Teen Substance Abuse: Effects of Marijuana

In the last several decades, the legalization of marijuana has been hotly debated, and its growing popularity has affected teenagers from all backgrounds. Teenagers in counseling often claim that marijuana is “natural” or “organic” or that it has health benefits.

Unfortunately, lecturing adolescents about what they should not do often pushes them in the opposite direction.

Counselors must take a different approach, informing teens of the real risks and providing accurate information about substance abuse, so they can make a choice based on the truth and not whatever they heard from their friends.

One teenager told his counselor that according to research, marijuana doesn’t harm young people. When questioned about this research, he admitted that he heard about it from a friend but had never seen it himself.

Actually, multiple studies have shown that marijuana can be even more harmful to young people than to adults. Let’s look at the relevant issues surrounding marijuana use in teens. When they know the real risks of substance abuse, they’ll have the capacity to make a more informed decision about whether to experiment with the drug.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse at www.drugabuse.gov (NIDA, December 2017) provides the following research on marijuana use in teens:

• Only about 7% of teens admitted to using marijuana in the past 30 days. “Everybody” isn’t doing it.
• Many teens think marijuana must be okay because it’s a “natural” plant. Foxglove and nightshade are natural plants, too, and they will kill you. “Natural” doesn’t mean “harmless”.
• Some teens think that marijuana isn’t that harmful since states are legalizing it. Addiction is still a real risk whether it is legal or not.
• In 2016, around 4 million people ages 12 and older had a marijuana use disorder. The most severe form also is known as an addiction.
• Research also shows that because it is still developing the teen brain can be harmed by marijuana.

Like other drugs, marijuana can be incredibly addictive! Of course, not all who use it will develop a chemical dependency, but the risk remains. And once someone is addicted, they no longer have control over their use. They will continue compulsively using even when it’s destroying their life.

Marijuana addiction doesn’t look the same as being addicted to a hard drug like cocaine. Let’s say drug addiction is like having a flat tire. If you are a cocaine addict, your’re having a blowout while you’re driving downhill at 85 mph.

If you’re a marijuana addict, your tire is leaking a little, but you don’t notice it at first. Over time, your tread wears down and your car becomes more difficult to drive. The psychological problems of marijuana addiction generally take longer to develop (unless a psychotic break is involved).

The subtle development of marijuana addiction may make it seem less dangerous, but a gradual, hidden addiction can destroy a teenager’s life almost before anyone else notices.

Everyone knows that adolescence is a time of upheaval in every area of life. Teenagers are forming their identity and getting to know themselves as an individual apart from their parents. They’re anxious to fit in with their peers, and they’re developing their own value systems.

All of these changes, even the good ones, involve stress. Some teenagers have such a high degree of anxiety that when they find marijuana it seems too good to be true.

Marijuana provides temporary anxiety relief and makes it seem like life can be stress free. However, the reality is that we need a degree of stress in our lives in order to mature, and this is especially true for the growing pains of the teen years.

If a teen starts smoking marijuana to relieve stress and anxiety, they will not develop the character they need to handle the everyday pressures of life. This becomes a vicious cycle—because they smoke to escape, they don’t become strong under pressure, so they need to smoke more. Eventually, they can’t function without marijuana. The escapism and avoidance have made it impossible for them to cope with daily life.

Just because marijuana addiction doesn’t become severe as quickly as a heroin or cocaine addiction, doesn’t mean it’s easier to recover from; in fact, it can even be harder. When an adult has smoked marijuana to relieve anxiety all throughout their teen years, giving up the addiction means facing life with no coping skills because they’re used to the escape of the drug.

Someone who’s been using the drug heavily might have intense anxiety for up to a year after quitting. Some counselors say that for every year marijuana is used, maturity was delayed for a year.

We all struggle in some way during our adolescent years, but the teen years are a crucial stage for development that we all have to go through to become fully functioning adults. When a teenager circumvents that process by escaping through drug use, they’re undermining their development. Just as a muscle will atrophy without being used, so our coping skills will decay if we never need them.

According to NIDA (2017), “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 inhibits safe driving, and this poses a huge risk for teens, who tend to think they are invincible behind the wheel and already have a higher risk of accidents due to their lack of experience.

Statistically, teenage drivers break traffic laws (such as the speed limit or following at a safe distance) more often than adult drivers. Marijuana use negatively impacts reaction time and can alter the perception of distance, creating a recipe for disaster for young, inexperienced drivers.

When a teenager is using marijuana, their academic performance often suffers. THC is the active ingredient in the drug, and it is fat soluble, meaning that the effects can last for days after the time of use. Heavy use often leads to problems with concentration and memory, making schoolwork much more difficult.

Researchers have documented one of marijuana’s most well-known side effects: amotivational syndrome. This term denotes an overall loss of motivation for meeting any goals in life. As we’ve seen, marijuana reduces anxiety, but by association, a user loses a healthy concern for meeting goals.

According to NIDA (2017), “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.”

Despite many teenaers’ belief that marijuana is a healthy alternative to hard drugs, it actually dramatically increases the risk of developing a mental illness or mood disorder.

At this point, experts don’t know if marijuana triggers an underlying mental illness or actually causes it, but it’s important to recognize that marijuana is a hallucinogenic drug. It alters the brain’s electrical activity, leading to a change in perception.

Mental illness triggered by marijuana use may be linked to the escape from stress it provides. Life problems and the need for character development don’t disappear with marijuana use; they just get delayed. The escape provides instant gratification, but you’ll always pay later, just like when you buy something you can’t afford with a credit card.

The problems continue to pile up like unpaid bills while you’re using the drug, and eventually, you feel like you can’t escape. Chronic stress leads to an eventual breakdown no matter who you are. Teenagers who try to escape this through drug use will find that it eventually backfires.

When stress reaches its peak, a teenager with a predisposition to mental illness may be triggered due to the escapism pattern they’ve perfected through marijuana use. Once their mental illness rears its ugly head, it may never go away again. This is why marijuana, although it masquerades as an innocent or healthy drug, is exceptionally dangerous for teenagers.

According to NIDA (2017): “Marijuana use is linked with a higher risk for schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. It’s not clear if marijuana use actually causes these conditions, but research shows a connection. The amount of drug used, the age at first use, and a person’s genes influence this relationship.”

NIDA (2017) also shares the following research results:

Short-term effects (while using or right after using):

• learning, attention, and memory problems
• distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch)
• poor coordination
• increased heart rate
• anxiety, paranoia
• psychosis (not common)

Effects that last longer than the short-term (a few days) but may not be permanent:

• learning and memory problems
• sleep problems

Long-term effects (effects of repeated use):

• risk of marijuana addiction
• long-term learning and memory problems if heavy use begins during youth
• the risk for a chronic cough, bronchitis
• risk of schizophrenia in some people with higher genetic risk
• in rare cases, the risk of recurrent episodes of severe nausea and vomiting

When teenagers use marijuana, do they tend to try harder drugs down the road? Most studies have shown that teens who use other drugs tend to have already experimented with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or all of the above. Experimenting with one or all of those substances doesn’t always lead to harder drug use, but for a significant percentage, marijuana can serve as a gateway drug.

Why is this? NIDA offers several explanations:

• Someone who is more likely to use other drugs may use marijuana first because it’s easier to get.
• Someone who is using marijuana is likely to be in contact with users and sellers of other drugs, increasing the chances of trying them.

If an adolescent wants to stop smoking marijuana but can’t, they may have a marijuana use disorder. If they need to smoke more to have the same effect or just to function at a basic level, or if they’re facing consequences in their lives but don’t reduce their use, they probably meet the clinical criteria for addiction.

What happens when an adolescent has marijuana use disorder or addiction? Mental health professionals will generally use multiple treatment modalities, including individual therapy, group therapy, psychological education, and more.

According to NIDA (2017), “Addiction treatment can help a person stop using drugs, rebuild relationships with family and friends, and restore their productivity at work, at school, and in society.”

So as we’ve seen, in the adolescent mind, marijuana may pose as a relatively harmless, “natural” substance that offers an escape from stress and anxiety but this drug presents huge risks to the developing adolescent brain, undermining its basic functioning and development. During such a critical stage of maturation, marijuana can permanently disrupt an individual’s mental health, coping skills, and life circumstances.

Early intervention can make all the difference in recovering from marijuana use disorder or addiction. If your teen is struggling, contact a professional Christian counselor who can provide education, support, and guidance for the next steps you should take. The sooner an adolescent gets help, the sooner they can recover.