Is Weed So Bad? Well ...

Dear Joe,
I’m in my first year at University and I have noticed that a lot of people smoke marijuana—like a lot. I was always told that it was like the end of your life if you did it. There are people that are always high and still get good grades and stuff. I hear that it’s not as bad as alcohol. Why do our parents and the government tell us it’s so bad if it really isn’t? There’s medical marijuana and successful people that do it. So what’s the deal? Why do they tell us it’s so bad?—Wendy 

Well Wendy,
First of all, I know this line of questioning. It’s a bit of a baiting and it often used by people to prove a point, that weed isn’t bad. Yes, I am just going to call it weed. Saying marijuana or cannabis doesn’t make it more legitimate. I will still give you an honest answer to your questions and do my best to hope that it is a real concern of yours and not just a joke.

I remember my first year at a university. I actually went to a school that is considered a “drug” school, so I saw many people using and abusing drugs. It gave me firsthand experience to reinforce my organized learning. It’s a big subject and I’ll try to give it as much time and respect as it deserves.

You say that you are taught that smoking weed is the end of your life. Smoking, in and of itself, is not the end of anyone’s life. The problems people have do not arise from the substance, but in their poor decisions and actions. Place some weed on a table, leave it there for a week and when you come back nothing bad will happen. Weed is not the problem it is the person. I have seen those ridiculous D.A.R.E. presentations that are given at schools. They do more to get kids doing drugs than stop them. They tell you that weed is the end of your life and you will be in jail or selling your body if you see it or touch it.