Drugs in Youth

Drugs in young people are one of the major problems concerning the younger generations. Drugs effect the youth of Australia greatly and they are one of the major problems in society today. In this assignment I chose to focus on Marijuana because it is the most commonly used illegal drugs in teenagers. Marijuana is made from the dried flowers and leaves of the plant Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana can look like dried herbs or tea it can be green grey or brown. Marijuana is usually smoked in hand rolled cigarettes called “joints” or in water pipes called bongs. Sometimes it is mixed in with cakes and biscuits and eaten.

The Cannabis plant grows wildly in places like India and Jamaica and these are the country’s that first discovered its effects on the body. Marijuana was still available to buy in Australia up until the 1900’s in pharmacies where you could readily buy it. There are still places that you can buy it legally one of these places is Jamaica where some people’s way of life is based around it, these people are called Rastafarians one of the most famous Rastafarians was the singer Bob Marley.

Marijuana is the choice of many young people because of its availability and the fact it is not physically addictive such as many other drugs. Many teens find this drug easy to get or grow their own. Also another influencing factor is that if you get caught with under 30g or two plants it doesn’t go on your criminal record. Marijuana is one of the softer drugs and is not considered as bad as many others this is probably another reason why younger people are attracted to this drug.

Marijuana Contains a chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) this is the chemical that creates the “High” feeling. This means you change in mood and may see or feel things in a different way. Some parts of the plant contain a higher level of THC than others for example the buds and Flowers contain more than the leaves and stems. The level of THC also depends on how the plant is grown many plants are grown using Hydroponics and this makes them much stronger.

When Marijuana is smoked the THC effects the brain by going into the lungs and then into the bloodstream where it travels into the brain and this is when the feeling of being ”high” occurs. This can happen within a few minutes and can last for up to five hours. When it is eaten the THC is absorbed more slowly into the blood as it has to pass through the stomach and the intestines. It can take up to one hour to get the “high” effect and it can last up to 12 hours. THC is quickly absorbed into body fat it is then released very slowly back into the blood it can take up to one month for one dose of THC to leave the body.

The effects of Marijuana on the body will depend on: how much you take, how strong it is, how it is taken, your size weight and health, your mood, Your experience with marijuana and many other factors. It has many short term effects these are:

• Problems with memory, learning • distorted perceptions • trouble with thinking, problem-solving • loss of motor coordination • increase heart rate • anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia • dry mouth, throat • bloodshot eyes

The long term effects of Marijuana include •Lung cancer •Throat and mouth cancer

These are all very serious and are even worse if it is a pregnant mother doing it Marijuana can seriously effect unborn baby’s it can make baby’s have trouble sleeping and be born with growth deficiencies.

Marijuana is most commonly smoked in hand rolled cigarettes called joints and in water pipes called bongs. Bongs can be made out of plastic bottles, and professionally made ceramic bongs are also legal to buy.

Many school children have used marijuana and these are the facts and figures from a recent survey of schools. Young people attending high school across Australia have high rates of cannabis use with 32% of 12-17 year old males and 29% of females ever reporting use; 53% of 17 year old males reported ever using cannabis; 50% of 17 year old females reported ever using cannabis; 11% of 12 year old males reported ever using cannabis; and 7% of 12 year old females reported ever using cannabis.

Many Teenagers in society use marijuana and it is a major problem. Marijuana use has increased over the years and so has the strength of the drug. But even with these increases it is still a reasonably safe drug to use and their has never been any deaths from use of marijuana while other legal drugs cause thousands of deaths each year. Deaths per year from: tobacco=340,000-395,000 Alcohol (not including accidents)=125,000+ Drug overdose (prescription)=14,000-27,000 Drug overdose (illegal)=3,800-5,200 Marijuana=0

So overall Marijuana is a relatively safe drug to use and this is probably why so many young people use it, whether it’s because they are stressed, and their friends are doing it or because of many other reasons but it is still a major problem in young people and should be stopped.