In today's society, there is a lot of emphasis and concern put on the use of alcohol and marijuana by teens. There are many claims to why teens start using these items; some of the causes are said to be peer pressure, curiosity, poor judgement, depression, and a lack of education and role models. Scientific research from labs has shown that teenagers' minds are not nearly as developed as an adult's. This means that their decision making skills are also not as well developed, which leads teens to make quick, rash decisions without thinking through the possible short and long term consequences.
Both alcohol and marijuana can have some pretty impacting consequences when used heavily. Excessive drinking can cause addiction, as well as brain and liver damage. Excessive smoking of marijuana is linked to heart attack, high heart rate, a weakened immune system, and cancer. These consequences are actually quite similar to that of other drugs.
In the US, alcohol is illegal for anyone under 21. Marijuana has been deemed illegal except in special circumstances such as California, where plants may be grown in small quantities for medicinal purposes. The most common reason that people become involved with alcohol and marijuana seems to be that the risk of being caught and the penalties of that as well are not nearly as steep as other drugs.
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