Marijuana Myths & Truths
MYTH: Marijuana is harmless.
FACT: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today
and is more potent than ever. Marijuana use can lead to a host of
significant health, social, learning, and behavioral problems at a crucial
time in a young person's development. Getting high also impairs
judgment, which can lead to risky decision making on issues like sex,
criminal activity, or riding with someone who is under the influence of
drugs or alcohol. According to the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, teens who use drugs
are five times more likely to have sex than teens who do not use drugs.
Getting high also contributes to general apathy, irresponsible behavior,
and risky choices.
MYTH: You can't get addicted to marijuana.
FACT: Don’t be fooled by popular beliefs. Kids can get hooked on pot.
Research shows that marijuana use can lead to addiction. Each year,
more kids enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana
dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.
MYTH: There's not much parents can do to stop their kids from
"experimenting" with marijuana.
FACT: Most parents are surprised to learn that they are the most
powerful influence on their children when it comes to drugs. But, it's
true, so this message needs to start with parents. Kids need to hear
how risky marijuana use can be. They need to know how damaging it
can be to their lives. And they need to begin by listening to someone
they trust. By staying involved, knowing what their kids are doing, and
setting limits with clear rules and consequences, parents can keep
their kids drug-free.
Tell Your Kids to Say No...Even if You Didn't
MYTH: There are no long-term consequences to marijuana use.
FACT: Research shows that kids who smoke marijuana engage in risky
behavior that can jeopardize their futures, like having sex, getting in
trouble with the law, or losing scholarship money. Marijuana can also
hurt academic achievement and puts kids at risk for depression and
anxiety.
MYTH: Marijuana isn't as popular as other drugs like ecstasy among
teens today.
FACT: Kids use marijuana far more than any other illicit drug. Among
kids who use drugs, 60 percent use only marijuana.
MYTH: Young kids won't be exposed to marijuana.
FACT: Not only are they exposed to marijuana, they are using it.
Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used
marijuana doubled from one in 10 to one in five.
MYTH: Parents who experimented with marijuana in their youth would
be hypocrites if they told their kids not to try it.
FACT: Parents need to make their own decisions about whether to talk
to their children about their own drug use. But parents can tell their kids
that much more is known today about the serious health and social
consequences of using marijuana.
Information from www.theantidrug.com
| DO YOU KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT MARIJUANA? Here are some common myths... |
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