Why everything we’re taught about weed is wrong

For many people, certain facts about weed have been pushed on them since grade school. From 1983 to 2009, we Gen Z’ers were the last to deal with the D.A.R.E program as it was, and they were adamant about pushing straight-up lies onto us. 

Things like “weed is a gateway drug” and “It’s going to kill you” aren’t facts; they are, however, scare tactics. The facts are that most people who smoke weed don’t even go on to smoke weed, and as for it killing you, that is physically impossible. According to reports from 2016 88,000 people die from alcohol poisoning each year,  480,000 people succumb to tobacco each year, and a whole whopping zero people die from marijuana overdose every year. 

And on the topic of being addictive, 98 percent of people who do pot don’t even continue to do pot. The facts are that if you’re over 25, you will be perfectly safe. However, if you are under 25 and especially if you are under 18 it will have some side effects. 

The side effects are the following: damage to learning ability, inability to recall facts you just learned, slowed reaction time, inability to concentrate, and slowed or slurred speech during or for a couple of hours after a session. 

On top of that, it’s still dangerous for certain people to smoke. For one weed is a plant, plants create pollen, pollen creates sometimes allergic reactions. Not to mention it can be dangerous for people who do have conditions related to their lungs. Asthma, A collapsed lung, and other breathing conditions can cause very dangerous complications due to the potency of pot smoke. Then there are recovering addicts, for lots of recovering addicts the euphoria related to weed could be unsatisfying due to their tolerance and this could cause them to go back to harder substances to chase a high. 

But the final point is pot is sadly still illegal, and getting caught with any amount in the state of Iowa comes with up to two years in jail and a $6,250 fine, which is a bit overdramatic, but be that as it may, it isn’t worth the hassle. Moral of the story, don’t smoke pot in Iowa, and definitely don’t smoke pot under the age of 25.