The perils of marijuana use in adolescents

Marijuana usage is on the rise. It is becoming more dangerous because of the significantly greater amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and more accessible because of legalization. This paper aims to examine the usage of cannabis in adolescents aged 12-17 and determine the multifaceted effects and dangers that come with the usage.

This study queried data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The database was queried and tested until significant numbers were found. Age was added as a control variable to ensure the data was of just adolescents aged 12-17 and not a wide array of ages. We compared adolescents who use marijuana to adolescents who did not use marijuana in four topics: gender, race, number of school days missed,and grades.

The overall pooled prevalence of cannabis use in adolescents ages 12-17 is 11.4% (95% CI: 10.70-12.20%). Cannabis use was slightly more prominent among females than males and in white adolescents, Hispanics, and blacks. The higher the marijuana use, the more likely adolescents are to skip class and the less likely they are to perform well grade-wise.

Approximately 1 in 10 individuals who try marijuana get develop a use disorder.When narrowing the pool down to just teenagers, that number increases to one in six adolescentswho try marijuana being with marijuana addiction.Therefore, there is a need to educate teenagers and their families about the effects and consequences of marijuana use. These consequences are greater and more severe than most think.