Increasing Drug Use in Schools

The rise of drug use in school seems to be a big problem for underage teens due to this generation’s ignorance of their side-effects.  Drugs like cocaine and heroin are widely viewed as dangerous, but others like salvia and marijuana are generally perceived to not have any dangerous affects.  Short term memory loss, loss of vision, and slowing rate of brain cell reproduction are just not big enough impacts to turn teens from these “gateway” drugs.

Misdemeanor drug use (including marijuana) has been on the rise for the past 30 years, and the reason falls within how people perceive the affects of these drugs.  THC (the main substance found in the cannabis, or “weed” plant) abuse by 8th graders has doubled in the past 20 years and increased by 12th graders across America. This increase is accompanied by more and more students believing that drugs such as marijuana do not have any long term affects, which in turn explains the rising drug use.

Teens need to realize that drugs, all drugs, are illegal for reasons, which lie in the harms that come from them: including memory loss, lung, heart, and esophagus damage, lethargy, addiction, weight gain, break outs, and loss of cognitive functions.

Along with these physical damages, these drugs are emotional scaring as well.  The repetitive use of drugs within our social status can take away friends, families, and lives. Students have gone to prison, and fought for every minute of their life, because of one easily preventable mistake.

Today’s teenagers need to be better educated on addictive drugs, and the long and short term consequences of drug abuse.