60 Percent of U.S. High School Senior do not Think Marijuana is Unhealthy

With many states in the U.S. legalizing the medical and recreational use of marijuana, a recent survey from the National Institutes of Health showed that close to sixty percent of U.S. high school seniors did not believe that regularly smoking weed is detrimental to their health. The recorded data findings also suggest that students are using the drug more than in the past.

"We should be extremely concerned that 12 percent of 13-to-14-year-olds are using marijuana. The children whose experimentation leads to regular use are setting themselves up for declines in IQ and diminished ability for success in life," Dr. Nora Volkow said, via Time. She is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

According to the NIH 2013 Monitoring the Future Survey that measures drug use and other related opinions among eighth, 10^th and 12^th graders in the United States, close to 41,675 students from 389 schools participated in the survey with only 39.5 percent of the 12^th graders recording that marijuana was harmful. In the same survey, data notes that 44.1 percent felt the same way last year.

Pot usage among this age group has also slightly increased over the years, to 6.5 percent of seniors admitting to daily use, compared to 6 percent who reported the habit in 2004 and 2.4 percent in 1993.

Some may take marijuana for medicinal purposes. At this time, 20 states and counting in the U.S. have legalized the drug for medical use, along with two that have also legalized it for recreational purposes. Marijuana has been linked to an increase in appetite and a decrease in weight loss, and may be particularly helpful for those with AIDs or Cancer.

However, the risks of chronic cannabinoid use have also been linked to poor memory and disrupted brain function. Especially for a teenage brain, this is a terrible habit that could disrupt the learning process.

Fortunately, among researchers' findings, the study authors note one positive fact: the use of K2 or Spice, commonly referred to as synthetic marijuana, dropped 3.4 percent among the same high school seniors.

"Synthetic drugs are particularly dangerous because their ingredients are unknown, they have not been tested for safety and their ever-changing ingredients can be unusually powerful," said lead researcher Lloyd Johnston, according to WTNH. "Users really don't know what they are getting."

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