MARIJUANA USE AMONG TEENS AND YOUNG ADOLESCENTS

Just finished reading a pamphlet put out by NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) regarding marijuana use among teens and young adults and the statistics are staggering.

Were you aware that:

9% of people who use marijuana at least once will become addicted.

This risk increases for those who start in their teens to approximately 16%

The risk increases to about 25-50% among daily users.

 

The largest percentage of admissions in drug abuse treatment centers is attributed to marijuana. 61% for those under age 15 and 56% or those 15 – 19

 

School failure:

“Someone who smokes marijuana daily may be functioning with a ‘dimmed down’ brain most or all of the time. Compared with their peers who don’t smoke, students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. Also, longtime marijuana users themselves report being less satisfied with their lives, experiencing memory and relationship problems, poorer mental and physical health, lower salaries and less career success.”

 

How on earth can we justify legalizing a drug that is so detrimental to our young people.

 

Of major concern is the very casual attitude regarding drugs, alcohol and other creative

methods used to achieve the so called “high.” Can a high only be achieved by numbing the

brain? Ask a practicing addict to describe what constitutes a high and you will get amazingly

unique responses. For most it is a temporary escape from whatever reality they are battling. For

others, like me, it allows us to misbehave while avoiding responsibility. The ready excuse was

always, “It was the booze that made me do it; I didn’t know what I was doing.” The flagrant and

more frequent use of marijuana in particular, coupled with its acceptance in society, is extremely

worrisome. I have no doubt that productivity in our country will suffer from the legalization of

this dangerous and highly addictive drug. It is undisputable that a brain under the influence of

any type of drug will make different and more incoherent decisions than it would otherwise.

Society continues to push for the addition of more ways to destroy the intellect, as if we do not

already have enough with which to deal. Life itself can be such a high if only you will let it

happen.

Enabling and alcohol / drug use.

"In most cases alcoholism is entirely dependent on an enabling influence. Usually that
influence is another well-intentioned person. The alcoholic who cannot perform his
responsibilities as a result of being impaired or recovering from a drunken stupor needs
someone to cover for them. The enabler generally has a vested interest whether economic or
familial in the alcoholic and is generally obligated or pressured to perpetuate the situation.
Unfortunately and unwittingly, the enabler merely postpones the inevitable day of reckoning.

It is very difficult for someone to willingly allow someone they love to crash, however, time
and again it has been demonstrated that allowing that crash to occur is the only thing that will work. At some point no amount of cover-up is possible and everything crashes".

 

 

 

Get a glimpse of my new book "Lying on the Ground Looking Up" at

www.createspace.com/Preview/1124471

 

 

April 30, 2013

My eBook went live today on most book seller websites. If you are battling with the disease of drug addiction or alcoholism or you know someone who is, I urge you to take a look at my story. I hope I can be an example of what anyone can accomplish with regards to banishing drugs and alcohol from their lives. Amazon as well as Smashwords, currently has it available. It should be available on iBook in the middle of next week.  "Lying on the Ground Looking Up"

Smashwords  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/311631
Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLDU4GE

 

April 26, 2013

 

What on earth are the promoters of legalized Marijuana thinking? How can anyone think that the legalization of a “dangerous” mind bending drug be a good thing for our country? I have to believe that anyone endorsing smoking pot as beneficial to society in any manner must themselves be partaking in this mind-numbing pastime.

 

Any argument about Cannabis being useful for medicinal purposes to say the least is unwarranted. We currently have an array of legal and controlled prescription drugs that can accomplish and exceed the benefits of Pot.  Some are a derivative of THC combined with Cannabidiol and delivered in a mouth spray while avoiding the adverse effects of smoked marijuana. With the passage of the “Affordable Health Act” (Obamacare) and its supposedly all inclusive coverage for everyone, there is no reason for anyone to resort to street drugs for pain control. These drugs are also controlled for a reason and are monitored by a physician for both effectiveness and addictiveness.  If for some reason these drugs are not available to everyone, perhaps we should spend more time, effort and money in curing this problem instead of creating a new one.

 

Who thinks the workplace will be enhanced by these new laws? Loss of productivity, which is a given, can only exacerbate our problems in an already competitive business arena where competition from overseas and other drug free parts of the world is so keen. Make no mistake productivity will be severely impacted.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a study done among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test  had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use.  The question I have with this study is why were these people who tested positive for drug use hired in the first place, but that’s another topic for another blog.

 

Another area to be considered is the ability of someone under the influence of Cannabis to make intelligent decisions. According to the NIH, “marijuana’s negative effect on attention, memory, and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.  Consequently, someone who smokes marijuana daily may be functioning at a reduced level most or all of the time.” Who would knowingly hire someone who is not up to full speed? Think about this! Would you?

 

I am not aware of anyone who has done a study on the overall negative costs associated with marijuana use but I’m sure the amount would be staggering. Can you imagine how many business decisions alone are made on a daily basis, while under the influence of this supposedly recreational drug? The argument most often put forth by the pro marijuana lobby is that people are going to use this drug anyway so why not make it legal and enjoy tax benefits from it. This a totally absurd argument as the loss in productivity not to mention the social malaise resulting from this mind-bending drug more than offset any potential tax gain. How irrational a thought we would throw the welfare of our country overboard just to collect more in taxes.

 

There are many other arguments to be made with regards to this idiotic rush to legalize stupid behavior, but I will save them for future blogs.  We haven’t touched on the effect of this drug on our youth, health, driving…….. Well you get the point. This is a Pandora’s Box and I hope we come to our senses before it’s too late to close the lid.

 

Richard Charron

NEED YOUR HELP.

I’ m seeking people to interview for my next book which has a working title of “Slices of Americana”. My goal is to interview people from all segments of life here in America to discover their personal stories, life, success, ambitions … I also would like to know what makes them happy, sad etc. Financial success stories are welcome though not necessary. My primary interest is talking to people who measure their success in happiness and spirituality.

If you know of anyone who you believe has an interesting, unique and compelling story to tell and who would be willing to share it, please ask them to contact me. If you would like me to initiate the contact please send me an email to that effect or give me a call. Not everyone will fit the storyline but I would really like the opportunity to talk to them. If you would be good enough to share this on your timeline, I would appreciate it very much.

 

Richard Charron Author

richardcharronauthor.com