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SourceNational Institute on Drug Abuse Back To the Table of Contents ForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesGrowing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide To Prevention
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 Q: Why do young people use marijuana?A: Children and young teens start using marijuana for many reasons. Curiosity and the desire to fit into a social group are common reasons. Certainly, youngsters who have already begun to smoke cigarettes and/or use alcohol are at high risk for marijuana use.Also, research suggests that the use of alcohol and drugs by other family members plays a strong role in whether children start using drugs. Parents, grandparents, and older brothers and sisters in the home are models for children to follow. Some young people who take drugs do not get along with their parents. Some have a network of friends who use drugs and urge them to do the same (peer pressure). All aspects of a child's environment-home, school, neighborhood-help to determine whether the child will try drugs. Children who become more heavily involved with marijuana can become dependent and that is their prime reason for using the drug. Others mention psychological coping as a reason for their use-to deal with anxiety, anger, depression, boredom, and so forth. But marijuana use is not an effective method for coping with life's problems, and staying high can be a way of simply not dealing with the problems and challenges of growing up.
Q: Does using marijuana lead to other drugs?A: Long-term studies of high school students and their patterns of drug use show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. Using marijuana puts children and teens in contact with people who are users and sellers of other drugs. So there is more of a chance for a marijuana user to be exposed to and urged to try more drugs. However, most marijuana users do not go on to use other illegal drugs.
Q:What are the effects of marijuana?A: The effects of marijuana on each person depend on the
Some people feel nothing at all when they first try marijuana. Others may feel high (intoxicated and/or euphoric). It's common for marijuana users to become engrossed with ordinary sights, sounds, or tastes, and trivial events may seem extremely interesting or funny. Time seems to pass very slowly, so minutes feel like hours. Sometimes the drug causes users to feel thirsty and very hungry-an effect called "the munchies."
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