Marijuana addiction among teens have increased at an alarming rate in the past few years. The question of concern is why are teens quitting cigarettes and taking up marijuana as the replacement? There are several factors that encourage the addiction to marijuana in the teenage. While some are directly linked to peer pressure others have a link to the family as well. Lets us have a look at the possible factors:
1. Wrong notion of low risk
While there has been quite a lot of news in the recent few years regarding cigarette smoking and the ill effects of the same, there is hardly any news that projects the health concerns related to other addictions. Even though activists and health department enthusiasts advocate the risks associated with some other addictions too that are fairly common after cigarettes, but smoking marijuana is not among the list of common addictions.
Therefore, not much work is done in that matter to educate people on its ill effects. This is indirectly casting a negative influence on the teens. When kids are in their teenage, they have an urge to smoke in order to experience that ‘grown up’ feeling. Since, the risks of smoking cigarettes always appear just in front of them, so they settle upon smoking ‘pot’ thinking that it is the safer alternative.
2. Parents are too lenient
If you analyze the rate of increase in teens addicted to marijuana in the last few years, then it will definitely show that there has been a sharp hike of almost 40 percent. If you look about thirty years back, then you can see a typical social picture where few teens were there who were addicted to smoking ‘pot’. They were indifferent about its ill effects and did not quit the addiction too.
Therefore, when they became parents and found their teen kids smoking marijuana, their attitudes towards them always remained lenient. The amount of strictness and conservativeness parents should show towards their teen kids, who have ‘pot’ addictions, were almost absent in the already addicted parents. Hence, in this favorable condition, the addiction increased manifold.
3. Doctors use marijuana as medicine supplements
There are medical faculties in some countries which have discovered the medicinal properties of marijuana. Thus, they often replace some conventional drugs in place of marijuana for treating ailments. Moreover, they also remark at times that marijuana does have some curative properties on the human body. These comments make the teens realize that there is absolutely no harm in smoking marijuana, whereas cigarette smoking is nemesis.
4. Decreases the rate of teen pregnancy
Some medical findings suggest that teenage females, who have experienced sexual encounter, have 9 percent reduced chances of getting pregnant. Actually, marijuana retards a female’s ability to conceive at an alarming rate. Males also suffer from infertility when they remain addicted to marijuana. They experience low sexual drive and vehement reduction in sperm count. But, teens take this as an advantage rather than caution. They consider this as a great measure to stay protected from unwanted pregnancy even when they experience their initial sexual interactions.
5. Pot smokers are thinner
In the age of growing obsession of getting thinner and thinner, marijuana holds a substantial role. A recent study in America revealed that the teenagers who are addicted to marijuana have as much as 14.3 percent to 17.2 percent decreased rate of obesity. This is great news for today’s teens, especially those in America where obesity is a burning problem. Thus, they find marijuana as a great way to fight out obesity and stay lean and thin even while consuming high calorie food.
6. Increases appetite
Many teens complain of reduced appetite. But the picture is different for teens who smoke ‘pot’. Teens addicted to marijuana have more appetite. This is often understood by kids as a sign of good health. Consequently, they could not foresee the hidden dangers of smoking ‘pot’ and continue with the addiction.
