USA - When the Message on Marijuana Is Still ‘Just Say No’

In a New York Times article written by KJ Dell’Antonia entitled “When the Message on Marijuana Is Still ‘Just Say No’” the marijuana consumption of teenagers in the US and the fact that the use of marijuana has changed are discussed. As known, marijuana is legal for medical use in already 23 states, of which two, namely Washington and Colorado, have legalized it also for recreational use for people the age of 21 and over.
The author says that the perception of marijuana legalization depends very much of the family situation. If the parents smoke or smoked “pot”, then they might perceive the idea of a free-for-everyone consumption differently than a family where none of the members have ever consumed marijuana.
The fact that in a lot of States marijuana is used as medicine doesn’t mean that it’s good for everyone. In fact the effects of marijuana on a developing brain aren’t fully clear yet. Often young smokers have bad memory, which leads to bad school performance, but we have to remember that teens that are already struggling with brain function problem may more likely start consuming marijuana.                                      
When teachers find out that a student smoked or even brought along marijuana to a party, they might be thrown out of a team or band. In almost every high school there is a no-tolerance policy concerning marijuana and it’s still illegal in every state for teenagers.
A conviction due to illegal marijuana consumption can have big consequences on the later life. For example, one may not get a visa for some countries or may be disqualified for some jobs or not get admission to some colleges. The police often look the other way when the suspected teenager is white, but in case of a black teen or other minority children this often isn’t the case.
In the article it is said that the most important thing for parents is to have open and ongoing conversations with their children. The parents should also respect the perspective of their children and also talk about the perspective of other families. A Colorado Hospital worker tells us, “Have conversations, not lectures”.

What we have to say about this:

Marijuana is the most commonly consumed illegal drug in the world according to US government statistics. Not only in America, but also in many other countries the legalization of marijuana is a frequently discussed topic. Many people have different opinions about this issue partly because the effects of the drug on the brain and body haven’t been studied in detail yet. Especially teenagers are vulnerable to this because of the fact that their brain and body haven’t fully developed at this point of age. A widely spread myth is that marijuana a can cause schizophrenia. It has been proven, however, that this is only the case if the consumer already feels a certain degree of schizophrenia. In other words, the drug enhances emotional feelings and this has an impact on how the brain works.
As mentioned in the article the consumption of marijuana is legal in 23 States for medical usage and in two States even for recreational use. The US is one of the only countries were the state shows such a tolerance.
The legalization of cannabis is discussed in many countries, so what is the situation in Switzerland, or, more specifically, in Basel? The article released by the “Basler Zeitung” shows that the drug is quite popular in our city. At the moment one would receive a fine of 100CHF when 18 or over if caught smoking pot. If a teenager gets busted, he will attain help from the State in form of self-help groups and will be registered in the police file. This file will be erased if no further illegal actions are committed until reaching the age of 18. But due to the common use of marijuana here there might be a penalty free use in Basel in the future.
An important point that is mentioned in the article is is the attitude of the parents and family. Parents shouldn’t hold lectures about how bad the consumption of marijuana is, but instead hold ongoing conversations with the child. They should also let the teens make their own experiences. This is because the parents often are too strict and achieve the exact opposite of their intentions.
A sad thing in the US is that adolescents of minority families often receive a more severe penalty than white teens, who often get away without having to face any consequences. We think that this discrimination shouldn’t be the case in the 21st century anymore. The penalties in Switzerland are the same for every race, but still areas where a lot of migrants live have a higher density of police forces.
If you compare the laws of the US to those in Switzerland, the main difference is that the consumption of marijuana is illegal here, even though it’s often tolerated. In our opinion the usage of marijuana should be legal because most of the consumers who are high have a higher self-control than than people who are intoxicated with alcohol. Moreover, there is no reported death caused directly by cannabis. We think it is important though to remember that that the effects of marijuana haven’t been fully understood yet and consumers should be mindful, because it often leads to harder drugs. Since everyone can make their own choice whether or not they want to consume cannabis, we believe Coffee Shops like in Amsterdam would be sensible because regulated and controllable. (ol, lu)