What If I'm Offered Marijuana?
Plan Ahead!
Think about how you will respond in different situations. Plan what you can say or what you can do ahead of time.
Be True To Yourself!
Don’t be afraid that someone may not like you if you don’t say "yes" to the marijuana they are offering you. If someone doesn’t like you because you choose not to use marijuana, then that's not a real friend in the first place.
Choose Your Friends Wisely!
Have friends with similar values and beliefs. It is easier to say “no” if someone else is also saying it. Saying “no” together makes it easier for both of you.
Benefits Of Not Using Marijuana
Healthier Life!
Staying away from marijuana will let you have more energy and will allow you to remember more things. You will be able to breathe better and have fewer colds. All these benefits will allow you to have more fun with your friends and enjoy your life more than youth who use marijuana.
Better Student!
Science tells us that compared to students who use marijuana, students who are not using marijuana will have more ability to focus, remember more things, and have better grades. All these benefits can help give you confidence about yourself and can potentially make you overall happier than youth who use marijuana.
Clear Mind!
Some youth report trying marijuana to help them deal with stress, anxiety, or depression. But did you know that marijuana use can actually make those things worse? Choosing not to use frees your mind to select healthier ways to deal with life, such as meditation, exercise, journaling, music, and more.
Is Marijuana Good For Me?
Brain
Development
Any drug use (including marijuana) by adolescents or teens can really mess with their brain development. Did you know that the brain is STILL developing until we are 25 years old? What does that mean? Things like our ability to control our impulses and to make good decisions get better as we get older. If we use drugs during this development, then our brain just doesn't have as good of a chance
What are the risks?
Trouble thinking, difficulty solving problems, problems with memory, problems with learning, loss of coordination, loss of balance, getting addicted, coughing a lot, and getting more colds. Medicine is never smoked. If a young person uses marijuana a lot for a long time, it can lower their IQ.
What does the science say?
The main active ingredient in marijuana is THC. When someone smokes, eats, or vapes marijuana, THC ends up in their brain and other organs. THC connects with receptors on nerve cells in the brain. The marijuana “high” results from THC’s effects on the nerve cells in the brain. If a young person uses it long enough it can damage their growing brain which keeps growing until someone is in the their mid 20s.
No free lunch.
Just because marijuana is a plant doesn’t mean it’s good for you. There are a lot of plants, like poison ivy, that don’t make us feel so good. When it comes to young people using marijuana, brain science shows us “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” After using for a while the highs are paid for with lows and one feels worse than before.
How Can Marijuana Make Me Feel?
There are studies that have found marijuana can cause problems for children, teens, and young adults with how they feel and think. At first, marijuana may seem to make someone chill or relax, but the more often they use it, the more stressed out, sad, or angry they can get.
Some people may even think about not wanting to be alive anymore.
What’s really important is for each of us to know we are enough – just as we are, without a drug.
When we have problems that we’re dealing with it’s better to talk about them with someone we trust instead of getting high.
Help is available. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365. Through the 988 Lifeline, you have access to free, quality, one-on-one assistance. Speak with someone today. Available in English, Spanish, and for deaf/HOH.
Will Marijuana Impact My Motivation?
Marijuana can mess with your motivation (your desire to do what you want to do or need to do). Things that somebody used to love doing, they may not want to do anymore.
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Some of the chemicals in marijuana can lower the amount of dopamine in the brain. The less dopamine in the brain, the less somebody feels like doing stuff they used to like to do, like playing sports or being with family members.
Will Marijuana Use Affect My Grades?
Just like how marijuana affects motivation, it can also affect attention, memory, and learning. Using marijuana often means lower grades and test scores. Using marijuana often means a harder time in school. Young people using marijuana may not do as well in school as those who don’t use it.