Nipping This in the Bud

MICHELLE PAULINO
Opinions Editor

We love marijuana. Okay, the action of actually using marijuana is debatable, but one thing is certain: the world has an obsession with the infamous “gateway” drug’s future.
Whether we are legalizing or illegalizing, engineering synthetic products, or instituting prevention programs, marijuana has always been a hot topic in the average American conversation.
Turn on the television and watch adolescents “blazing it” in the basement or turn on the radio and listen to the expressed euphoria from getting high. It is common to hear teenagers recounting certain experiences having to do with the popular herb. With the media portraying “stoner culture” as harmless and cool, it is difficult to remember that this drug is a hallucinogen that can act as a depressant.
The interesting development with marijuana is that society is coming to accept that regardless of what laws are passed, marijuana will continue to be present. Marijuana “acceptance” can be seen both internationally and locally. Just this February, the Czech Republic legalized medicinal marijuana use, a law California legalized back in 1996 and later amended in 2004.
Although it seems that marijuana poses a mild threat, the drug is most harmful to the teenage demographic.
Yes, scientific evidence proves that the drug can treat certain ailments; however, developing lungs are subject to 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than from tobacco smoke. Early marijuana use increases dependence on the drug, which is known to cause higher rates of anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Today, marijuana has lost its stigma. More and more people are easing up to marijuana use. With Colorado and Washington’s legalization of recreational marijuana, the future for California is unclear, much like a person’s impaired brain when inebriated.