Hey everyone! I will be talking about the negative effects of decriminalization and the negative effects of marijuana.
Why could decriminalization be negative?
People who are biologically more likely to be addicted may experiment with drugs more if it is legal. One of the reasons for this is because they will not fear legal prosecution. If something has no legal consequences, individuals are more likely to try it. [1]
If addiction rates rise due to this, we would not have the resources to help patients. [1]
Health
In the past few years, more and more youth have been using marijuana. The rate of 12 graders who smoke marijuana has increased by 24% each year. Teens have been more open to trying it and are not as scared as they used to be. In addition, marijuana is becoming easier and easier to find with decriminalization. What are the health effects of marijuana on youth? The main effect is increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia. [2]
A fact that absolutely shocked me? Teens who smoked weed at least five times were TWO times as likely to develop psychosis in the next ten years. If you are already at risk, that risk will double. A teen who has a family member with psychosis has a 1 in 10 chance of developing it, even if they do not smoke, if that teen smokes marijuana (at least five times), that risk increases to 1 in 5 chance. So, the kid who had a 10% chance of developing psychosis now has a 20% chance. [3]
Resources:
Hey Nikki,
Excellent and informative post! “If something has no legal consequences, individuals are more likely to try it” is a strong point and definitely true. I would imagine that in the past few years, more and more youth have been using marijuana. But to have read ‘the rate of 12 graders who smoke marijuana has increased by 24% each year’ was really shocking. Great research.
I’ve been keeping up with your posts for a bit now, and I’d love to ask: would you consider it better to decriminalization drugs or criminalize drugs? (This could be for society’s overall benefit too!)
Looking forward to see how you take on the final post!
Warm Regards,
Galicia
Hi Galicia,
Thank you! I found this information quite shocking as well. Honestly, I think it is better to decriminalize SOME drugs, that have a lower addiction rate. For example, you’re much, much more likely to be addicted to cocaine compared to marijuana (there haven’t been any reports saying marijuana is addictive like other drugs). Of course, any drug has negative effects on minors. I believe that we should teach kids about the dangers of using drugs/ alcohol as minors. This would show them that ‘marijuana is not dangerous’ only applies to adults, not minors. I hope that makes sense, it was a bit difficult to word correctly haha,
Thanks for taking the time to read this post,
N. Shahram
Hi Nikki!
This post is full of information and such an interesting read! I never knew the effects on teens weed has, I just knew it was bad haha. The increased used of drugs on teens didn’t come as a shock, or maybe because I’m so used the fact that everyone is doing drugs, which is one of the decriminalization of drugs have on society. What’s your point of view on this topic?
Good job!!
xx
ronnie
Hi Ronnie,
Thanks for your insight! Yeah, I totally agree with you, so many people/ students do drugs that it just seems normal. While I know they’re bad, I kind of forgot just how bad they are.
Hey Nikki!
Great post! I never realized the probability of how much these substances actually affected people. I’m curious however, in law we learned that legalization and decriminalization are slightly different.
Here are the definitions.
Decriminalization: Non-criminal responses, such as fines and warnings, are available for designated activities, such as possession of small quantities of a controlled substance.
Legalization: Criminal sanctions are removed. Regulatory controls can still apply, as with alcohol and tobacco.
Would you say the laws for the decriminalization of drugs should depend on age and age groups?
I’m looking forward to your celebration of learning!
Rasee
Hi Rasee,
Thanks, I’m glad you learnt with this post. I believe I used the same definitions in my previous posts 🙂 I could have accidentally made a typo (mixing up decriminalization and legalization) somewhere in the post. I’ll read over it to check that.
As for your question, yes, I believe that decriminalization of drugs should depend on age and age groups. Actually, this is a very interesting statement, and I believe our government should 100% put this into action. The main issue with the decriminalization of marijuana is that minors think it’s ok for them to use it. If we make penalties higher than they are currently (for minors), then this would aid in that issue. Hope that answers your question 🙂
N. Shahram