Illicit drug use among young adolescents is on the rise. In studies, it has been shown that females are more likely to use drugs to cope with problems. The earlier you choose to use drugs, the more likely you’ll experiment with more serious drugs as time progresses. The effect of a drug is based on many different things, for example your weight, gender, metabolism and genetic makeup. It is also a known fact that as the drug user takes drugs on a continuous basis, there is a need for the individual to use more and more just to get the same effect they were getting originally.

Many drugs are very addicting. Tobacco, alcohol, and narcotics are all forms of drugs which you can become addicted to. Some factors that may influence whether or not the drug is addicting are h

Let’s move on to our second legalized drug, tobacco cigarettes. Tobacco cigarettes contain nicotine which is a highly addictive. The addiction is usually based on genetics. The surgeon General warns that smoking is the number one cause of diseases that can be prevented. Every year more than one million Americans become smokers and four hundred thousand die. Smoking increases chances of lung cancer, cancers associated with smoking, heart disease, and emphysema.

Now that we have discussed the seemingly minor drugs, I would like to begin talking to you about more serious drugs. Marijuana comes from the cannabis plant. It’s active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol or THC has a counteractive effect on the brain’s neurotransmitter dopamine. Marijuana effects the part of the brain known as the hippocampus which lead to memory impairment. Traces of marijuana usage can remain in the body up to several weeks. Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. Thirty-three percent or seventy-two million Americans will try marijuana at least once in their lifetime. Frequent use of this drug can lead to physical and emotional problems. The issue with marijuana is it is seen too often as a “recreational” drug and is falsely believed to be non-addictive. The effects of marijuana may vary because of the cannabis used, the atmosphere in which the drug is taken, and if it is laced or taken with other drugs. Some short-term effects of drugs are rapid heartbeat, impaired short-term memory, paranoia, intense panic attacks, and psychological dependence. Some long-term effects include the delay of puberty in men, decrease of sperm count, disruption of menstrual cycle and damage to the immune system. Marijuana is a “gateway” drug because it leads to the use of other serious drugs. Most people who take “harder” drugs usually have a history of marijuana use. Due to the loss of inhibitions, this drug is associated with crime and other potentially harmful behavior. Recently the controversy of whether marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes came up. Marijuana has been shown to give promising results in treating such diseases as eye disease glaucoma, suppressing nausea and vomiting in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy, and increases appetite in AIDS patients. Marijuana seems to only benefit few and the legalization of this drug means that it may become easily accessible to those who don’t need it for medicinal purposes. It’s clearly a controversial subject that seems to have no end to the debate. Marijuana has too many negative effects versus the positive effects.

A hallucinogen that I would like to talk to you about is one that is very dangerous. It is called LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. In a study of 12th graders, LSD use nearly doubled in the expanse of eleven years between 1985 and 1996. With this drug on the rise, it is

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