SCIENCE JOURNAL 2018

There is also evidence to suggest mental illnes- sess are more common for marijuana users. According to the UK’s Royal College of Psy- chiatrists, regular use of marijuana “doubles the risk of developing a psychotic episode or long- term scizophrenia”. Users are also more likely to develop depression and anxiety. Physical health impacts, such as respiritory and circula- tory issues, are also common, due to regular marijuana use (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2017). These physical and mental health issues add to the consequences of marijuana use, increasing users’ threat to society.

Graph 2: Percentage of Australians aged 14 and over who used an illicit substance at least once in the year. Sourced from: (SA Health, 2016) Worsening the harmful impacts of smoking marijuana, THC concentration of the drug has increased. Graph 3 shows that since 1960, there has been a steady increase in the THC percentage of marijuana, as technology has been developed. From very close to 0% THC in 1960 marijuana, the percentage has increased dramatically to 20% in 2015. As THC is the chemical responsible for the impacts on the brain, a greater concentration of THC in marijuana would emphasise the adverse effects of the drug’s use. This causes more implications for society, such as hospitalisations and dangerous driving. According to several extensive European studies, “drivers with THC in their blood were roughly twice as likely to be culpable for a fatal crash than drivers who had not used drugs or alcohol” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018). Dangerous driving, caused by co-ordination and reaction time impairment after smoking marijuana, is another implication for Australian society, as more innocent people are injured and killed on Australian roads. These statistics give a clear message on the dangers of marijuana use.

Graph 3: Percentage THC in marijuana from 1960 to 2015. Sourced from: (Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 2016)

Marijuana is influenced by social and economic factors. In order to reduce the threat of marijuana on society, action must be taken to ease the social pressure on teenagers. In a study that asked marijuana-smoking teenagers why they began taking the substance, “55% replied that it was due to pressure from their friends” (Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 2016). The myth that marijuana use is harmless is the major culprit for this. Even with powerful statistics and evidence to suggest marijuana use has severe implications for individuals’ physical and mental health, this myth is pivotal in forcing pressure on teenagers to begin smoking the drug. Given the highly addictive nature of THC, once users have tried marijuana,

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Somerset College Journal of Scientific Issues

Year 10