Marijuana: Understanding the real risks involved.
A lot of Clinton teens believe use of marijuana is safe, and 1 in 4 seniors admit to using. However, very high potencies of THC can be life threatening. Exposing the teen brain to marijuana of any potency has serious consequences affecting judgement, motivation and overall thinking ability. It is so important to know the facts and not rely on sales marketing to determine risk of use.
PiC has surveyed 7-12 graders on their attitudes and behaviors around marijuana since 2005. Most recently in the fall of 2019, the survey indicated that a high percentage of students do not see using marijuana as serious, risky or “a big deal”. They shared that access to the drug is easy, sometimes even within the school building. This is a serious concern of PiC, as low perception of harm leads to increasing numbers of young people using marijuana. As we know from research, marijuana does have a significantly negative impact on the teen brain.
Roughly 2 in 5 juniors and seniors have used marijuana recently, and say it is easy to access.
48% percent of Clinton 7-12 graders don’t think using marijuana is risky or harmful.
The perception of harm of use of marijuana is lower than it has ever been.