PARENTS NEED TO KNOW

There are many reasons why some children and young teens start smoking
marijuana. Many young people smoke marijuana because they see their
brothers, sisters, friends, or even older family members using it. Some use
marijuana because of peer pressure.

Others may think it's cool to use marijuana because they hear songs about
it and see it on TV and in movies. Some teens may feel they need marijuana
and other drugs to help them escape from problems at home, at school, or
with friends.

No matter how many shirts and caps you see printed with the marijuana leaf,
or how many groups sing about it, remember this: you don't have to use
marijuana just because you think everybody else is doing it. Most teenagers
don't use marijuana!

The way drugs affect people depends on many different factors, including:
user's previous experience with the drug; how strong the marijuana is; what
the user expects to happen; where the drug is used; how it is taken; and
whether the user is drinking alcohol or using other drugs.

Some users can get bad effects from marijuana.

They may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. This
is more likely to happen when a more potent variety of marijuana is used.
There are many short-term affects of marijuana which include; problems with
memory and learning; distorted perception and also problems in thinking and
problem solving. "I use to be real athletic.

When I started using drugs I just stopped playing all together 'cause I
thought I had more important things to do. Marijuana can mess up your
performance in school, sports, and other parts of your life."

As we searched for motivational quotes, more teens come to realize that
drugs just interfere with things that they love.

Using marijuana puts children and teens in contact with people who are
users and sellers of other drugs.

So there is more of a risk that a marijuana user will be exposed to and
urged to try more drugs.