I’ve been in the field of substance abuse for close to 15 years, and I find myself questioning how society and our perception of substance abuse has changed. I have been fighting the devastating effects of substance abuse and, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be getting better. As a matter of fact, my recent conclusions are that we have moved to the place where there seems to be an acceptable level of drug use that we feel is harmless or indefensible. It has become the norm.
It saddens me to think that our culture has become apathetic to a problem that takes such a heavy toll, especially on the next generation.
One of the biggest issues is how the perception of the use of gateway drugs like marijuana has changed. It seems that parents today accept the role of marijuana in our adolescent population. We say, “I tried marijuana when I was a teen and quit when I grew up.” The misconception is that today’s marijuana is the same as the marijuana being smoked 15-20 years ago.
Today’s marijuana is much more highly concentrated than in prior years. Today’s marijuana has a much higher level of THC (active ingredient). The University of Mississippi’s, Potency Monitoring Project reports average levels 2.5-3 times higher than 1983. This newer, higher concentration creates greater susceptibility to addiction. Therefore, the user is more likely to develop a physiological addiction to the marijuana smoked in the 1960s and 1970s.
In other words, it’s not your daddy’s marijuana.
As an addiction counselor, I currently have clients reporting the inability to stop their marijuana use. Ten years ago I rarely had clients complain of marijuana addiction.
The high potency of the THC replaces the natural cannabinoids in the brain. As the brain grows accustomed to these higher levels dependency develops. The brain adapts itself to the presence of the substitute and slows down the production of its own natural chemistry.
My own naivete allowed my children to become addicted. I was not aware that the drug culture had changed or that the drugs had changed. I excused my children’s behavior as experimental and part of “growing up in America.” I was wrong.
As a parent you have an obligation to know the facts about the dangers of drug abuse. Today’s experimentation is the seed of tomorrow’s addiction. Go to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Know the facts, save a generation.
Life is too hard to do alone, let’s do it together!
Pastor Dan
Dan Cosby is founder of Recovery Church, a Christian community open to diverse concepts of spirituality, accepting all who share a nonjudgmental belief in the values of trust, compassion, openness and service. Skeptical? Subscribe to erecoverychurch.com to learn more.Life is too hard to do alone, let’s do it together.
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