Impact of Cigarette and Marijuana on Health and Mental Development
Addiction to cigarette and marijuana among teens is becoming a serious issue for the U.S.A as it has led the country’s social condition towards a negative direction. People with different age groups of this concerned country can be found as addicted with those harmful products, while the number of teens is high among all (Tsai et al., 2017). This addiction has adverse affects on teens, especially on their developing brains, which in turn can prevent their physical growth as well as mental development. Hence, according to the specified case study, almost every parents of this country are becoming concern about their teenage children and increasing use of those harmful products within the country. To understand the impact of those addicted products on teenage children, this report has intended to analyze some articles along with relevant statistical data.
It can be observed from the given case study that Prince has become worried about his son Robert, as he has consumed cigarette and marijuana on his 18th birthday with his friends. In future, Robert may consume those addicted products more, which in turn can adversely affect his health. This is an important concern for other parents of this country, as well. Hence, in this context, it is essential to analyze the impact of cigarette and marijuana on the health of a teen, with the help of some medical concepts (Terry-McElrath et al., 2017). According to some medical analysis, teens are physically affected more during their developing stage compare to people of other age groups in the form of liver damage, high blood pressure, kidney infections and heart attack. However, the chief impact of drug addiction is related to brain while students have affected more by anxiety, depression, paranoia, mental illness and psychosis. Children, who become addicted with drugs, especially with marijuana, have been isolated from the society by losing friends. In addition to this, usage of drugs have affected the academic performance of those children to decline, which in turn have led people to lose their jobs in future and to experience poor economic conditions along with weak physical and mental status.
Figure 1: Marijuana exposures by different age groups (2014-2015)
Source: (Choi, DiNitto & Marti, 2018)
It can be stated from the figure 1 that marijuana has been exposed more by teens, aged between 13 to 29, compare to others between 2014 and 2015. Hence, this statistical data has represented a serious issue, which in turn has affected parents of this country to show concern about their children.
External and Psychological Factors Influencing Drug Addiction Among Teens
According to the report of Prince, each parent wants a healthy life for their children with good educational qualification and disciplines. This in turn can help teens to live a stable life with better standard of living for future (Ford et al., 2018). However, sometimes it becomes difficult to protect them from consuming drugs due to social conditions. Most of the teens are getting addicted with cigarette and marijuana through peer pressure, social boost, parent behavior, boredom and academic problems. Peer pressure is the chief factor that influences teens to consume those products, which they have seen from society, where others are consuming the same one without knowing its implications on health (Tsakpinoglou & Poulin, 2017). In addition to this, academic problems and family problems are also some important factors that can influence children to consume drugs as it give them other state of mind, where they feel mentally relaxed. Hence, some external factors related to society along with mental pressures have led those teens to consume drugs.
However, by following some methods by both present and the governments, this negative social issue can be controlled. Parents can monitor the activities of their children through counseling. In the U.S.A, most of the parents are becoming isolated from their children due to job purposes (Rusby, Westling, Crowley & Light, 2018). Parents need to reduce this gap with their children for understanding the situation or mental condition by applying proper counseling. In addition to this, those concerned parents can take help from various programs related to teen drug rehabilitation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the trend of drinking, drug abuse and smoking is decreasing significantly among teenagers in the U.S.A. Based on some statistical data; only 17% of students have smoked cigarettes in 2017 while in 1990s the percentage has remained 58%. Similarly, the percentage of students, who have drunk, is 26% in 2017 while in 1990s; the percentage has remained at 46% (Kaplan, 2018). However, the percentage of student, who uses marijuana, has remained almost stable for the last decade, while number users has decreased for other form of drugs. The chief reason behind increasing popularity of marijuana is its availability supported by legal permission as it is used for recreational or medical use in various states of the country. Some researchers have found that consumption of edible marijuana is comparatively high among high school seniors while medical marijuana is legal. Moreover, the newspaper report has suggested that the common form marijuana consumption is vaping through which 10% students of 12th grades have consumed this drugs in 2016. This process is also used by 3% student of 8th grades along with 8% of the 10th one.
Methods to Control Drug Addiction Among Teens
Figure 2: Prevalence of using marijuana in the U.S.A
Source: (Nadia Kounang, 2018)
However, the concept of cigarette smoking is different among students as they consider it more harmful compare to the consumption of marijuana. The percentage of teen smoking has remained at a higher level during the middle of 1990s when almost 24.6% of higher-grade students have smoked daily. This percentage has remained at 18.3% for 10th-grade students and 10.4% for the 8th graders during the same year. On the contrary, this percentage has decreased in 2017 by significant amount when only 42% of high-grade students have reported to smoke daily. The number for 10th graders and 8th graders has remained at 2.2% and 0.6%, respectively (Nadia Kounang, 2018).
Figure 3: rates of marijuana use between 1990 and 2016
Source: (Ingraham & Ingraham, 2018)
It can be seen from the above figure that rates of marijuana use has increased among people, aged between 18 to 25, within 1990s and 2016. On the other side, teens, aged between 12 and 17, has decreased their consumption of this drug significantly (Ingraham & Ingraham, 2018). Hence, based on the above diagram, it can be stated that most of the teens have reduced their consumption of marijuana as they have become aware about the negative impacts of this drug on human health. However, higher-grade students have increased their consumption of this drug because of peer pressure. After 18 years, they become adult and try to behave like an adult. Hence, consumption of this drug along with cigarette has become the sign of their wage (Carliner et al., 2017). Most of them cannot leave their addiction on those unhealthy products and consequently, the trend of using marijuana has increased significantly.
In this context, it is essential to state that, though the number of teens using drugs, have decreased significantly over the last decade, the number has still remain high. Thus, with the help of external factors, this trend can be increased in future if both the government and parents do not take proper steps.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it can be stated that addiction of marijuana and cigarette among teens has remained a serious issue of society in the U.S.A. due to some external factors along with some psychological factors; most of the teens are becoming addicted with drugs. However, according to the present statistical data has showed that the number is decreasing significantly over the last two decades but it has remained at a position still now. Hence, proper guidance is required to protect those teens from consuming those unhealthy products through counseling and teen drug rehabilitation programs.
References:
Carliner, H., Mauro, P. M., Brown, Q. L., Shmulewitz, D., Rahim-Juwel, R., Sarvet, A. L., … & Hasin, D. S. (2017). The widening gender gap in marijuana use prevalence in the US during a period of economic change, 2002–2014. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 170, 51-58.
Choi, N. G., DiNitto, D. M., & Marti, C. N. (2018). Marijuana use among adults: Initiation, return to use, and continued use versus quitting over a one-year follow-up period. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 182, 19-26.
Ford, C. A., Mirman, J. H., García-España, J. F., Friedrich, E., & Thiel, M. C. F. (2018). Influence of Primary Care-Based Parent-Targeted Intervention on Parent-Teen Communication about Sexual and Alcohol Behaviors: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(2), S33-S34.
Ingraham, C., & Ingraham, C. (2018). Teen marijuana use falls to 20-year low, defying legalization opponents’ predictions. Washington Post. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/07/teen-marijuana-use-falls-to-20-year-low-defying-legalization-opponents-predictions/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.43bbf6e3db93
Kaplan, K. (2018). Smoking, drinking and drug abuse decline among U.S. teens, who prefer pot and vaping, study finds. latimes.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-drug-use-teens-20171213-htmlstory.html
Nadia Kounang, C. (2018). Overall teen drug use stable, but marijuana edging up, survey finds. CNN. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/14/health/monitoring-the-future-teen-drug-use-2017-survey/index.html
Rusby, J. C., Westling, E., Crowley, R., & Light, J. M. (2018). Legalization of recreational marijuana and community sales policy in Oregon: Impact on adolescent willingness and intent to use, parent use, and adolescent use. Psychology of addictive behaviors, 32(1), 84.
Terry-McElrath, Y. M., O’Malley, P. M., Johnston, L. D., Bray, B. C., Patrick, M. E., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2017). Longitudinal patterns of marijuana use across ages 18–50 in a US national sample: A descriptive examination of predictors and health correlates of repeated measures latent class membership. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 171, 70-83.
Tsai, J., Rolle, I.V., Singh, T., Boulet, S.L., McAfee, T.A. and Grant, A.M., 2017. Patterns of marijuana and tobacco use associated with suboptimal self-rated health among US adult ever users of marijuana. Preventive medicine reports, 6, pp.251-257.
Tsakpinoglou, F., & Poulin, F. (2017). Best friends’ interactions and substance use: The role of friend pressure and unsupervised co-deviancy. Journal of adolescence, 60, 74-82.
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