With the growth of social media over the past few decades, it is easier for teenagers to gain access and knowledge about drugs. They may see somebody else partaking in them on the internet, or even getting offered drugs. This often leads to peer pressure and gets underage kids to try illegal drugs. 15 percent of high school students have reported using illicit drugs such as marijuana. 

“I started (smoking marijuana) at 15. At first, it was just something new that my friends did, so I gave it a try. As we hung out more, it sort of just came along with it,” Student C said.

“I started, vaping, nicotine when I was 15. A reason why I started doing it was because of peer pressure,” Student A said.

“I was hanging out with two friends who smoke (marijuana), and they offered me some. I was curious and thought there wouldn’t be a serious negative effect,” Student E said. “Since we weren’t friends for too long, I think there was something about wanting to belong.”

It is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, that drug addiction can lead to poor grades, low esteem, memory challenges, attention deficits and poor social skills.

“I never realized how much it affected me academically until I quit. My way of thinking has completely changed,” Student D said.

Marijuana is addictive. It is reported that one in six people who start using it as a teen, and 25-50 percent of people who use it every day, become addicted.

“I wouldn’t consider myself addicted. Marijuana use disorder is a genuine problem I’ve seen some struggle with before. Even one of my closest friends, as he uses it daily,” Student C said.

“I would say I relied on it to have a good time. Granted I could go without it for days or weeks at a time, but no matter the situation I was in I was always thinking, ‘This would be better if I was high.’ It was on my mind a majority of the time,” Student D said.

Research shows that approximately 9 percent, or about 1 in 11, of those who use marijuana will become addicted. This rate increases to 17 percent, or about 1 in 6, if you start in your teens, and goes up to 25-50 percent among daily users.

It was reported that 4.9% of eighth graders, 5.7% of 10th graders, and 8.0% of 12th graders have used any drug other than marijuana in the past year.

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) is a synthetic psychedelic drug that can cause intensified thoughts and emotions, and with enough dosage, can cause hallucinations.

Psilocybin mushrooms, known as mushrooms or shrooms, are also a psychedelic drug. This drug is a naturally occurring drug that can have similar effects to LSD

“I haven’t tried anything harder than marijuana, but if I didn’t quit, I think I would’ve tried LSD or Mushrooms,” Student D said.

“I smoked marijuana for a couple of years and got offered mushrooms one weekend. The effect was far more intense than marijuana and I had a bad trip because of it. I haven’t tried shrooms or anything harder since,” Student F said.