Marijuana

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Prescription Drug Abuse

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Whether it is a Web site advocating recreational use or a movie depicting its use as cool, our youth are getting mixed and misleading messages about marijuana. In fact, many teenagers don't consider marijuana a "harmful" drug at all. We must work to create an environment in which all children know that smoking marijuana is unhealthy and is not the norm.

Marijuana use is associated with a variety of health risks, including lung cancer, short-term memory loss and amotivational syndrome. Marijuana use also can contribute to risky behaviors and adverse physical and social consequences, including increased violence and crime, impaired driving and unplanned and unprotected sex, which can lead to pregnancy and possibly HIV/AIDS. Marijuana use can be extremely disruptive to a teenager's psychological, social and academic well being.

Many parents and other adult caregivers lack the information and skills to help our adolescents critically analyze and resist pro-use messages in popular culture. While the need for peer acceptance is strong during adolescence, "peer pressure" is often an easy scapegoat for drug experimentation and consequently, the powerful role of strong families and communitites in deterring substance abuse is often overlooked.