Marijuana Abuse Teens

For many parents, marijuana abuse teens are a serious concern. This concern is valid because marijuana abuse among teens has been shown to interfere with their short-term memory, learning, and psychomotor skills. Motivation and psychosexual/emotional development may also be affected by marijuana abuse teens.

Marijuana abuse teens increase their risk in late adolescence of not graduating from high school, delinquency, having multiple sexual partners, and not always using condoms. Such marijuana use can result in perceiving drugs as not harmful. It may also result in long-term problems with cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. Studies show that marijuana abuse teens tend to have friends who also exhibit deviant behavior. In addition, early adolescent marijuana use is related to later adolescent problems that limit the acquisition of skills necessary for employment and heighten the risks of contracting HIV and abusing legal and illegal substances.

All marijuana abuse teens can have immediate and long-term health and social consequences. Overall, mental health problems including depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal, conduct problems, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, suicide, and other psychosocial dysfunctions are frequently linked to substance abuse among adolescents. Drug abuse has been shown to increase the likelihood of psychiatric disorders.

Additionally, marijuana abuse teens have been strongly linked to delinquency. Arrest, adjudication, and intervention by the juvenile justice system are eventual consequences for many youths engaged in drug abuse. Signs of marijuana abuse teens include sudden and extreme changes in personality, physical appearance, social activity, or school performance. Personality changes may include becoming disrespectful and verbally or physically abusive, extreme mood swings, paranoia, confusion, anger, depression, and secretive behavior.

Marijuana abuse teens may lie about what they are doing and where they are going. They may also steal, claim to lose possessions they once valued, have a lot of money, ask for money, and withdraw from family and family activities. With regard to physical effects, marijuana abuse teens may exhibit a lack of hygiene and grooming, weight loss or gain, hyperactivity or lethargy, and insomnia or excessive sleeping. These teens may also drop old friends and activities, skip school, lose interest in school, receive low grades, sleep in class, lose concentration, and have trouble with memory.

A recent marijuana abuse teens poll found that while most parents (86 percent) have talked with their teen about marijuana, just over half of parents (55 percent) have made their teen aware of disciplinary consequences stemming from marijuana use. Revoking privileges was the most commonly cited consequence (61 percent), followed by grounding (58 percent), forbidding interaction with certain friends (56 percent), and sending their teen to counseling (51 percent).

It's crucial for parents to stay on top of and understand what's happening in their sons' and daughters' lives. When teens make a poor decision, such as using marijuana, it's critical that parents immediately show concern via an open dialog and follow through with consequences. If parents become overwhelmed with their teens behavior and/or concerned about drug use, they should seek help from drug abuse professionals.

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