The Most Widely Used Illicit Drug in the United States

The most widely used illicit crud in the United States is marijuana. The most widely and popular illicit drug among college students is marijuana, with some students reporting using marijuana at least four times a week. But what are the academic implications of regular marijuana use? Will it negatively affect one’s GPA? This paper investigates and discusses the negative implications of regular marijuana use.

Introduction

Marijuana appears to be the drug of choice among college students and young adults and has been for the past decade. The prevalence of this particular illicit drug among this group of young adults brings to the forefront the question, what are the effects of marijuana use on grade point average (GPA)? Who is using the drug and how often? What are the effects of marijuana on the brain and brain processes? As a college student these questions are so important because the drug is so readily available to us and with the ongoing legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use it’s important to know the facts. While marijuana remains a schedule 1 drug, it is still the most widely used illicit drug among college students in America.

This paper will cover how marijuana acts in the brain, and how the drug alters normal psychological and physiological processes. I will also cover information of the prevalence of use and abuse among college students and what motivates them to use the drug.

Marijuana in The Brain

Marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa, is dried and rolled into cigarettes and smoked. In small to moderate doses, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plants active ingredient, is absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs, and produces feelings of well-being and euphoria. When THC e...

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... their non-smoking counterparts.

Marijuana and Educational Success

Marijuana definitely impacts educational success affecting motivation, GPA, and overall performance. But can marijuana use solely be to blame for academic failure? A report by John Schulenburg, Jerald G. Bachman, Patrick M. O’Malley and Lloyd D. Johnson claims that “the lack of educational success reflects a lack of current or perceived future opportunities, and substance use and other delinquent acts emerge as a coping response to the frustrations of poor school performance.” Along with that claim, they state poor academic success comes prior to drug use. These are profound findings! Marijuana and substance abuse comes after poor school performance, and is used as a coping mechanism. They also state factors like poor parenting and the looming pressures of adulthood as precursors to drug use.