So now that you know some of the reasons pot can be dangerous, and you understand how tolerance may play a role, we thought we would provide you with five more interesting facts about pot…

1. Marijuana and driving do not mix (you totally knew that already). In fact, Marijuana negatively impacts a number of skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction time—it is not safe to drive high or ride with someone who has been smoking. (This is one of the endless reasons most adults don’t want their children to smoke pot—they are afraid of the many deadly accidents that occur when someone is high on pot.)

(Source: https://www.livescience.com/56932-marijuana-use-impairs-motor-skills-coordination.html)

2. Marijuana’s negative effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for up to 24 hours. (now go try to take that science test…). 

(Source: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/marijuana-use-and-its-effects#2)

3. Long-term use of pot leads to less dopamine in the brain—dopamine is the chemical associated with positive feelings, motivation, reward and executive functions in the brain (Translation? You don’t feel as happy or motivated in life in general… so you smoke more to deal with your worsening moods and continue to decrease brain power). However, this decrease in dopamine is reversible if one stops using the drug early enough.

(Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314222.php)

4. “Teenagers may be more vulnerable to addiction. Those who start using at a younger age are at higher risk. Approximately one in six will become addicted.” (That means line up five of your friends (and pretend you all use pot)… one of you will be an addict. Will it be you?)

(Source: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-adolescent-substance-use-disorder-treatment-research-based-guide/frequently-asked-questions/it-possible-teens-to-become-addicted-to-marijuana)

5. When Colorado legalized marijuana, the state experienced four times the amount of ER admissions for teenagers due to marijuana use. This underscores that teens and marijuana are not a healthy combination.

(Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pot-legalized-colorado-teens-hospital-er/)