People, especially youngsters, tend to think that taking drugs is not as dangerous as taking alcohol. This is a misconception that has led to an increased rate of drugged-driving death cases which seem to be in the rise and has, now, outnumbered drunk-driving deaths. Amaura Kemmerer directs the Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern – OPEN – centre at Northeastern University which provides non-judgemental service to students who are facing problems with drugs, alcohol, sexual violence, and sexual health. He had invited Jason Kilmer, a researcher on the impact of marijuana on users aged between 18 and 25, to have a discussion on the same with the teachers and students of the University.
Kilmer was able to bring to the audience’s attention some interesting and unknown points. He talked about how, in spite of the fact that marijuana use maybe legal in the US, allowing such activity within school boundaries could lead to the termination of federal funding for them. Further, he talked about how the tetrahydrocannabinol content in the marijuana used today is more in quantity and, thus, more dangerous.
Another important concern that Kilmer raised was about the impact of weed on one’s sleep cycles. Though doing drugs may help one to go to sleep, this does not mean that the body is going to wake up refreshed in the morning because the drug hampers with the normal sleep cycle. The impact of the drug on the human body is much graver than one thinks. It takes about four weeks for the drug’s cognitive impacts to completely fade in a regular user, Kilmer adds.
Using drugs is seen to be on the rise, especially amongst the youth. Along with discussions on the harmful effects of these on the human body, what we also need is venturing upon a quest to find out what it is that pushes them to resort to this.
N Malavika Mohan
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