PUBLIC OPINION > Teen Marijuana Use Is Not That Big of a Deal

by SodaHead News Posted 2012/05/04 16:00:00

Related Topics: Teens, Weed, Pot, Marijuana, Public Opinion, Recap, Polls, Conservative, Christian, Conservatives, Destroy, smoking, Tobacco, Alcohol, Drinking, Time, Brain

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We've done polls on marijuana in the past, and typically voters give it the polling equivalent of a shrug. Even if they don't smoke it or condone it, it's not as dangerous as alcohol and not worth fussing over. But a recent survey shows teen marijuana use is on the rise -- nearly 10% of teens are smoking 20 times a month or more. No wonder it's California's biggest cash crop! Teen use can be scary, though, as the longterm effects of marijuana use on developing brains is still unclear, and bad habits can form in those early years. So we asked the public if the increase in teen use is cause for concern.

Again, the majority feels marijuana is just not that big of a deal. Even with teens, the sentiment seems to be, "Better weed than alcohol." The Top Opinion read, "Sure I would prefer they didn't do all of these things but when you look at the alternatives kids that want to get high really bad probably will, and if it's not marijuana it will probably be something dangerous." Yes, weed can be bad. It can be habit-forming, and it can glue you to the couch. But hey, at least they aren't drinking hand sanitizer.

Fluctuating Feelings

Teens themselves were exactly in-line with the overall vote -- exactly 41% are pretty concerned. As voters got a little bit older, in their early 20s, that number dipped to 29% concern. Then it worked its way back up to 57% as voters entered their 50s. Age definitely showed a pattern, but the change of heart was slow-turning, reversible, and not very passionate.

Reluctance From the Right

The two demographics that showed considerable resistance were Christians and conservatives, both coming in at about 65% concern. It's not that they think marijuana is going to destroy the youth, they're just reluctant to give it a green light. No pun intended. Plus, it's illegal, which certainly adds weight to the issue from a right-leaning perspective.

Shrug From the Smokers

As usual, smokers tend to back the marijuana users. Drinkers, too, though not as much. It would be silly to condemn the use of marijuana when you're indulging in a relatively risky substance yourself. As far as we know, like the Top Opinion said, tobacco and alcohol have more risk involved. You might be better off without it, but weed never killed anyone. Not officially, at least.

If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about teen marijuana use. We'd love to hear from you!

+27

wilsonmja 2012/05/05 01:05:53

+19
Conservatives crack me up. From a conservative you would likely hear "guns don't kill people, people do." I happen to agree with the sentiment behind that. However, I also believe that drugs don't ruin lives, people ruin lives. For some reason a conservative cant see how it's the same thing.
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Mike to Scott 2012/05/04 22:24:54

+1
i can accept that

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Brian P to Mike 2012/05/04 22:34:24 (edited)

+1
Marijuana alone will not affect one to the point of failing at life. You have to be a complete idiot and have no willpower to fail from just marijuana (and in that case, I wouldn't blame marijuana, but the person and their upbringing). Usually it's the combination of drugs such as alcohol and other substances. When it's just marijuana, it doesn't seem to hinder people (unless they abuse it and smoke every day, but again, that's the person's fault and not marijuana's).

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Mike to Brian P 2012/05/05 05:27:53

all addictions start at an early age. but to say that marijuana is not a gateway to the broader scope of self doubt would be ingenuous . the nature in which kids are using it to make themselves feel better about who they are will affect them over time. some come to depend on that alternate reality to cope with the stresses of life and in the end are only fooling themselves when they choose to hide it behind a foggy head and the munchies

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/05 06:13:54

...Or maybe they're just smoking because it feels good?

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/05 13:03:32

anything that gives you an alternate reality is never good, because it distorts your perception on things and you know how kids soak things up like a sponge. it could have an adverse affect on their psyche.

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Brian P to Mike 2012/05/05 18:42:29

Slippery slope argument right there. How is an alternate reality a bad thing? As long as it's A reality, I don't see a problem. After all, we don't want everyone thinking and acting the same. Now, drugs like mushrooms and acid are a whole different story. I can see where those can cause problems for undeveloped teens and mess with one's perception of reality. But marijuana? Not even close to being strong enough to do that.

Are you sure you've tried maryjane before?

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Mike to Brian P 2012/05/05 23:12:01

really, you honestly believe that. the bouts of deep thought on the most inane things was not considered as a alternate reality from what you face daily. I have an uncle who is a complete tool unless he has his. he himself explained that he needed it to deal with what otherwise would anger him daily. is that not, changing perception thus creating your own reality based in a foggy sense of how you deal with life. you yourself cannot tell me that it does not alter how you feel or react to things. cause if it did nothing to you, why even use it? it would be a useless waste otherwise

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Brian P to Mike 2012/05/11 01:12:47

Everyone's different. Your uncle sounds like a weak man. I, however, consider myself a strong willed individual and would never let a simple substance such as marijuana get the best of me.

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Mike to Brian P 2012/05/11 11:59:20 (edited)

if you ever get angry about anything and take a hit of the stuff to "calm your nerves". then you have become weak as well. my uncle is as weak as they come when it comes to that drug. you have a valid argument. but to use anything in excess , be it food or what have you.... we all have our vices. it is the battle against them that makes life interesting

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/07 03:04:22

You're right. Let's start a campaign to ban dreams. Afterall, they're alternate realities that can have adverse effects on kids' psyches.

No, really. We can enforce this! We'll just need a federally funded task force dedicated to putting dreamers in prison.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/08 02:43:16

now your trying to equate sleep dreams with knowingly adding chems to your body to subvert reality. I will not get into a petty debate over apples and oranges

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/08 19:30:26

No, I'm not. You said, "anything that gives you an alternate reality is never good." This is a silly claim, as dreams give you an alternate reality.

Besides, marijuana has very mild effects as a hallucinogen. It is primarily a relaxer.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/08 22:42:43

apples and oranges

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/08 23:04:10

I prefer oranges. I also don't know why you're bringing that analogy up, unless you're the one comparing apples to oranges, because I certainly was not.

However, for clarity, I will reiterate what I said:

You said, "anything that gives you an alternate reality is never good." This is a silly claim, as dreams give you an alternate reality.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/09 08:50:36

A dream is sleep induced you are controlling your reality thru chemicals with drug use, you cannot control your dreams while you sleep,, apples and oranges

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/09 20:39:41

So you admit that it's silly to say "anything that gives you an alternate reality is never good."

Apples and oranges to you too. Marijuana is organic, not some chemical composition.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/09 22:13:52

just because it is organic does not mean it was meant for recreational use. even people who drink wine know you use it in moderation, so back to apples and oranges, just because it is organic does not mean it has not been abused

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/10 17:42:02

Yes, I agree that it should be used in moderation, but it is still not a chemical composition.

"Abused" is a pretty bold claim, considering the proven harmful effects of marijuana are either non-existent, or very mild.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/10 17:46:48

you cannot tell me that there is no ABUSE going on, fat people abuse food, rich people abuse the poor, law enforcement abuses power. you name it , it can be abused

you can even be abused by water it's called "hyponatremia, or dilution of the blood caused by drinking too much water."
so , yes,. there are abuses no matter how you try to word it.

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/10 17:54:52

I never said there was no abuse going on. Hell, I even said I agree it should be used in moderation...

You're right. Anything can be abused, but there are varying levels of abuse for different things, and until we are both on the same page about the context of "abuse", you're really just arguing semantics.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/10 17:58:05

this is what you said
"Abused" is a pretty bold claim, considering the proven harmful effects of marijuana are either non-existent, or very mild.

if used in moderation... but pot heads dont use it in moderation, they always want that alternate reality to be with them 24/7

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/10 18:00:53

You're probably right, but that has nothing to do with a casual user.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/10 18:06:42

agreed, but feel if you want to do weed then fine but you need to keep it out of the hands of kids until they reach at least 18 then they will be responsible for their own actions. I have friends that are casual users, its the pot heads I cannot stand.

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Max Power to Mike 2012/05/12 01:53:16

This implies that age equates to responsibility.

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Mike to Max Power 2012/05/30 13:42:50

yeahh , but when you smoke pot so often you blurr reality , how can you hope age would define anything

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Brian P to Mike 2012/05/11 01:16:02

Lucid dreaming bro. You can control your dreams.

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Brian P to Mike 2012/05/11 01:14:51 (edited)

Dreams are induced by DiMethlyTryptamine (DMT), produced naturally in your brain by the pineal gland, which is actually illegal in most countries and much stronger than marijuana. Therefore, these "apples and oranges" you speak of are much more similar than you thought.

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Bubba d... to Mike 2012/05/05 14:41:19

Have you ever listened to 60's and 70's music. 99% of the great stuff all came from high musicians. And there is a lot of great stuff. In the 30's and 40's and 50's, the blues music came from a pot smoking culture. Pots inspires creativity not hinders it.

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Mike to Bubba d... 2012/05/05 23:13:43

yes it did change the thought process to allow things to come that otherwise might be ignored, but to put it best, Eric Clapton once said to do drugs to enlightenment is a joy, but after that, your just wasting you time

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MayaAng... to Mike 2012/05/06 03:19:51

I agree! I have a friend who SAYS she uses it (I've never seen her, only heard her stories). I'm a relatively good girl so I don't do things like that and we're only thirteen! But if she says that's what she's doing, I believe her. And sometimes when she goes all bipolar on me, I can't help wondering...

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Mike to MayaAng... 2012/05/06 13:07:47

+1
some use it to face reality in an an alternate way, no matter how they try to frame it . it will hurt them in the end , but I guess they will not understand till it is too late

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MayaAng... to Mike 2012/05/06 13:33:38 (edited)

You're so right! And she's so stubborn... But I know she's had a pretty messed-up life, so...

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Mike to MayaAng... 2012/05/06 21:58:20

remember , all I can tell you is be her friend thru thick and thin, but never be a person she will use to further herself. you will know the difference when things that happen do not feel right to you, trust your inner self to guide you right

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MayaAng... to Mike 2012/05/06 22:36:35

+1
Thank you for that! :)

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mneiai 2012/05/04 16:32:29

+4
Oh, I missed this poll lol If the worst thing a teen does is smoke marijuana, then we should all be thankful. This gives them a little thrill of doing something ~bad~ while not actually doing something horrible. All of the kids I knew in HS who went on to do harder drugs all had huge issues already and neglectful parents (one ended up dying from bad heroin in college, unsurprisingly she was the girl whose parents spent months at a time in Europe as soon as she got her driver's license and "could" be left alone).

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L1Z2 2012/05/04 16:32:16

+3
I dunno. Comparing any other drug to alcohol is like apples and oranges in a way. Any substance that impairs your ability to react or your cognition is not good. Any substance that's addictive both psychologically and physiologically isn't good either. I'm just not sold that it is harmless, and no I don't drink, don't smoke and use. Not now, not ever.

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stevegtexas@aol.com 2012/05/04 16:31:13

+5
Which state supports it the mostest?

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Cuppajo 2012/05/04 14:06:00

+2
Right. Teen marijuana use is no big deal. The fact that 98% of middle school aged kids admit to having cheated on schoolwork is no big deal. The fact that many college age kids think the government should give them food, lodgings, money, etc. is no big deal...

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stevegt... to Cuppajo 2012/05/04 16:33:59

+1

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Cuppajo to stevegt... 2012/05/04 18:18:20