In the past few decades there was a certain established attitude regarding the use of marijuana amongst individuals, which saw a decline in the use of the drug. But with the current changing laws about marijuana use and legal availability of the drug, addiction experts have expressed a concern about the apparent change in attitude and preference for the drug amongst the population.
In the past few years, marijuana was recognized as a drug, causing significant harm to the health of the user, and was banned in a number of states. But the recent developments regarding the legality of the drug in certain states, has given rise to the wrong belief that marijuana is a safe drug, which does not pose any serious threats to the health of an individual.
A rapid change in the popularity of marijuana amongst teenagers is attributed to their belief that the drug is a dried herb and a recognized medication, which has been made legal in a number of states, thus proving its safety. What they fail to realize is that the drug is still as potently harmful as ever, and regular use of marijuana results in addiction which entails treatment in the later stage of life.
According to statistics, there has been a significant rise in the use of marijuana by teenagers and high school students over the past few years. From around 3.2% 8th grade students using marijuana in 2009 in Utah, the percentage has increased to a staggering 4.2%, which calls for immediate attention. Moreover according to a nationwide study, around 36.4% of 12th grade students have confirmed the use of marijuana as a recreational drug.
The rapidly rising use of marijuana amongst teenagers has led addiction experts to fear a significant increase in the trend in the upcoming years, which can prove disastrous for the health of the teenage population. The shifting attitudes in favor of the drug have prompted many concerned authorities to express trepidation regarding the state wise use of marijuana, and initiate steps to educate the disillusioned youth about the detrimental effects of the drug on their health.
