Jared Peterson

presents

On Taking the Road Less Traveled

T O T H E Y O U T H O F O U R C O U N T RY

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I

I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

There is currently a mass movement

taking place in our country concerning
the legalization of the recreational
and medicinal use of the cannabis
plant, or in other words, marijuana.
In fact, twenty-three out of the fifty
states have already legalized people
over 21 to possess small amounts of it!
Every year, there are legalization
activists fighting ruthlessly to legalize
this drug in all fifty of our states.
Even though the consumption of this
plant is intended for responsible
adults 21 years and older, this
legalization affects you, your school,
your community and your nation as a
whole.

Teenage use of marijuana is especially

dangerous. When it is used on a
regular basis, the drug:
Affects your mind, body and spirit

Will harm teenage developmental process

Increase the risk of car accidents and death

The high appeal to this drug is the

high the consumer may obtain
during and after use. This high is
caused due to tetrahydrocannabino
(THC), which is one of the most
prevalent chemicals in marijuana,
being absorbed into the body.
Different receptors in our brain and
body are stimulated by this
chemical.

Some of the significant neuropharmacologic,

cognitive, behavioral, and somatic consequences
of acute and long-term marijuana use are well
known and include negative effects on short term
memory, concentration, attention span,
motivation, and problem solving, which clearly
interfere with learning; adverse effects on
coordination, judgment, reaction time, and
tracking ability, which contribute substantially
to unintentional deaths and injuries among
adolescents (especially those associated with
motor vehicles); and negative health effects with
repeated use similar to effects seen with smoking
tobacco.
Joffe, Alain, and W. Samuel Yancy. "Legalization Of
Marijuana: Potential Impact On Youth."

Drug use in the school-aged

children and teenagers is becoming
ever more prevalent in todays
society. Children are becoming
exposed to marijuana at a lower
age every year. With all of the
quizzes, exams and standardized
testing that must be performed
each year for each student, the
damaging effects of drugs will have
a negative effect on the students
ability to perform well in school.

Some startling statistics provided by the Drug Free America foundation states, A
recent meta-analysis of nine epidemiological studies concluded that drivers who
test positive for marijuana are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be
involved in a crash. Five years after establishing a medical marijuana program,
California saw a near 100% increase in fatal crashes where at-fault drivers tested
positive for marijuana.

It is time to take the road less traveled.

Our choice may not be the popular choice,
but it must be the wise choice. Your
futures are at risk if you start down the
wrong road. I am convinced a life of drug
use is a life well wasted. The damaging
effects marijuana has on the mind, body
and lifestyle of the user cannot be ignored.
As students, your minds must be sharp,
and as drivers on the roads, you must be
responsible at all times. Make your choice
now, and see how that will make all the
difference.