Between beer, marijuana and Adderall are there any high school kids still sober? Back in my time – many, many years ago, we drank. Some of us more radical and hard core partiers smoked marijuana. But we were in a small majority. When doctors tried to prescribe Ritalin for us those pills wound up in the toilet more often than not.
Now marijuana and stimulants are the norm. One school district estimates that 25% of its high school seniors have used marijuana in the last 30 days, and those students report the drug is easier to get than alcohol. This as reported in the Gaston Gazette.
Marijuana use overall is on the rise among young people – with more sixth-, ninth- and 12th-graders saying they’ve tried the so-called gateway drug than ever before.
It has been estimated that about 13 percent of the 2012 freshman class has tried marijuana in the past 30 days nationwide.
Mainstream media has been filled with talk of marijuana in recent years. Some argue marijuana should be legalized. They compare the drug’s impairing effects to alcohol and cite benefits for patients with cancer and other debilitating illnesses. This is total nonsense – especially when it comes to adolescents!
Have the word “medicinal” attached to the drug certainly gives credence to the many users who are using it recreationally. It adds a stigma of somehow being safer.
What are needed are more drug awareness classes specializing in the dangers of marijuana and prescription medication. These classes should be mandatory for all 6th, 7th and 8th graders. You cannot pound the message home to often.