Marijuana became legal in my birth state of Oregon on July 1st, 2015. It’s only legal for people over the age of 21 and has stipulations as to who can consume it. Although marijuana was just legalized last year, I strongly believe it should still be illegal. The drug marijuana is not intended to benefit improve your mental, physical, or emotional health. For those who use marijuana, it can tear apart families and even put the public’s safety at risk. One of the major factors marijuana can affect is, education through teens dropping out or by their school performance being negatively affected by the consumption of marijuana. Not only will their education, but their quality of life …show more content…
The long term affects that marijuana can have on brain development are dominate in teenagers. “When marijuana users begin using as teenagers, the drug may reduce thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions (Services)”. The affects’ marijuana has on the lungs can cause long term breathing problems too. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, and frequent marijuana smokers can have the same breathing problems that tobacco smokers have. It has a negative effect on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Marijuana has a chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), this chemical is what gives off the “high” feeling in marijuana. It also gives you the “slow” feeling which can be hazardous while driving or operating other equipment. Marijuana affects you emotionally too, it can start off slowly with symptoms like anxiety and depression, then can lead to further serious incidents like hallucinations and paranoia. Marijuana alters your mind similarly to any other narcotics would, it is a drug. Several studies have said that frequent marijuana usage in adolescents can reduce your IQ score. Additional research also says that smoking marijuana constantly “can lead to a sloth-like brain.” (Breene). The drug impairs your decisions and your ability to reason. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and I truly believe that to be correct. By gateway drug I mean that it’s a drug that can lead you to other hardcore drugs, comparable to, prescription pills, cocaine and even