Marijuana's Effects On Teenagers Mental Health

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MARIJUANA

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Effects of Marijuana on Health of Teenagers

Introduction

Whether the results are taken from an underdeveloped country or a country like the U.S., a large number of teens use marijuana on a regular basis. Studies and research show that teenagers tend to use marijuana more than tobacco in the 21st century. Although there are some state s that allow the recreational use of marijuana in adults having age greater than 21, however in the U.S., recreational marijuana is considered to be illegal (Wilkinson et al., 2016). In the current scenario, it has been observed an increase in the growth of marijuana plants as compared to the numbers in the past (Guttmannova et al., 2017). There is no doubt that the benefits of medical marijuana are really exceptional. Individuals can use marijuana in a number of ways, and in most of the cases, it tends to affect their health. In a nutshell, it can be assumed that marijuana has negative effects on the health of teenagers.

Effects of Marijuana

One of the biggest misconceptions among teens of the 21st century is that they considered marijuana safer than drugs and alcohol. When it comes to the discussion related to marijuana, there is a high need to understand the facts and myths behind it. The matter of fact is that marijuana is not a harmless substance (Guttmannova et al., 2017). It tends to destroy the inner peace and increases the mental stress in its absence. There are a number of problems that are directly linked to the use of marijuana. Studies and researches show that there is a strong relationship between mental health disorders and marijuana. There is a high need to create awareness among young teens regarding the issues due to the use of marijuana.

Depression

An increasing number of people tend to feel that mental health conditions and marijuana go hand-in-hand. One of the main outcomes of marijuana is depression. Although, there are a number of people who use marijuana for self-medication, and it may be true as well. However, it must be taken into consideration that the excess usage of marijuana results in the ever-increasing symptoms of depression among young teens. The matter of fact is that the young people using marijuana at times of adolescents are seen developing more depression in the later stages of their lives.

Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

There is no doubt that the use of marijuana among young teens results in creating symptoms of such disorders. It has been observed that the young ones who use it in a large amount are on a higher risk to develop mental health problems (Jackson et al., 2016). The reason for that is due to the changes to the neural pathways of such teens. Apart from this, acute cannabis psychosis is considered to be another risk which may include hallucinations and delusions.

Anxiety

A large number of people are seen relying on marijuana. The reason for that is quite simple as they consider it a way to help them cope with anxiety. However, it must be taken into consideration that the outcomes of this can result in making the symptoms worse.

How it Affects Teen Brain

Within the past few decades, there has been seen an increase in the use of marijuana among young teens. In the current scenario, teens prefer to smoke marijuana and not tobacco. Young teens frequently subscribe to myths regarding the use of marijuana (Guttmannova et al., 2017). The common belief among such individuals is that the drug will not cause any long-term damage to their brain. However, it must be taken into consideration that the use of marijuana among such teens may lead to serious problems like aggression, accidents, and memory difficulty. When it comes to the long-term use of marijuana, it may result in decreasing the mental health effects, increasing the risks of mental health, decreasing intelligence, and causing breathing problems.

The matter of fact is that the brain is being developed until a person tends to reach his/her mid-20s. Therefore, it is considered quite important for considering the ways in which marijuana can be affecting the future and brain of teens. Studies and research show that the ones using marijuana right from teenage tend to experience a decline in IQ and neurological functioning. It must be taken into consideration that marijuana tends to affect that part of the brains which control cognition, emotion, and responses to stress.

Effects due to Short-term use of Marijuana

There are a number of side-effects that may occur due to the extensive use of marijuana among young individuals. Short-term use of marijuana tends to result in increased aggression among teens. Such teens may have a problem with concentration and memory. There may difficulties in school for a teen using marijuana. Apart from this, it tends to destroy the mood of teens, and their behaviour becomes annoying.

Effects due to Long-term use of Marijuana

There is no doubt that the regular usage of marijuana is considered to be one of the major problems on the mental health of young teens. Cannabis Use Disorder is considered to be one of the significant problems due to the regular use of marijuana. Apart from this, there may a number of breathing problems among such teens. The matter of fact is that excessive use of marijuana tends to result in having a negative effect on the mind of teenagers (Dubowitz et al., 2016). Among such teens, there may be seen a decrease in interest and motivation which results in declining occupational or academic performance. Moreover, the problems related to mental health tends to increase with the passage of time among such teens. Such teens have a higher risk of suicide. Moodiness, irritability, anger, anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia are among the major problems that may result due to the long-term use of marijuana in young teens.

Conclusion

It is concluded that benefits from medical marijuana are really exceptional. There is no doubt that the individuals can use marijuana in a number of ways, and in most of the cases, it tends to affect their health. The matter of fact is that marijuana is not a harmless substance. It tends to destroy the inner peace and increases the mental stress in its absence. There has been observed a high need to create awareness among young teens regarding the issues due to the use of marijuana. When it comes to the excess usage of marijuana, it tends to result in the ever-increasing symptoms of depression among young teens. Studies and research show that the young ones who use marijuana in a large amount are on a higher risk to develop mental health problems.

There is a common belief among such individuals that the drug will not cause any long-term damage to their brain. However, there is a high need to consider that the use of marijuana among such teens may lead to serious problems like aggression, accidents, and memory difficulty. Studies and research show that the ones using marijuana right from teenage tend to experience a decline in IQ and neurological functioning. When it comes to the short-term use of marijuana, it tends to result in increased aggression among teens. The matter of fact is that such teens may have a problem with concentration and memory. On the other hand, the long-term use of marijuana tends to result in having a negative effect on the mind of teenagers.

References

Dubowitz, H., Thompson, R., Arria, A.M., English, D., Metzger, R. and Kotch, J.B., 2016. Characteristics of child maltreatment and adolescent marijuana use: A prospective study. Child maltreatment, 21(1), pp.16-25.

Guttmannova, K., Kosterman, R., White, H.R., Bailey, J.A., Lee, J.O., Epstein, M., Jones, T.M. and Hawkins, J.D., 2017. The association between regular marijuana use and adult mental health outcomes. Drug and alcohol dependence, 179, pp.109-116.

Jackson, N.J., Isen, J.D., Khoddam, R., Irons, D., Tuvblad, C., Iacono, W.G., McGue, M., Raine, A. and Baker, L.A., 2016. Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(5), pp.E500-E508.

Wilkinson, S.T., Yarnell, S., Radhakrishnan, R., Ball, S.A. and D'Souza, D.C., 2016. Marijuana legalization: impact on physicians and public health. Annual review of medicine, 67, pp.453-466.