Teen Drug Abuse: What You Need to Know

Opinions regarding the use of marijuana have shifted over the last few decades, and these changing attitudes are having an impact on how teenagers think about using the drug. For counselors working with teens, it is not unusual for the teenagers to comment that “Marijuana is organic, so it’s healthy,” or “Cancer can be cured by using weed.”

As most parents and counselors know, telling a teenager what to do usually results in them doing the polar opposite, so it is useful to counsel adolescents about the benefits of making decisions based on truth rather relying on misinformed rumors.

Research about Teen Drug Abuse

If a teen claims that there has been research showing that marijuana use is not harmful, it is advisable to ask them to produce the articles that prove this, so a discussion can be had. More often than not, the “research” that the teenager is basing their opinion on is second-hand information not necessarily based on fact.

In such situations, it can be helpful to show teenagers validated research that highlights the potential problems and risks that are linked to marijuana use. Such research can help teens to come to informed decisions.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) at www.drugabuse.gov provides research that demonstrates that:

• Rather than marijuana being something that “everyone uses”, only 1 in 14 adolescents say they use marijuana regularly.
• Although “natural” plants are often lauded as being healthy or okay to use, this is not true of all-natural plants – such as tobacco – so marijuana cannot automatically be classed as okay just because it is natural.
• While some states are legalizing marijuana, and teens assume this means it is safe to use, there is still the danger of addiction and other issues.
• According to figures in 2016, 4 million people aged 12 and above had what could be called a marijuana use disorder, with addiction being the most extreme form.
• Documented research has shown that the use of marijuana can have a detrimental effect on brain development in adolescents.

There is no disputing the fact that marijuana is an addictive substance. Although not everyone who tries marijuana will develop a dependency on it, a significant number of people do develop a psychological addiction.

Consequences of Teen Drug Abuse

Marijuana use becomes an addiction when a person craves the drug and becomes unable to refrain from using it, even when there are negative effects on their life. The substance controls the person in addiction.

Some counselors working with people with chemical dependency issues have observed that there are differences between marijuana addicts and people who are addicted to drugs such as cocaine. The problems associated with addiction are more prominent and obvious in cocaine users, and by comparison, the effects of marijuana addiction may seem relatively mild.

Negative consequences of marijuana use may take more time to show up (with the exception of psychotic breaks), and this may contribute to the idea that teens have that marijuana is not dangerous.

The teenage years are well known to be a time of psychological disruption and turbulence when identities are being formulated, and teens are exploring who they are. Anxiety is a recognized issue for many teens as they struggle to fit in with their peers and establish what matters most to them. Because anxiety is such a huge problem for teens, discovering marijuana can feel like a huge relief.

Marijuana is well known for easing anxiety, to the extent that many teens regard it as a ticket to a stress-free life. However, a certain degree of anxiety is necessary for teenagers to grow into adulthood. Removing anxiety through marijuana use means that there are few opportunities to develop healthy coping skills and explore identity.

Life will continue to be filled with pressure, but a teen dependent on marijuana will have no other coping mechanisms and so becomes caught in a vicious cycle of increased marijuana use to avoid feeling overwhelmed. This often reaches the point where a teen cannot function at all without marijuana.

It is in this area that marijuana addiction is more difficult to recover from than cocaine addiction. Because of marijuana’s effect on anxiety, when people try to stop smoking it in adulthood, they simply have no way of coping with stress.

Anxiety levels for those trying to recover from marijuana addiction are extreme and may remain at these levels for up to a year. Teens should be made aware that every year of marijuana use delays their maturity by a year.

A great deal of psychological growth happens during the teenage years, so these years are naturally very important. Marijuana use may offer an escape from anxiety, but at the same time development is stunted because of it.

NIDA (2017) attests that “about 11 percent of people who use marijuana in a given year may have a drug problem. Those who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a drug problem.”

Marijuana use has a negative impact on driving skills and on learning abilities, two areas which are important during the teenage years as adolescents progress through school and begin to learn to drive. Marijuana use compounds the lack of experience teenagers have with driving, increasing the likelihood of poor responses in a driving emergency.

Teens are also prone to speeding or leaving insufficient space between them and the car in front. Marijuana use has an impact on driving reaction time and may affect a teens ability to accurately judge distances. Therefore, marijuana use makes teen drivers more dangerous on the road.

The negative impact of marijuana on teenagers’ ability to concentrate and memory capacity, it is likely that their school performance will suffer. Additionally, the active ingredient, THC, can cause the impact of marijuana use to last for several days because it is fat soluble. The greater the use of marijuana, the more extreme the negative side effects.

Another negative effect of marijuana use is “amotivational syndrome”, which, as its name suggests, affects motivation, meaning that teens may struggle to complete projects. This may be connected to marijuana’s impact on anxiety because a certain level of anxiety is necessary to motivate people to complete tasks.

NIDA (2017) state that “compared with teens who don’t use, students who use marijuana are more likely not to finish high school or get a college degree. Marijuana also affects timing, movement, and coordination, which can harm athletic performance.”

Research has documented that marijuana use in teenagers significantly raises their likelihood of developing mental illness. However, misinformation often leads teens to believe that compared to other drugs, marijuana is relatively healthy.

Research has been unable to show whether marijuana use is a direct cause of increased mental health difficulties or whether marijuana activates an underlying vulnerability or tendency towards mental health issues. Marijuana is classed as a hallucinogenic drug and affects electrical activity in the brain, changing the way users perceive the world around them.

One theory about marijuana use and mental illness surrounds its use as a means of avoiding anxiety. The underlying issues that make a person need to escape from their anxiety are not treated, but masked, and so tend to build up during the course of prolonged marijuana use and reach the point where even continued marijuana use is no longer enough to cope. Using marijuana to deal with stress ultimately backfires and causes even bigger difficulties.

In teens with a predisposition to mental illness, marijuana use acts as a key to unlock the mental illness. For some teens, stopping marijuana use does not stop the mental illness, leading to lifelong problems. It is because of this that marijuana can be extremely dangerous for teens with vulnerabilities.

NIDA (2017) highlights the link between marijuana use and increased risk for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. While marijuana use may not directly cause these illnesses, there is certainly a connection.

Effects of Marijuana Use

Research from NIDA (2017) has shown that use of marijuana results in:

Short-term effects (during use or immediately following use):

• Problems with attention span, memory and the ability to learn
• Distortions in the perception of noise, sights, time, and touch
• Coordination problems
• Heart rate increases
• Paranoid thinking
• Anxiety
• Psychosis

Medium-term effects (non-permanent):

• Sleep disturbances
• Academic and memory issues

Long-term effects (regular use):

• Addiction
• Long-term memory difficulties, and issues with learning
• Chronic cough
• Schizophrenia in those with a genetic predisposition
• Repeated gastric problems involving nausea and vomiting

Research has been conducted into whether marijuana use increases the likelihood of using other drugs. For most teens, dabbling with substances begins with tobacco and alcohol and then marijuana, but does not necessarily result in using other drugs.

For others, however, marijuana use is just a stepping stone to the use of more “hard” drugs. NIDA (2017) consider that there are particular groups of teens who may be more likely to go on to using other substances. These include teens who see marijuana as a means of getting access to other drugs and teens who are in frequent contact with drug users and sellers.

Teens who have a marijuana use disorder will find that they cannot simply stop using marijuana, or that they need to smoke more frequently to get the results they desire, such as anxiety-free living. When marijuana use disorder reaches the point of an inability to function without the drug, this is classed as an addiction.

Treating marijuana use disorder is often a multi-pronged approach. Methods used may include group treatment, psychological education, and one-to-one therapy, which in combination serve to meet the multiple needs that a teen with marijuana use disorder may have.

The purpose of addiction treatment, according to NIDA (2017) is to help people cease their drug use, restore relationships damaged by their drug use, and increase their ability to function at school, work and in social settings.

Far from being harmless, as many teens believe, marijuana use has profound effects on psychological development and on cognitive ability. Because adolescence is a time when teenagers need to grow and develop, they need to have full functionality in their cognitive and emotional abilities.

Marijuana is often used as a means of escape, but avoiding anxiety does not deal with it, and the resulting fall out can be much more extreme than if coping skills were developed instead. If you are worried about a teen who is dabbling with marijuana, it is important to educate them on the truth about marijuana.

Counselors can help with this and guide your teen toward coping skills that will allow them to deal with the pressures of life. Don’t risk waiting until the problem is out of hand before seeking help.