The war on drugs with its simplistic “Just Say No” message may have failed, but the battle isn’t over. Groups like Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an organization that opposes marijuana legalization, doesn’t advocate locking people up for casual marijuana use, but they do want to send a clear message that marijuana use is a bad choice. Headed by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and including Kevin Sabet, a veteran of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama, the new group rejects the "war on drugs" model. Instead they focus on informing the public of the dangers of marijuana use.
These dangers related to marijuana use include the following:
· Marijuana use damages brain development in young people, whose brains are still developing until age 25
· Ongoing marijuana use becomes socially isolating
· Heavy marijuana users perform worse in school and at work
· Marijuana smoke harms the user’s lungs
· Marijuana use can trigger psychotic symptoms that otherwise would have remained latent
There are also the dangers we still can’t quantify. We don’t know how long the impairment from smoking marijuana lasts, so we can’t tell people that it’s safe to drive within a set number of hours after use.
One of the biggest deterrents to marijuana use (although far from foolproof) has been the fact that the drug is illegal. As the drug’s legal status changes in several states, officials fear that more people will begin to experiment with pot, assuming that “legal” equals “safe.” Celebrities who have been arrested for marijuana possession often joke about it, as if it’s not a “real” crime. This attitude in Hollywood has only helped the perception that everyone’s doing it and that it’s not a big deal, which is certainly not the case.
Marijuana Addiction Help at La Paloma
If you or someone you love needs treatment for an addiction to marijuana, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
