Teen Marijuana Addiction

Today, teen marijuana addiction is a problem of escalating proportions. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study, which assesses drug and alcohol use among American youth, reported substantial increases of marijuana use among eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders from 1992 to 1997. These statistics show a disturbing national trend in the increase of teen marijuana addiction and abuse.

Between 1991 and 2001, the percentage of eighth graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five. Kids are using marijuana at an earlier age. Research indicates that the earlier teens start using marijuana, the more likely they are to develop teen marijuana addiction problems. Of youth admitted for treatment for teen marijuana addiction, 56 percent had first used the drug by fourteen years of age, and 26 percent had begun by twelve years of age.

Many teens get a mixed message about marijuana, but the message needs to be clear. Marijuana is an illegal substance that affects teens in many harmful ways. It is very important to begin talking with kids about it by at least twelve years of age. Magazines or newspaper articles are often a good place to start your discussion about drugs. Teens need to be told clearly and often that using marijuana and other illegal substances carries significant health, safety, and legal risks.

Marijuana today is different than in decades past. The last 20 years have brought an incredible explosion in the potency of marijuana, and what was a relatively benign herb has become a very intoxicating drug; potent enough to cause some significant health concerns, and potent enough to lead to teen marijuana addiction for a great many. While it used to be pretty tough to get addicted to marijuana, with great increases in the strength of the drug, it has become an addictive substance. Once addicted, teens will experience strong cravings to use and if they try to stop, they will have to endure a challenging and uncomfortable period of detox. Marijuana detox is not life threatening, but when the insomnia, headaches and anxiety are combined with incredible cravings to use, a lot of kids just can't get past it.

While illicit drug use among teens is on the decline, marijuana is the most commonly used drug among 16- and 17-year-olds, the precise age at which most teens take their college entrance exams. And research shows that last year, 1.3 million teens between the ages of 12 and 17 used marijuana for the first time. That's about the same number of students who are expected to take the SATs this fall. There is an association between an increase in marijuana use and a decrease in the likelihood of attaining at least a high school education. Students who smoke marijuana are more than twice as likely to cut class that those who don't smoke.

Studies show that teen marijuana addiction during these peak academic years can have a significant negative impact on academic performance:

Marijuana can hinder a teen's ability to learn. Heavy marijuana use impairs young people's ability to concentrate and retain information.
Marijuana use is linked to poorer grades. A teen with a "D" average is four times more likely to have used marijuana than a teen with an "A" average.
Marijuana and underage drinking are linked to higher dropout rates. Students who drink or use drugs frequently are up to five times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school. A youth with teen marijuana addiction problems odds of dropping out are more than twice that of a non-user.
Teens who begin marijuana use at an early age when the brain is still developing may be more vulnerable to neuropsychological deficits, especially verbal abilities.

It is a tough world our teens grow up in, and the normal challenges of adolescence are enough. When teenagers get in over their heads with teen marijuana addiction they need our help. They may not ask for it, they may even resent your actions at the time, but getting them better and getting them sober is always the right thing to do; and they'll thank you for it later.