The Negative Effects Of Marijuana In Schools
Marijuana, while possibly enjoyable, has negative effects on a student’s school life if smoked daily. This can be seen in their poor academic performance during school. After-school, it is also reflected in their participation in sports. Pot can also drive a wedge between an adolescent and their loved ones. Research and personal stories have shown links between marijuana and grades.
Smoking marijuana everyday does not boost one’s grade, it only decreases it. Students who smoke marijuana daily tend to earn lower grades. One girl named Heather, from Chicago, had been a straight A student at the beginning of her freshman year. But “by the end of Heather’s freshman year, her grade-point average had plummeted from 4.0 to 1.2” (d’Aulaires 20). She had lost her straight A status and had began earning Cs, Ds, and Fs in its place. It is also difficult to be very efficient while high. This is because the main chemical in marijuana, THC, “may suppress the neurons of the hippocampus -- where short term memories are …show more content…
In fact, marijuana negatively alters performance. THC disrupts one’s playing abilities by interfering “with the normal functioning of the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance, posture, and coordination of movement” (ForReal.org). It also “impairs skills requiring eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time” (ESPN). Therefore, someone who is currently stoned could seriously injure themselves and/or others if they were to play a game like football or baseball, which requires eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time. Marijuana is not a one and done drug. These skills could be altered for “up to 24 to 36 hours after usage” (ESPN). So even if a student athlete were to smoke a day in advance of a practice or game, their abilities may still be diminished when it’s needed the most. Dropping grades and an inability to play at their best can cause a teenage pothead to lose several
Smoking marijuana everyday does not boost one’s grade, it only decreases it. Students who smoke marijuana daily tend to earn lower grades. One girl named Heather, from Chicago, had been a straight A student at the beginning of her freshman year. But “by the end of Heather’s freshman year, her grade-point average had plummeted from 4.0 to 1.2” (d’Aulaires 20). She had lost her straight A status and had began earning Cs, Ds, and Fs in its place. It is also difficult to be very efficient while high. This is because the main chemical in marijuana, THC, “may suppress the neurons of the hippocampus -- where short term memories are …show more content…
In fact, marijuana negatively alters performance. THC disrupts one’s playing abilities by interfering “with the normal functioning of the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance, posture, and coordination of movement” (ForReal.org). It also “impairs skills requiring eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time” (ESPN). Therefore, someone who is currently stoned could seriously injure themselves and/or others if they were to play a game like football or baseball, which requires eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time. Marijuana is not a one and done drug. These skills could be altered for “up to 24 to 36 hours after usage” (ESPN). So even if a student athlete were to smoke a day in advance of a practice or game, their abilities may still be diminished when it’s needed the most. Dropping grades and an inability to play at their best can cause a teenage pothead to lose several