By Stephen Gray Wallace, MS Ed
Not that it wasn’t predictable, but the federal government, fueled by new Monitoring the Future data collected by the University of Michigan on behalf of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is reporting a rise in the illicit use of marijuana among high school students.
Shocking.
Did we really believe the loosening of restrictions on marijuana sales, possession, and use — including those related to “medicinal marijuana” — were to have no effect on those we have worked so hard to protect from the ravages of substance use condition and disorder. Not so much.
In fact, the national SADD organization predicted as much when it rallied publicly against decriminalizing the possession of marijuana years ago, stating, “Decriminalization would encourage increased use, including among teenagers. Decriminalization also sends the message that marijuana is harmless, which is not the case. The developing brains of teenagers are susceptible to negative changes as a result of drug and alcohol use, and these changes can be permanent.”
This statement foreshadowed much of the information just released from NIDA, including reference to the normalizing of use and detrimental impact on maturing adolescent brains. Citing a new study by scientists at Northwestern University, NIDA director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, said, “What is worrisome is that we’re seeing high levels of everyday use of marijuana among teenagers … the type that is most likely to have negative effects on brain function and performance.”
What are those effects?
According to the Northwestern study, they include differences in structures such as the thalamus, globus pallidus and striatum. Translation: a decline in “working memory” vital to such tasks as solving puzzles, remembering numbers or quickly processing information needed to perform everyday tasks. Working memory is also a strong predictor of academic success, according to Matthew J. Smith, an author of the study.
The NIDA report also highlights concern that the relaxation of restrictions on marijuana (which can now be sold legally in 20 states and Washington, DC) has been influencing the behavior of teenagers. The federal statistics tell us that more than 12 percent of eighth graders and 36 percent of high school seniors, at both public and private schools, reported smoking marijuana in the past year. Perhaps most alarming is that approximately 60 percent of seniors said they did not believe regular use of the drug is harmful.
The takeaway?
Prevention programming, such as the type provided by SADD through its thousands of school-based chapters across the country, works.
We must remain focused on the future, recommitting to initiatives aimed at keeping young people safe, alive and in pursuit of the positive youth outcomes they seek, lest our decades of work go up in smoke.
Stephen Gray Wallace is an associate research professor and director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University.
