ve seen its’ use in a 10 year decline? Can it perhaps be that our capital city, Denver, voted to legalize marijuana; that more medical marijuana outlets are open in Denver than Starbucks; that it was a narrowly beaten ballot measure in the last California election; or the hoopla surrounding the biggest Cannabis Convention in the US currently going on in Denver?We have undoubtedly done a dis-service to your kids, because both tobacco and marijuana have most of the same ill effects. ‘The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says that marijuana smokers experience respiratory disturbances similar to tobacco smokers, including coughs and lung infections. Also like tobacco, pot may boost the threat of heart attack because of its power to increase blood pressure and heart rate.
‘ ‘Marijuana contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke…’ Marijuana advocates may claim all they want that they do not smoke around cigarette smokers, but that is a pointless protection – neither is safe.Let us also handle the present debate in the Colorado Legislature regarding the legal limit of THC (the major drug in marijuana) for operating an auto, where the legal and medical communities state the effects are similar to alcohol. The experts reveal you can find emotional effects on the youngster developing brain, including these short term effects: learning and memory issues, trouble with problem solving, altered understanding, and lack of motor control. Undoubtedly marijuana use has a negative influence on teen education, probably leading to fewer children going on to school, fewer getting good jobs, and therefore on.
I’ve no problem with medical marijuana use, to help relieve the pain and suffering of people with medical requirements. But we’ve only done a huge injustice to our youth by all of the press and hoopla by well-intending adults (sic) to get pot on the election ballots, to open medical marijuana outlets for gain, to market a convention, and who knows what else.It took decades and vast amounts to turn the tide on tobacco use. It now seems we need to start down that path with marijuana because of the damage already done. One-out of five of our senior high school seniors are standard (in past 30 days) customers. None of us want to be on the ‘highway’ with one of them behind the wheel – and in the tough job market, these young ones will soon be left behind triggering untold social difficulties for our communities in the years to come.
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