COLUMN: I have never been and I will never be a pot smoker
On 4/20, many will be "celebrating" by smoking marijuana and getting high. I will be treating it like any other day: binge watching Netflix shows while doing homework and counting down the days until graduation.
I have never, and will never, smoke pot. I have no desire to get high and "forget about my problems for a while," as I've heard from many who smoke marijuana. I have lost a lot of friends because the only thing they want to do is get high.
Many people believe marijuana is not addictive, but contrary to popular belief, it can be. The more someone is exposed to overstimulation, the more the brain needs the stimulation, thus leading to an addiction.
I have many medical reasons that would allow me to smoke marijuana if I wanted to; generalized anxiety, an autoimmune disorder that makes my body ache and severe acid reflux—all of these medical diagnoses can get me a green card for medicinal marijuana.
I choose to find other ways to alleviate pain; ways that don't affect the way I feel or think.The long-term effects of marijuana are still being researched, but researchers do know that the use of marijuana can affect thinking, memory and learning functions and the way the brain connects to these functions.
I am one of the people who choose to stay away from marijuana. In a country that is fighting to make this drug legal, I am scared to express how I feel about the drug. It is easier to not say anything at all and be extremely uncomfortable around everyone who smokes pot than it is to speak up for myself.
I have been teased and name-called because I stand by my beliefs. I really thought after four years of high school and four years of college the peer pressure and bullying would end — but it only gets worse.
I will always love my friends who choose to make different life choices than I do, and I am thankful for the friends who do respect my decision. The only thing I ask is to not be ridiculed for not participating.
