General Article Young people and marijuana

Topic Selected: Cannabis

Marijuana is a popular drug of choice with young people, which is mainly due to its easy availability and low cost. It can be grown at home or in outdoor locations which have been chosen for that purpose and is seen as less harmful than other recreational drugs.

Many young people consider using marijuana to be no worse than having a few drinks or a cigarette. In fact they often claim that it causes less harm than these two and should be legalised.

A higher percentage of boys than girls use marijuana although this is minimal. Older teens are more likely to use it than younger teens.


Marijuana as a coping mechanism

Many young people use marijuana as a means of coping with certain pressures in their lives such as exams, relationships, etc. They also use it as way of relieving boredom, frustration, anxiety or anger and as a means of escapism.

It can be seen as a way of dealing with the ups and downs of growing up but there are oth

