BEING
CLEAR, KIND and courageous!
There are six important topics to help you stay clear this summer!
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 use the marijuana they are offering you. If someone doesn’t like you because you won’t use marijuana then they weren’t 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 the both of you.
What if I'm offered marijuana?
BENEFITS
OF NOT USING MARIJUANA
Healthier Life
Staying away from marijuana will let you have more energy and let you 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 make you happier than youth who use marijuana.
Out of Trouble
One of the best benefits of not using marijuana is that it can keep you out of trouble by keeping you in a better mood than if you got high a lot. You’ll be less depressed (not as sad), less angry, and not as worried as many youth who use marijuana. Relationships with family and friends are usually better for youth who don’t use marijuana than those who do.
is marijuana
GOOD FOR ME?
HOW DOES IT
FEEL?
At first marijuana can make some kids feel happy and peaceful – the life of the party. But if they keep on using it marijuana ends up making most kids feel sadder (more depressed), more fearful (more anxious), and angrier.
Using a lot of marijuana for a long time or using “dabs” (very powerful marijuana) can even make you feel like you’re going crazy.
RISKS TO YOUNG
PEOPLE
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.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND
MARIJUANA
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 DOES IT
FEEL?
At first marijuana can make some kids feel happy and peaceful – the life of the party. But if they keep on using it marijuana ends up making most kids feel sadder (more depressed), more fearful (more anxious), and angrier.
Using a lot of marijuana for a long time or using “dabs” (very powerful marijuana) can even make you feel like you’re going crazy.
RISKS TO YOUNG
PEOPLE
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.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND
MARIJUANA
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.
FEELINGS AND MARIJUANA
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.
If you or someone you know needs help you or they can text, chat, or call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line through the My GCAL app. Or call (800) 715-4225.
MARIJUANA AND 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.
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.
GRADES and marijuana
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.
I started using marijuana in 7th grade. My high school years were terrible. I couldn’t focus and got into a lot of trouble. I stopped using Marijuana in the first year of college, and graduated with honors.
