The Perception of Marijuana in Today’s Youth

60 years ago, marijuana was widely portrayed as a powerful, addicting substance that would lead users into narcotics addiction. A flurry of research linked the use of marijuana with violence, crime and other socially deviant behaviors. A first-offense marijuana possession carried a minimum sentence of 2-10 years and the drug was simply viewed as evil. Today, the perception of marijuana has drastically changed. Medical use of marijuana for patients with AIDS, cancer, and other serious and painful diseases is becoming legal in many states. Movies (Cheech and Chong, Half Baked, Pineapple Express, Harold and Kumar), television shows (Weeds, Cannibas Planet), music (Kottonmouth Kings, Afroman, Sublime, Dr. Dre) and celebrities (Willie Nelson, Seth Rogan, James Franco, Lil Wayne) openly favor the use of marijuana and the drug is broadly viewed as not only harmless but beneficial. There has been a cultural shift in the opinions of marijuana, largely because of the emergence of more dangerous chemical drugs that have proven to be deadly and highly addictive, and the perception in today’s youth is that marijuana is harmless.

But a very commonly overlooked aspect about the apparent harmlessness of marijuana is the fact that a user still must inhale smoke, which countless research efforts have guaranteed leads to lung cancer. Teenagers and other members of communities like Boston, Massachusetts (MA) might smoke marijuana thinking it is harmless, but in reality marijuana contains carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) just like cigarettes and developing cancer is a likely direction for chronic marijuana users. Combine this with the fact that the distribution of marijuana, as federal law currently stands, to recreational users is still illegal opens up the possibility that underground dealers may taint weed with unknown damaging chemicals that could increase the health risks even more. Marijuana can affect heart health, lung capacity and mental health. Don’t allow yourself to think that marijuana is harmless. Boston, Massachusetts (MA) residents who frequently smoke marijuana and have developed a dependence on smoking should seek help through Seabrook for the same reasons cigarette smokers need to. Seabrook is located rural Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ)—roughly a 6 hour drive or about an hour flight from Boston, Massachusetts (MA). Seabrook is an internationally recognized private and exclusive inpatient drug rehabilitation and alcoholism detoxification treatment center who has achieved an elite CARF accreditation status, ensuring that our rehab patients receive the highest quality treatment. Seek help through Seabrook now to kick a habit that is dangerous to your short term and long term health.