I’m a High School Senior Scared of Weed Culture.

Bursting the Bubble of Weed Normalization.

Misinformation lies at the heart of an arguably harmful culture that is normalizing marijuana use for teens in this country.

I’m seventeen. Growing up, I received mixed messages about marijuana. My parents and other authority figures always taught me to be very careful around it, or better yet, just to stay away from it completely. TV shows and movies, on the other hand, often painted the substance as a positive thing that made you “chill” or “cool.” These conflicting signals clouded my thoughts surrounding it, and it wasn’t until high school that I gained a more direct perspective on the drug.

As a relatively innocent and inexperienced fourteen-year-old, I was a fish out of water when I arrived for my freshman year at boarding high school. My classes, sports teams, and social life quickly consumed my life, and practically overnight I was forced to acclimate to a new culture.

Already stressed by the newness surrounding me, the culture of substance use at my school was just another thing for me to get used to. While I had heard going in how common drug and alcohol use was, I had no idea the extent that it actually went to.

In 9th grade, marijuana, or weed, and alcohol consumption were completely normalized for all students, from freshmen to seniors – some drank and smoked or vaped every Saturday, if not also during the week. As freshmen, most of my friends and I weren’t involved in this, but as I got older more and more people started to participate. Now, as I enter my senior year, the use of these substances, especially weed, seems more prevalent than ever.

Many of my peers have rationalized their heavy use based on widespread misconceptions about potency. People believe vaping weed is safer and healthier than alcohol and nicotine (because it’s marketed to seem so), and that it is impossible to get addicted to it. It’s not impossible. And, if we don’t know what’s really in the products marketed to us, and the effects those products can have, how can we make informed choices about using them?

I think these misunderstandings stem from the popularization of cannabis use on social media platforms like TikTok, where it’s viewed and packaged as a fun, safe, and even cool way to relax and distract yourself from the world around you. Almost never do I come across a video explaining the potential dangers of vaping or smoking marijuana for the lungs or brain, or warning against addiction.

Creators have coined the term “gardening” as a euphemism for all different types of THC consumption, which makes it sound completely harmless. Daily consumption is normalized, too, if not actively promoted on cannabis apps, usually by adult creators who probably only care about maximizing profits. With almost everyone my age being active on social media, it’s very easy for this type of messaging about weed to be adopted into teenage culture.

Still, I wouldn’t call it normal.

While weed might not be the most dangerous drug to adults, it’s a completely different story for high schoolers like me, whose brains are not fully developed yet – and won’t be until we’re 25. According to American Addiction Centers, “marijuana use during adolescence can lead to impaired learning and memory by impacting how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions.”

This is what makes weed so scary to me. It’s far more powerful than what my parents’ generation smoked when marijuana was really illegal. I hear about people my age who vape every day justifying it because it’s legal, or they don’t know the effects it could be having on them, or they’re just too hooked to care. I’ve seen overusing have real, concrete effects on my peers’ participation in classes and sports, and I’ve even heard about kids needing to drop out of school because weed has completely taken over their lives.

The accessibility of weed products also fuels the normalization issue. My school is only a couple hours from New York City, so a lot of my peers are from there and students flock there on the weekends. Because weed was legalized in the city just a few years ago, there are smoke shops on virtually every corner. These shops often have employees standing outside inviting customers in and they don’t necessarily even ID those customers, making it easy for people my age to walk right in and buy whatever they want.

Even in places where recreational marijuana isn’t explicitly legal, companies have found a loophole in legislation that allows them to sell similarly intoxicating hemp-based products, thanks to Congress’ legalization of hemp crops in 2018. Chemistry can turn hemp into products with a potency scale of 0-100.

The culture of weed overuse should not be something teens like myself just have to get used to. As I enter my senior year, taking a step back to examine the realities of that culture and what it can do, and has done to people my age, has given me a clear image. Understanding the dangers of weed and spreading accurate information are essential for protecting ourselves and making healthier choices.

– Coco O’Brien
A Case for Women
July 30, 2024

I’m a High School Senior Scared of Weed Culture.

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