Marijuana Use among College Students and Its Impact on Their Academic Performance - Essay Example

"Marijuana Use among College Students and Its Impact on Their Academic Performance" is a well-written example of a paper on addiction.
One of the largest public health issues among college students is the use of marijuana. At North Dakota State University, 9.5 percent of students were found to have consumed marijuana within the last 30 days in the 2012 CORE data whereas 21.7 percent were found to have consumed it within the past year (“Marijuana: The Basics”). College students are mostly at an age when they want to experiment with new things in life. Drugs and narcotics are just other things they want to try. However, once they try things like marijuana, there is no turning back. They only consume more and more marijuana.

Marijuana consumption affects the physical health, social life, and academic performance of college students. College students have to hide marijuana from the college administration because most colleges ban the use of marijuana. In order to get marijuana, college students get in touch with illegal drug supply networks. They bunk their classes to find a quiet and hidden spot to consume marijuana. When they consume marijuana, they become so carried away by its effects that they cannot pay attention to studies. When they become used to consuming marijuana and do not get it, then they become very angry and depressed. Either way, they get in such a lifestyle and develop such a personality with which they cannot do good in studies. “Research has shown that marijuana's negative effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off” (“Marijuana Abuse”). They don’t get help in studies from other students who know they consume marijuana. Marijuana consumers are pushed into social exclusion.