Is using marijuana bad for me?
The short answer is that it depends. Besides the legal repercussions if you are caught with it (depending on your state, it's either illegal under 21 or completely illegal), there are a few health implications for young people who use marijuana that you should be aware of. Before we discuss the specifics, keep in mind that these effects are more likely to happen if you start using marijuana when you are under 15 and if you use it frequently.
This is what we know:
Some studies have shown that your long-term brain function may suffer, specifically in areas like memory and intelligence, if you continue to use marijuana into adulthood.
Youth that use marijuana are more likely to have addictions to marijuana as well as to other substances later in life.
There are some links to using marijuana when you are young and developing psychotic disorders in adulthood.
Despite thinking that it can help anxiety and depression, marijuana may actually make these conditions worse.
Lastly, we know that THC, one of the main components in marijuana, causes short-term impairment of thought. If you are going to use, do not drive and do not let someone who has been using drive you. This is the fastest route to experiencing a long-term effect of marijuana use.
