Is Marijuana Safe? Experts Weigh in On Teen Weed Use

If you’re a young person in America today, there’s a chance you have smoked marijuana. In a 2019 report, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that 22.3% of 12th graders and 18.4% of 10th graders who were surveyed reported using marijuana in the past month, and 35.7% of 12th graders and 28.8% of 10th graders reported using marijuana in the past year. Considering the growing legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in states across the country, it seems that weed will only continue to become more pervasive and accessible. Because of this, it’s important that everyone — and young people especially — becomes educated about how to smoke weed safely, if they choose to at all.

Psychologist Jami Wolf-Dolan emphasizes that there is no such thing as completely safe drug use, even with marijuana. For young people particularly, smoking weed can impact your health.

“The human brain does not stop fully developing until the age of 25,” Wolf-Dolan explains. “Smoking pot at such an early life stage can impact how one learns certain life skills such as managing emotions or making friends, or can even potentially impair cognitive skills and memory. I think the safest way to smoke pot is to abstain during adolescence, but I also understand that’s a bit naive to ask of young people today.”

There is no hard or fast rule to determine how often one can smoke marijuana and still be “safe,” but there are certainly signs to look out for. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signs of marijuana dependency include trying but failing to quit using it, giving up important activities and relationships in order to use marijuana, and using it even when you know it causes problems in your daily life. If you are a regular marijuana user, look out for these signs, but also know it might not be so cut and dry.

“There are definitely varying levels of marijuana dependency,” says Wolf-Dolan. “Typically, we would say if you answer yes to one or two of the questions [we ask to diagnose dependency], you have a mild dependency.”

While some regular smokers develop a dependence on marijuana, other people who smoke weed live totally fulfilling and productive lives, despite the harmful stereotypes that say otherwise. Yasemin, a 23-year-old recent college graduate living in New Jersey, smokes weed approximately every other day and has not seen a significant negative impact on her life. “Usually, I smoke to relax. I smoke with friends more than I smoke by myself,” Yasemin tells Teen Vogue. “Smoking weed usually allows me to engage more vulnerably and comfortably with others, and smoking with friends is a great way to unwind. As long as I’m doing the things I need to do and I’m getting some sobriety into the week, I think my consumption of weed is chill. I could definitely stop smoking weed if I had to, and often do by choice when I feel like it’s something I don’t currently need or want.”

Despite this, Yasemin says that there have been times when that smoking habit was a negative. “At one point … when I was pretty depressed and feeling low, weed just started to not hit the same,” she recalls. “It no longer brought me joy or comfort, just intoxication. For a few weeks I didn’t really smoke because of that, but as I sort of got out of that funk, the more familiar euphoric, giggly, and sedative highs I look for started to come back.”

Yasemin brings up a common sentiment among regular smokers: Marijuana users report using the drug to self-medicate for issues like physical pain, anxiety, or depression. Some, like Yasemin, note that smoking weed makes them feel more giggly or creative, less anxious, or more comfortable in social situations. Interestingly however, some research seems to indicate otherwise. One 2018 study suggested that while smoking weed can make someone less anxious in the short term, the drug’s long term impact could exacerbate symptoms of anxiety. And with some reports indicating that the potency of THC in marijuana becoming stronger each year, as cited in a 2018 study in the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, it’s imperative that young people do not learn to treat mental disorders with marijuana.

“I believe there is a tendency for young people to use marijuana for mental health and physical symptoms because of the reduced negative opinion on marijuana use nowadays,” Shaudi Adel, a licensed clinical social worker in San Diego tells Teen Vogue. “Based on my previous work, the most common mental health concerns marijuana is reportedly used for are anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The issue, however, is that for many individuals, marijuana can lead to heightened anxiety, paranoia, and other physiological symptoms that mimic panic symptoms, including increased heart rate, changes in body temperature, disorientation, sense of slowed time, and tremors.”

Portia, a 22-year-old recent college graduate from Ohio, can speak to this first hand. Portia never smoked weed until entering college, and even then she only ever smoked socially in a group. While she recalls moments of joy that smoking weed brought her such as silly conversations with her friends while high, she quickly quit marijuana cold turkey after experiencing episodes of anxiety after using the drug.

“I stopped smoking weed almost a year after I had started,” says Portia. “One night I had a really bad panic attack after smoking, which induced a 3-month episode of DPDR (depersonalization-derealization). It was a terribly unpleasant and disturbing period, so I decided I wouldn’t risk it happening again and stopped smoking.”

At the end of the day, marijuana affects everyone’s brain and body differently. There is no magic formula that ensures you can smoke weed without side effects, but if you are smoking, it is imperative that you listen to your body and educate yourself. “Although smoking weed didn’t work for me, I still value its purpose and effectiveness for other people,” says Portia. “I consider myself a big weed-ally. I would say that if you often feel anxious, paranoid, or uncomfortable when smoking, you shouldn’t ignore those signs. I’m a huge supporter for the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, but I think with this process there needs to be a more serious, evidence-based conversation around the possible side effects and risks of weed consumption.”

If you are smoking marijuana as a young person, it is important to educate yourself about the drug and take advantage of all the resources available to you. “If you [think you have] developed a marijuana addiction, treatment can help,” says Ilana Breslau, a clinical psychologist based in New York City. “Your doctor, school or college counselor, or EAP (Employee Assistance Program) are good resources for a referral to a psychologist specializing in treating substance misuse. Alternatively, you can contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration confidential treatment referral service at 1-800-662-HELP.”