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Marijuana is a natural plant; how harmful could it be? "Smoking marijuana is at least as bad as smoking cigarettes, and you already know how dangerous tobacco is to your health." "Marijuana can harm your future, too. It’s proven that it’s harder to concentrate and retain information when you’ve been using pot."

Marijuana is not addictive. "Sixty percent of teens currently in drug treatment are dependent on marijuana. More youth enter drug treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined."

Marijuana can’t cause any real problems in the long term. "If you smoke marijuana, you could do things that jeopardize your future, like having sex or getting in trouble with the law.""You can lose scholarship or loan money, or get kicked off the sports team."

Marijuana only makes you mellow. "Not always. Sometimes it makes people violent. Kids who use marijuana weekly are four times more likely to engage in violent behavior than those who don’t."

Marijuana’s not as popular as new drugs like ecstasy. "More kids use marijuana than any other illicit drug by far."

If I smoke marijuana, I’m not hurting anyone else. "Marijuana trafficking is a big, international, often violent business. The people behind it are criminals. If you’re smoking pot, you could be hurting other people."

You smoked pot and turned out fine. "This isn’t about my past - it’s about your future. Marijuana is illegal and can be risky. I don’t want you using the drug."

I know straight A students who smoke pot. "Most kids who smoke marijuana don’t make straight A's. Research shows that kids with an average grade of "D" or below were more than four times more likely to have used marijuana in the past year as kids who reported an average grade of A."

Marijuana must be good for you; it’s medicine. "Marijuana is not a medicine. A THC (active ingredient of marijuana) pill is available by prescription for treating cancer and AIDS patients, but more research needs to be done before marijuana can be used as medicine. Remember, smoked marijuana contains over 400 known carcinogens."

Get the facts at www.antidrug.com.

Source: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign’s Behavior Change Expert Panel

CTCADA

offers both adolescent intervention and treatment programs. Education, individual counseling, family therapy, group counseling and referral to other resources are all part of a comprehensive effort to prevent or intervene in youth alcohol and drug abuse. Call us at 254-690-4455!