# data[].attributes.body
Marijuana has 4 times more tar deposition when compared to cigarettes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ordering Publications

Call 1-877-643-2644 or:

APA Style MLA Style AMA Style

NIDA. (2018, June 25). Marijuana. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana

​Research Reports

This series of reports simplifies the science of research findings for the educated lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. The series reports on research findings of national interest.

Lesson Plan and Activity Finder

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What are marijuana's effects on lung health?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke is an irritant to the throat and lungs and can cause a heavy cough during use. It also contains levels of volatile chemicals and tar that are similar to tobacco smoke, raising concerns about risk for cancer and lung disease.68

# data[].attributes.body
Childhood Marijuana use affects learning ability memory, coordination, balance, judgment and decision making

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parents Need to Educate Their Teens on the Dangers of Smoking Pot

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With marijuana being legalized in more and more states, it’s no wonder that teenagers may believe it’s safe for them to use. But evidence shows it’s not.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that teen pregnancy in 2010 it awarded $9.4 billion . Pregnancy also causes girls to drop out of school, or lose education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The US teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years) has been declining since 1991. Teen birth rates continued to decline from 17.4 per 1,000 females in 2018 to 16.7 per 1,000 females in 2019. This is another record low for US teens and a decrease of 4% from 2018. 1,2 Birth rates fell 7% for females aged 15 to 17 years and 4% for females aged 18 to 19 years. ²

Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years. 3, 4

Still, the US teen birth rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, 5 and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist. 1,2

Disparities in Teen Birth Rates

Teen birth rates declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups and for Hispanics. 1,2 Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:

5.2% for Hispanic females.

5.8% for non-Hispanic White females.

1.9% for non-Hispanic Black females.

Rates for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander teenagers were unchanged.

In 2019, the birth rates for Hispanic teens (25.3) and non-Hispanic Black teens (25.8) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White teens (11.4). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (29.2) was highest among all race/ethnicities. 1

Birth Rates for Females Aged 15 to 19 Years, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Mother: United States, 2018 and 2019

Data source: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2019. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2021;70(2):1-50.

Geographic differences in teen birth rates persist, both within and across states. Although among states with low overall teen birth rates, some counties have high teen birth rates. ⁶

Social determinants of health, such as low education and low income levels of a teen's family, may contribute to high teen birth rates. ⁷ Teens in certain settings are at higher risk of teen pregnancy and birth than other groups. For example, young women living in foster care are more than twice as likely to become pregnant than young women not in foster care. ⁸

To improve the life opportunities of adolescents facing significant health disparities and to have the greatest effect on overall US teen birth rates, CDC uses data to inform and direct interventions and resources to areas with the greatest need.

The Importance of Prevention

Teen pregnancy and childbearing are associated with increased social and economic costs through immediate and long-term effects on teen parents and their children.

Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age, whereas approximately 90% of women who do not give birth during adolescence graduate from high school.¹⁰

The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and to drop out of high school, have more health problems, be incarcerated at some time during adolescence, give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment as a young adult.¹¹

On a positive note, between 1991 and 2015, the teen birth rate dropped 64%, which resulted in $4.4 billion in public savings in 2015 alone.¹²

Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs have been identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review, which used a systematic process for reviewing evaluation studies against a rigorous standard. The Evidence Review covers a variety of diverse programs, including sexuality education programs, youth development programs, abstinence education programs, clinic-based programs, and programs specifically designed for diverse populations and settings. In addition to evidence-based prevention programs, teens need access to youth-friendly reproductive health services and support from parents and other trusted adults, who can play an important role in helping teens make healthy choices about relationships, sex, and birth control. Efforts at the community level that address social and economic factors associated with teen pregnancy also play a critical role in addressing racial/ethnic and geographical disparities observed in teen births in the United States.

References

1. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2019. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2021;70(2):1-50.

2. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2018. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2019;68(13):1-47.

3. Santelli J, Lindberg L, Finer L, Singh S. Explaining recent declines in adolescent pregnancy in the United States: the contribution of abstinence and improved contraceptive use. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(1):150-6.

4. Lindberg LD, Santelli JS, Desai S. Understanding the decline in adolescent fertility in the United States, 2007-2012. J Adolesc Health. 2016:1-7.

5. Sedgh G, Finer LB, Bankole A, Eilers MA, Singh S. Adolescent pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates across countries: levels and recent trends. J Adolesc Health. 2015;56(2):223-30.

6. Romero L, Pazol K, Warner L, et al. Reduced disparities in birth rates among teens aged 15 to 19 Years-United States, 2006-2007 and 2013-2014. MMWR Morbid and Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(16):409-414.

7. Penman-Aguilar A, Carter M, Snead M, Kourtis A. Socioeconomic disadvantage as a social determinant of teen childbearing in the US Public Health Rep. 2013;128(suppl 1):5-22.

8. Boonstra HD. Teen pregnancy among women in foster care: a primer. Guttmacher Policy Review. 2011; 14(2).

9. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Counting It Up: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing 2013. Accessed March 31, 2016.

10. Perper K, Peterson K, Manlove J. Diploma Attainment Among Teen Mothers. Child Trends, Fact Sheet Publication #2010-01: Washington, DC: Child Trends; 2010.

11. Hoffman SD. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press; 2008.

12. Power to Decide. Progress Pays Off. Accessed January 10, 2019.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teen pregnancy and childbearing bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children.

# data[].attributes.body
Self harm can be caused by many things like friends that cause self harm, alcohol and drug use, age, mental health, and life issues. There are also a few ways to help prevent self harm, like identifying the ones that are in danger and offer help, encouraging that they expand their social networks, raise awareness, promote programs that encourage them to seek help, and offer education about media influence. There are many forms of self harm like cutting, burning, and interfering with wounds healing. there is also partaking in drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Overview

Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, this type of self-injury is a harmful way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.

While self-injury may bring a momentary sense of calm and a release of tension, it's usually followed by guilt and shame and the return of painful emotions. Although life-threatening injuries are usually not intended, with self-injury comes the possibility of more-serious and even fatal self-aggressive actions.

Getting appropriate treatment can help you learn healthier ways to cope.

Products & Services

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of self-injury may include:

Scars, often in patterns

Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks or other wounds

Excessive rubbing of an area to create a burn

Keeping sharp objects on hand

Wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather

Frequent reports of accidental injury

Difficulties in interpersonal relationships

Behavioral and emotional instability, impulsivity and unpredictability

Statements of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness

Forms of self-injury

Self-injury usually occurs in private and is done in a controlled or ritualistic manner that often leaves a pattern on the skin. Examples of self-harm include:

Cutting (cuts or severe scratches with a sharp object)

Scratching

Burning (with lit matches, cigarettes or heated, sharp objects such as knives)

Carving words or symbols on the skin

Self-hitting, punching or head banging

Piercing the skin with sharp objects

Inserting objects under the skin

Most frequently, the arms, legs and front of the torso are the targets of self-injury, but any area of the body may be used for self-injury. People who self-injure may use more than one method to harm themselves.

Becoming upset can trigger an urge to self-injure. Many people self-injure only a few times and then stop. But for others, self-injury can become a long-term, repetitive behavior.

When to see a doctor

If you're injuring yourself, even in a minor way, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself, reach out for help. Any form of self-injury is a sign of bigger issues that need to be addressed.

Talk to someone you trust - such as a friend, loved one, doctor, spiritual leader, or a school counselor, nurse or teacher - who can help you take the first steps to successful treatment. While you may feel ashamed and embarrassed about your behavior, you can find supportive, caring and nonjudgmental help.

When a friend or loved one self-injures

If you have a friend or loved one who is self-injuring, you may be shocked and scared. Take all talk of self-injury seriously. Although you might feel that you'd be betraying a confidence, self-injury is too big a problem to ignore or to deal with alone. Here are some ways to help.

Your child. You can start by consulting your pediatrician or other health care provider who can provide an initial evaluation or a referral to a mental health professional. Express your concern, but don't yell at your child or make threats or accusations.

Preteen or teenage friend. Suggest that your friend talk to parents, a teacher, a school counselor or another trusted adult.

Adult. Gently express your concern and encourage the person to seek medical and mental health treatment.

When to get emergency help

If you've injured yourself severely or believe your injury may be life-threatening, or if you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

Also consider these options if you're having suicidal thoughts:

Call your mental health professional if you're seeing one.

Call a suicide hotline. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or use their webchat on suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat.

Seek help from your school nurse or counselor, teacher, doctor, or other health care provider.

Reach out to a close friend or loved one.

Contact a spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.

Causes

There's no one single or simple cause that leads someone to self-injure. In general, self-injury may result from:

Poor coping skills. Nonsuicidal self-injury is usually the result of an inability to cope in healthy ways with psychological pain.

Difficulty managing emotions. The person has a hard time regulating, expressing or understanding emotions. The mix of emotions that triggers self-injury is complex. For instance, there may be feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger, guilt, rejection, self-hatred or confused sexuality

Through self-injury, the person may be trying to:

Manage or reduce severe distress or anxiety and provide a sense of relief

Provide a distraction from painful emotions through physical pain

Feel a sense of control over his or her body, feelings, or life situations

Feel something - anything - even if it's physical pain, when feeling emotionally empty

Express internal feelings in an external way

Communicate depression or distressful feelings to the outside world

Be punished for perceived faults

Risk factors

Most people who self-injure are teenagers and young adults, although those in other age groups also self-injure. Self-injury often starts in the preteen or early teen years, when emotions are more volatile and teens face increasing peer pressure, loneliness, and conflicts with parents or other authority figures.

Certain factors may increase the risk of self-injury, including:

Having friends who self-injure. People who have friends who intentionally harm themselves are more likely to begin self-injuring.

Life issues. Some people who injure themselves were neglected, were sexually, physically or emotionally abused, or experienced other traumatic events. They may have grown up and still remain in an unstable family environment, or they may be young people questioning their personal identity or sexuality. Some people who self-injure are socially isolated.

Mental health issues. People who self-injure are more likely to be highly self-critical and be poor problem-solvers. In addition, self-injury is commonly associated with certain mental disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders.

Alcohol or drug use. People who harm themselves often do so while under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs.

Complications

Self-injury can cause a variety of complications, including:

Worsening feelings of shame, guilt and low self-esteem

Infection, either from wounds or from sharing tools

Permanent scars or disfigurement

Severe, possibly fatal injury

Worsening of underlying issues and disorders, if not adequately treated

Suicide risk

Although self-injury is not usually a suicide attempt, it can increase the risk of suicide because of the emotional problems that trigger self-injury. And the pattern of damaging the body in times of distress can make suicide more likely.

Prevention

There is no sure way to prevent your loved one's self-injuring behavior. But reducing the risk of self-injury includes strategies that involve both individuals and communities. Parents, family members, teachers, school nurses, coaches or friends can help.

Identify someone at risk and offer help. Someone at risk can be taught resilience and healthy coping skills that can be used during periods of distress.

Encourage expansion of social networks. Many people who self-injure feel lonely and disconnected. Helping someone form connections to people who don't self-injure can improve relationship and communication skills.

Raise awareness. Learn about the warning signs of self-injury and what to do when you suspect it.

Encourage peers to seek help. Peers tend to be loyal to friends. Encourage children, teens and young adults to avoid secrecy and reach out for help if they have a concern about a friend or loved one.

Talk about media influence. News media, music and other highly visible outlets that feature self-injury may nudge vulnerable children and young adults to experiment. Teaching children critical thinking skills about the influences around them might reduce the harmful impact.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Self-injury/cutting - Symptoms and causes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, this type of self-injury is a harmful way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.

# data[].attributes.body
The researchers found that sensation seeking peaked at age 13 before decreasing through adolescence. At that age teens want thrills so they turn to smoking. - Futurity Organization

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teens who are "sensation seekers" may be more likely than others to smoke cigarettes, new research shows.

The researchers examined the association between sensation seeking-the desire for new and intense experiences-and cigarette smoking through adolescence and young adulthood. They found that sensation seeking was more strongly associated with smoking cigarettes during adolescence than at other ages, suggesting that sensation-seeking teens may be more likely to smoke than their peers.

...the findings could help pinpoint who is most at risk for experimenting with cigarettes...

The findings could help improve smoking prevention and intervention programs and also pave the way to learn more about why some teens are more likely to smoke than others, says David Lydon-Staley, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who worked on the study while a doctoral candidate at Penn State.

"It could be that being high in sensation seeking was enough to drive these adolescents to smoke," Lydon-Staley says. "But given that we found age differences in the association between sensation seeking and smoking, it's also important and interesting to think about factors like cigarettes being illegal for these adolescents to buy, and if that could be part of the thrill. Looking at that broader psychosocial context is important for understanding these associations."

According to previous research, 18 percent of eighth graders and 40 percent of 12th graders have reported smoking at some point in their lives. Previous research has also shown that risk-taking behaviors tend to increase in adolescence, and that many adult smokers started when they were teenagers.

Lydon-Staley says how the brain develops during adolescence can partially explain this peak in risk taking.

"The part of the brain that responds to rewards seems to be highly responsive during adolescence, which may lead adolescents to pursue the potential rewards available through smoking," Lydon-Staley says. "At the same time, the parts of the brain that inhibit impulses are still developing. There's this mismatch in regions of the brain that encourage approach toward rewards, and regions that are involved in inhibiting this impulse."

While this gives insight into why teens in general are drawn to risky behaviors, the researchers say it does not help identify which teens are more likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol. Because not every teen smokes, the researchers wanted to identify individual risk factors that may lead adolescents to try the habit.

For the study, the researchers analyzed a national dataset with data gathered from 5,080 adolescents and young adults over a 13-year period. Each participant reported how often they smoked and rated how much they agreed with the statement, "I like to take risks," which helped measure how motivated they were by sensation seeking.

The researchers found that sensation seeking peaked at age 13.74 before decreasing through adolescence and reaching its lowest point at 30.91 years of age. Additionally, the chance of smoking at any point in the previous month increased sharply from age 12 to age 18.

When they examined the relationship between sensation seeking and smoking, the researchers found that while there was an association at almost every age, the strongest association was between 15 and 16 years old. The association became nonsignificant around the age of 32.

Lydon-Staley says the findings could help pinpoint who is most at risk for experimenting with cigarettes, potentially improving prevention and intervention efforts.

"The next step is drilling down and trying to figure out what it is about sensation seekers that make them more likely to smoke," Lydon-Staley says. "Is it the way they view the positive and negatives of smoking, or is it their ability to control their behavior when there's something that they really strongly desire? Learning more is a clear next step."

The researchers report their work in the Journal of Research on Adolescence.

Charles Geier, an associate professor of human development and family studies and a professor in developmental neuroscience, also participated in this study.

The Prevention Research and Methodology Centers at Penn State and the National Institute on Drug Abuse supported the research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Are teen thrill-seekers more likely to smoke? - Futurity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Understanding how sensation seeking relates to smoking could offer new ways to keep teens from picking up cigarettes.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that 77% of teen pregnancies are unplanned.An estimated 60% of teen pregnancies were live births, while 15% were miscarriages, and 25% were abortions. The state with the highest teen birth rate is Texas with a 31% and the second highest is Kentucky with a 30.9%.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teen Births

In 2017, there were 18.8 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or 194,377 babies born to females in this age group. Births to teens ages 15-19 account for 5.0 percent of all births in 2017. Nearly nine in ten (89 percent) of these births occurred outside of marriage. The 2017 teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-19 in a given year) is down seven percent from 2016, when the birth rate was 20.3, and down 70 percent from 1991 when it was at a record high of 61.8. The teen birth rate has declined more or less continuously over the past quarter century, and is at the lowest level ever recorded. Still, the teen birth rate in the United States remains higher than that in many other developed countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom.

Not all teen births are first births. In 2017, one in six (16.3 percent) births to 15- to 19-year-olds were to females who already had one or more births. Avoiding repeat teen births is one of the goals of OAH's Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) grant program to states and tribes. Grantees may use PAF Program funds to help expectant and parenting teens complete high school or earn postsecondary degrees, as well as to gain access to health care, child care, family housing, and other critical supports. The money can also be used to improve services for pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence and to increase public awareness and education efforts surrounding teen pregnancy prevention, among other activities. Through PAF Program grants, OAH also supports work with adolescent males who become young fathers. Find more information about the Pregnancy Assistance Fund.

Variations in Teen Birth Rates across Populations

Teen birth rates differ substantially by age, racial and ethnic group, and region of the country. Most adolescents who give birth are 18 or older; in 2017, 75 percent of all teen births occurred to 18- to 19-year-olds. Birth rates are also higher among Hispanic and black adolescents than among their white counterparts. In 2017, Hispanic adolescent females ages 15-19 had a higher birth rate (28.9 births per 1,000 adolescent females) than black adolescent females (27.5) and white adolescent females (13.2) (see Figure 1). To help put these differences in perspective, estimates from 2013 show that eight percent of white adolescent females will give birth by their 20 th birthday, as will 16 percent of black adolescent females and 17 percent of Hispanic adolescent females.

Although Hispanics still have a higher teen birth rate than their black and white peers, the rate has declined substantially in recent years. Since 2007, the teen birth rate among Hispanics has declined by 58 percent, compared with declines of 53 percent for blacks and 47 percent for whites.

Figure 1: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by race and Hispanic origin of mother, 1990-2017

Source: Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Osterman, M.J., Driscoll, A.K., & Drake, P. (2018). Births: Final data for 2017. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Table 1: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by race and Hispanic origin of mother, 1990-2017

Teen birth rates also vary substantially across regions and states. In 2017, the lowest teen birth rates were reported in the Northeast, while rates were highest in states across the southern part of the country (see Figure 2). See how your state compares on birth rates, pregnancy rates, sexual activity, and contraceptive use with OAH's reproductive health state fact sheets.

Figure 2: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by state, 2017
Source: Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Osterman, M.J., Driscoll, A.K., & Drake, P. (2017). Births: Final data for 2016. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/teen-births/teenbirths.htm
Table 2: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by state, 2017

Teen Pregnancies

The national teen pregnancy rate (number of pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 15-19) has declined almost continuously over the last quarter of the century. The teen pregnancy rate includes pregnancies that end in a live birth, as well as those that end in abortion or miscarriage (fetal loss).* The teen pregnancy rate declined by 63 percent in less than 25 years - from 117.6 pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 15-19 in 1990 to 43.4 in 2013 (the most recent year in which data are available). According to recent research, this decline is due to the combination of an increased percentage of adolescents who are waiting to have sexual intercourse and the increased use of effective contraceptives by teens.

About 77 percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned. In other words, they are unwanted or occurred "too soon," according to a national survey of adolescents. In 2013, the majority of pregnancies to adolescent females ages 15-19 in the United States - an estimated 61 percent - ended in a live birth; 15 percent ended in a miscarriage; and 25 percent ended in an abortion. The rate of abortions among adolescents is the lowest since abortion was legalized in 1973 and is 76 percent lower than its peak in 1988.

* The teen pregnancy rate is the sum all live births, abortions, and miscarriages (or fetal losses) per 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19 in a given year.

Characteristics Associated with Adolescent Childbearing

Numerous individual, family, and community characteristics have been linked to adolescent childbearing. For example, adolescents who are enrolled in school and engaged in learning (including participating in after-school activities, having positive attitudes toward school, and performing well educationally) are less likely than are other adolescents to have or to father a baby. At the family level, adolescents with mothers who gave birth as teens and/or whose mothers have only a high school degree are more likely to have a baby before age 20 than are teens whose mothers were older at their birth or who attended at least some college. In addition, having lived with both biological parents at age 14 is associated with a lower risk of a teen birth. At the community level, adolescents who live in wealthier neighborhoods with strong levels of employment are less likely to have or to father a baby than are adolescents in neighborhoods in which income and employment opportunities are more limited.

Footnotes

³ Cook, E. (Unpublished). Percentage of teens who will experience a first birth based on analyses of NCHS Vital Statistics 2013 final birth data. Washington, DC: Child Trends.

⁵ Santelli, J. S., Lindberg, L. D., Finer, L. B., & Singh, S. (2007). Explaining recent declines in adolescent pregnancy in the United States: The contribution of abstinence and improved contraceptive use. American Journal of Public Health, 97(1), 150-156.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In 2017, there were 18.8 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or 194,377 babies born to females in this age group. Births to teens ages 15-19 account for 5.0 percent of all births in 2017. Nearly nine in ten (89 percent) of these births occurred outside of marriage.

# data[].attributes.body
condoms prevent the spread of std's. condoms are not 100% effective, but used properly they will prevent some std's. read instructions to get the best use out of a condom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's important to use condoms to help reduce the spread of STI (sexually transmitted infections). These infections include HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis. You can get an STI through having sex -- vaginal, anal, or oral.

Condoms reduce the risk of spreading sexually transmitted infections.

The most effective way to avoid getting an STI is to not have sex. Another way is to limit sex to one partner who also limits his or her sex in the same way. Condoms are not 100% safe, but if used properly, will reduce the risk of getting a STI.

Condoms are used for both birth control and reducing the risk of infections. That's why some people think that other forms of birth control -- such as the IUD, diaphragm, cervical cap or pill -- will protect them against diseases, too. But that's not true. So if you use any other form of birth control, you still need a condom in addition to reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections.

A condom is especially important when an uninfected pregnant woman has sex, because it can also help protect her and her unborn baby from getting a sexually transmitted infection.

Facts about Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affect millions of men and women in the United States each year.

Anyone can become infected through sexual intercourse with an infected person.

Changing sexual partners adds to the risk of becoming infected.

Sometimes, early in the infection, there may be no symptoms, or symptoms may be easily confused with other illnesses.

Sexually transmitted diseases can cause:

Tubal pregnancies, sometimes fatal to the mother and always fatal to the unborn child

Death or severe damage to a baby born to an infected woman

Sterility (loss of ability to get pregnant)

Cancer of the cervix in women

Damage to other parts of the body, including the heart, kidneys, and brain

See a doctor if you have any of these symptoms of STDs:

Discharge from the vagina, penis, and/or rectum

Pain or burning during urination and/or intercourse

Pain in the abdomen (women), testicles (men), and buttocks and legs (both)

Blisters, open sores, warts, rash, and/or swelling in the genital area, sex organs, and/or mouth

Flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, aching muscles, and/or swollen glands

You can get more information about preventing sexually transmitted infection by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Condom Effectiveness web page.

Will a condom guarantee I won't get a sexually transmitted infection?

When used consistently and correctly, condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV. They are also effective at preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that are transmitted through bodily fluids, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. However, they provide less protection against STDs spread through skin-to-skin contact like human papillomavirus (genital warts), genital herpes, and syphilis.

Although highly effective when used consistently and correctly, there is still a chance of getting HIV if you only use condoms, so adding other prevention methods can further reduce your risk.

How can I get the most protection from condoms?

It is best to read the label on the packaging the condom came in before using the condom.

Choose the right kind of condoms to prevent disease.

Store them in a cool, dry place. Storing condoms near heat (your back pocket or glove compartment) can make them weaker and less effective.

Remember to use a new condom every time you have sex.

How does a condom protect against sexually transmitted infection?

A condom acts as a barrier or wall to keep blood, or semen, or vaginal fluids from passing from one person to the other during intercourse.

These fluids can harbor germs such as HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. If no condom is used, the germs can pass from the infected partner to the uninfected partner.

How do I choose the right kind of condoms to prevent disease?

Always read the label. Look for two things:

1. The condoms should be made of latex, or polyurethane condoms for people sensitive or allergic to latex. Tests have shown that latex and polyurethane condoms (including the female condom) can prevent the passage of the HIV, hepatitis and herpes viruses. But natural (lambskin) condoms may not do this.

2. The package should say that the condoms are to prevent disease. If the package doesn't say anything about preventing disease, the condoms may not provide the protection you want, even though they may be the most expensive ones you can buy.

Novelty condoms will not say anything about either disease prevention or pregnancy prevention on the package. They are intended only for sexual stimulation, not protection.

Condoms which do not cover the entire penis are not labeled for disease prevention and should not be used for this purpose. For proper protection, a condom must unroll to cover the entire penis. This is another good reason to read the label carefully.

What is the FDA doing about condom quality?

The FDA works with condom manufacturers to help ensure that the latex and polyurethane condoms you buy are not damaged.

Manufacturers "spot check" their condoms using a "water-leak" test. FDA inspectors do a similar test on sample condoms they take from warehouses. The condoms are filled with water and checked for leaks. An average of 996 of 1000 condoms must pass this test.

(Don't try the water-leak test on condoms you plan to use, because this kind of testing weakens condoms.)

Government testing cannot guarantee that condoms will always prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections. How well you are protected will also depend a great deal on which condoms you choose and how you store, handle and use them.

Are condoms strong enough for anal intercourse?

Condoms may be more likely to break during anal intercourse than during other types of sex because of the greater amount of friction and other stresses involved.

Should spermicides be used with condoms?

The active ingredient in all of the over-the-counter (OTC) vaginal contraceptive drug products (spermicides) available in the U.S. is nonoxynol 9 (N-9). N-9 vaginal contraceptive drug products are used alone to prevent pregnancy, or with barrier methods such as diaphragms or cervical caps. Some condoms include a spermicidal lubricant containing N-9.

Clinical studies have shown that N-9 spermicides do not prevent or reduce the risk of getting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from an infected partner, or against getting other STDs. Thus, N-9 spermicides should not be used for HIV/STD prevention or protection. Clinical studies also show that use of N-9 spermicides can cause vaginal and rectal irritation which could increase the risk of getting HIV/AIDS from an infected partner.

FDA still considers N-9 safe as a contraceptive for women at low risk for HIV and other STDs. However, FDA now requires warning statements and other labeling information for all over the counter (OTC) vaginal contraceptive drug product (also known as spermicides) containing nonoxynol 9 (N9). These warning statements advise consumers that vaginal contraceptives/spermicides containing N9 do not protect against infection from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), or against getting other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The warnings and labeling information also advise consumers that use of vaginal contraceptives and spermicides containing N9 can irritate the vagina and rectum and may increase the risk of getting the AIDS virus (HIV) from an infected partner.

Should I use a lubricant with a condom?

Some condoms are already lubricated with dry silicone, jellies, or creams. If you buy condoms not already lubricated, it's a good idea to apply some yourself. Lubricants may help prevent condoms from breaking during use and may prevent irritation, which might increase the chance of infection.

If you use a separate lubricant, be sure to use one that's water-based and made for this purpose. If you're not sure which to choose, ask your pharmacist.

Never use a lubricant that contains oils, fats, or greases such as petroleum-based jelly (like Vaseline brand), baby oil or lotion, hand or body lotions, cooking shortenings, or oily cosmetics like cold cream. They can seriously weaken latex, causing a condom to tear easily.

What do the dates mean on the package?

Some packages show "DATE MFG." This tells you when the condoms were made. It is not an expiration date.

Other packages may show an expiration date. The condoms should not be purchased or used after that date.

Are condoms from vending machines safe to use?

It depends. Vending machine condoms may be safe to use, if:

you are getting a latex or polyurethane condom.

it is labeled for disease prevention.

the condoms do not contain nonoxynol 9 (N9) spermicide.

the machine is not exposed to extreme temperature and direct sunlight.

the date on the condom is not expired.

How should condoms be stored?

You should store condoms in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, perhaps in a drawer or closet. If you want to keep one with you, put it in a loose pocket, wallet, or purse for no more than a few hours at a time.

Extreme temperature -- especially heat -- can make latex brittle or gummy (like an old balloon). So don't keep these latex products in a hot place like a glove compartment

How should condoms be handled?

Gently! When opening the packet, don't use your teeth, scissors or sharp nails. Make sure you can see what you're doing.

What defects should I look for?

If the condom material sticks to itself or is gummy, the condom is no good. Also check the condom tip for other damage that is obvious (brittleness, tears, and holes). Don't unroll the condom to check it because this could cause damage.

Never use a damaged condom

How should I use a condom?

Keep male condoms in a cool, dry place. Don't keep them in your wallet or in your car. This can cause them to break or tear.

Check the wrapper for tears and for the expiration date, to make sure the condom is not too old to use. Carefully open the wrapper. Don't use your teeth or fingernails. Make sure the condom looks okay to use. Don't use a condom that is gummy, brittle, discolored, or has even a tiny hole.

Put on the condom as soon as the penis is erect, but before it touches the vagina, mouth, or anus.

If the condom does not have a reservoir tip, pinch the tip enough to leave a half-inch space for semen to collect. Holding the tip, unroll the condom all the way to the base of the erect penis.

Be sure to use adequate lubrication during vaginal and anal sex. Only use water-based or silicone-based lubricants. Don't use oil-based lubricants (e.g., petroleum jelly, shortening, mineral oil, massage oils, body lotions, and cooking oil) with latex condoms because they can weaken latex and cause breakage. Put the lubricant on the outside of the condom.

After ejaculation and before the penis gets soft, grip the rim of the condom and carefully withdraw. Then gently pull the condom off the penis, making sure that semen doesn't spill out.

Wrap the condom in a tissue and throw it in the trash where others won't handle it.

If you feel the condom break at any point during sexual activity, stop immediately, withdraw, remove the broken condom, and put on a new condom.

Use a new condom if you want to have sex again or in a different way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Basic facts about Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

# data[].attributes.body
For a person on average that smoke one pack a day which is 20 cigarettes. With those 20 that is approximately 200 hits of nicotine going to the brain through the day. that would be 6200 hits of nicotine in a month. I also learned that kids thinks vaping is better because it doesn't rout your lungs. but in all reality you are getting anywhere from 5 times more or even 50 times more then what a person that smokes cigarettes because in one cigarette there is only one to two milligrams per cigarette.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ordering Publications

Call 1-877-643-2644 or:

APA Style MLA Style AMA Style

NIDA. (2018, January 5). Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes

​Research Reports

This series of reports simplifies the science of research findings for the educated lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. The series reports on research findings of national interest.

Lesson Plan and Activity Finder

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the scope of tobacco use and its cost to society?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Call 1-877-643-2644 or: APA Style MLA Style AMA Style NIDA. (2018, January 5). Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes This series of reports simplifies the science of research findings for the educated lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. The series reports on research findings of national interest.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that social media can be used in the wrong way. Like sending(sexting) on social media. You can also use social media negative is texting someone that does not want to you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Social networking is a great way to promote your business or organisation, but there are parts of online activity that can have legal consequences. Here are some examples of illegal behaviour and ways to stay out of trouble:

Never post comments encouraging violence as this is a criminal offence

Never post offensive images as this is a criminal offence

Ensure comments you're making about products and services aren't defamatory

Uploading photos or video of you and others engaging in illegal activity can get you in trouble with the law

Persistent messaging and friend requests to someone who doesn't want contact with you can be considered stalking

Downloading and distributing pirated music and movies without permission is illegal and risks computer viruses

Storing or passing on images of children in sexualised poses or engaging in sexual activity is illegal.

If someone sends you images of children in inappropriate poses or engaging in sexual activity, it is illegal to be involved in distribution of such images. Report them to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) or the Australian Federal Police. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can reportanonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling1800 333 000.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Illegal social networking activity | ACMA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Read about what constitutes illegal activity in social networking. Click for more.

# data[].attributes.body
Bulimia can permanently damage your body. And it can affect your brain, or even everything from your heart to your digestive system.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SOURCES:

Mayo Clinic: "Bulimia Nervosa."

UptoDate: "Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in adults: Medical complications and their management."

University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center: "Electrolyte Imbalance."

National Eating Disorder Association: "Bulimia Nervosa," "Diabulimia."

American Heart Association: "Arrhythmia."

Cedars-Sinai: "Mallory-Weiss Syndrome."

Mehler, P. Journal of Eating Disorders, 2015.

Bulimia Nervosa Resource Guide: "What are the signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa?"

Science of Eating Disorders: "Medical Complications of Purging in Bulimia Nervosa."

Eating Disorders Victoria: "Bulimia Nervosa."

Holderness, C. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1994.

Bodell, LP. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2013.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bulimia is a serious eating disorder that can do permanent damage to your body and your mental health. WebMD explains the physical and psychological risks.

# data[].attributes.body
When texting and driving you are putting others life at risk not just your own. When you are texting and driving you take your hands, eyes, and mind off of the road which should be your main focus.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For a nominal fee, you can get your new registration sticker with next day delivery. Learn more below.

Licensed by the
California DMV

California DMV

Online Registration

Online Registration

Same Day Processing

Same Day Processing

E-copy of Registration

E-copy of Registration

Alternate Mailing Address

Alternate Mailing Address

Phone Support

Phone Support

$29 Convenience Fee
Learn more below

Because it's a common-even daily-activity for most people, sending a text doesn't seem dangerous. However, when you're doing it behind the wheel, there are a litany of other factors at play. Driving is a privilege because of the inherent risk and responsibility we all need to assume out on the road.

When you choose to text and drive, you're threatening every single driver around you-andplacing more value on that text message than yourself and your fellow drivers.

Texting & Driving Statistics

It can be hard to grasp the dangers of texting and driving, but once you know the facts, this hazardous habit starts to become a reality.

In the United States:

As you can see, texting while driving has very real consequences that will only get worse we work together to make these statistics a thing of the past.

A Trifecta of Driving Distractions

Texting and driving is especially dangerous because it incorporates all types of driving distractions:

Visual: Takes your eyes off the road.

Manual: Takes your hands off the steering wheel.

Cognitive: Takes your focus away from safe driving.

When you're engulfed in a texting conversation, it's easy to forget you're sharing the road with other people. In just the 5 seconds it takes to send or read a short text message, you've already zoomed past the length of a football field (traveling at 55 MPH) with minimal attention on the road ahead.

Would you want a family member or friend to be on the road with someone so oblivious to the traffic around them? Remember, every time you get behind the wheel, you're entering a shared experience with mothers, fathers, friends, and children.

It is every driver's responsibility to always be careful and attentive, ensuring everyone can safely get from Point A to Point B.

Texting & Driving Is Illegal

With the rise of smart phones and social media, more and more people- especially Millennials-prefer to communicate via text. A majority of U.S. states have passed laws to keep up with the corresponding increase in texting and driving.

The penalties for texting while driving could include any of the following:

Is sending that text worth the financial burden? Is it worth risking your freedom? More so, is it worth the emotional damage a car accident causes to everyone involved?

The consequences you'll face for texting and driving are similar to those you'd get for another one of the most serious driving offenses: DUI. If you'd never drive drunk, then you'd text and drive-driving with a BAC of just 0.01% increases your chances of causing a car crash by 46%, according to a 2014 study.

Moreover, texting while driving can put you at a higher risk for an accident than drinking and driving. How's that for sobering?

Break the Habit

Whether you're reading this on your own OR because you're concerned about someone who's likely to text and drive, know that there are ways to break this habit.

If you're the parent of a teen driver, consider installing an application designed to fight distracted driving on your child's smartphone. Teens make up the largest portion of people involved in distracted driving accidents-certain apps can help to combat this by:

Tracking the miles your teen has driven without incident.

Sending you notifications.

Blocking texts and calls from coming in.

Rewarding your teen for hitting safe driving milestones.

For more helpful suggestions on speaking to your teen about driving distractions, head over to our Parents & Distracted Driving guide. Remember, YOU set the example.

Be sure to invite your friends and family to take the pledge to end distracted driving. Taking this commitment seriously can lead to safer roads, fewer crashes, and most of all, fewer completely preventable fatalities.

Work with your loved ones on strategies to decrease the chances of texting while driving. If you know you'll be driving, give those with whom you normally communicate a heads up. Then, once you've reached your destination, let them know you're free to text and talk as usual.

Finally, if you're in the car with someone who's texting and driving, DON'T HESITATE to tell them to stop. Give them the facts-they're putting your life in danger, not to mention the lives of everyone else on the road just for the chance to send a text message. There's no shame in making the roads a safer and distraction-free environment.

Related Content

Provide Feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For a nominal fee, you can get your new registration sticker with next day delivery. Learn more below. Licensed by the California DMV California DMV Online Registration Online Registration Same Day Processing Same Day Processing E-copy of Registration E-copy of Registration Alternate Mailing Address Alternate Mailing Address Phone Support Phone Support $29 Convenience Fee Learn more below Because it's a common-even daily-activity for most people, sending a text doesn't seem dangerous.

# data[].attributes.body
If people that have HIV most likely pass it to others in the first few moths after they have been  infect. Do to the high levels of the virus that is in the bodily fluid. Also if you are to us a condom and you also what to us something would be like lube. Thing that are not safe and can cause you to have HIV would be  using oil=-based lubricant such as vaseline.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Unprotected vaginal or anal sex puts you at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

During unprotected sex, HIV can be transmitted via the bodily fluids of an infected person (blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-cum or anal mucus) to their sexual partner.

There is higher risk of HIV infection during anal sex because the lining of the anus is more delicate than the lining of the vagina and is more easily damaged, providing entry points for HIV.

The risk of HIV transmission during unprotected oral sex is very low, but there is a risk of other STIs.

Using condoms is the most effective way to prevent HIV and STI transmission.

Unprotected sex means having sex ( vaginal, anal or oral) without using a condom. It means you are at risk of HIV as well as sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

How do you get HIV from unprotected sex?

During unprotected sex, HIV in the bodily fluids of an infected person (blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-cum or anal mucus) can pass into the body of their sexual partner. This can happen through the mucous membranes of the penis, vagina, rectum and sometimes the mouth and throat.

If someone is living with HIV, they are more likely to pass it on to others in the first few months after infection as there are high levels of the virus in their bodily fluids at this point. 1

Are some types of sex riskier than others?

Most people get HIV by having unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Anal sex is the most risky because the lining of the anus is more delicate than the lining of the vagina and is more easily damaged. Receptive anal sex ("bottoming") is riskier than insertive anal sex ("topping").

There is a very small chance of getting HIV from unprotected oral sex, but only if the person giving oral sex has mouth ulcers, sores or bleeding gums, or if the person receiving oral sex has been recently infected.

Having multiple sexual partners and/or STIs also increases the risk of HIV infection via unprotected sex. 2

How can I avoid getting HIV from unprotected sex?

Condoms

Condoms are the most effective way of preventing HIV (and STI) infection via vaginal and anal sex as well as oral sex performed on men. They should be put on before any sexual contact as HIV can be passed on through pre-come, vaginal fluid, and from the anus. 3

Lubricants

Lubricants, or lube, make sex safer by reducing the risk of vaginal or anal tears caused by dryness or friction. It can also reduce the risk of a condom breaking.

Use water-based lubricants instead of oil-based lubricants (such as Vaseline) as oil-based lubricants weaken the latex in condoms and can cause them to break. 4

Dental dams

A dental dam is a small plastic sheet that can be used to cover the mouth and the vagina or anus to reduce the risk of HIV (and STIs) during oral sex. 5

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

PrEP is antiretroviral drugs taken daily by people at high risk of HIV infection. To prevent sexual transmission of HIV, PrEP is sometimes recommended for:

anyone in an ongoing relationship with an HIV-positive partner

anyone who is sexually active with more than one person, even if they recently tested negative for HIV

heterosexual men or women who don't use condoms with partners whose HIV status is unknown and are at high risk of HIV infection (e.g. they inject drugs or have bisexual male partners).

PrEP can provide a high level of protection against HIV, but is most effective when used with condoms. PrEP is not available everywhere.
If you think you are at high risk of HIV infection via unprotected sex, talk to a healthcare professional about whether PrEP is right for you.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)

PEP is the use of antiretroviral drugs after an event that puts you at risk of HIV - such as unprotected sex - to stop HIV from spreading in the body. It must be started within 72 hours of possible exposure. 7

However, PEP is not 100% effective, and should not be viewed as an alternative to condoms.
Your doctor or healthcare worker will advise you on whether you could take PEP. Again, PEP may not be available where you are. Photo credit: Copyright AVERT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Unprotected sex (sex without a condom) risks HIV if one of you already has the virus. Always use a condom to avoid exchanging bodily fluids.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that on the average, teens spend a total of nine hours a day! Kids that are in the age from eight to twelve, they spend a total of six hours staring at a screen. And 41% of teens over-do their time on their phone with social media.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Many parents believe their teens are too attached to their phones-maybe even addicted. In a surprise finding, a new report from the Pew Research Center shows that even teens think they have a problem.

According to the study, 60% of teens-those between the ages of 13 to 17-say that spending too much time online is a "major" problem facing their age group, with about nine in 10 teens dubbing it a problem. More than half of teens (54%) say they spend too much time on their cellphones, and 41% say they overdo it on social media.

According to Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of nine hours a day online (paywall), compared to about six hours for those aged eight to 12 and 50 minutes for kids between 0 and eight. Any way you cut it, it's a lot of time staring at a screen.

Exactly how concerned parents should be about their children's screen time is a fraught question. Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatrics focused on endocrinology at the University of Southern California and author of The Hacking of the American Mind, said at a conference in February that kids are definitely addicted. "It's not a drug, but it might as well be. It works the same way... it has the same results," he said.

Others have said that we have not reached the level of "addiction," but that technology is still changing kids' behavior in unhealthy ways. Tristan Harris, Google's former in-house ethicist, co-founded the Center on Humane Technology. He often explains how tech companies design their products to get kids addicted.

"When you wake up in the morning, you have certain goals for your life or for your kids," he said at a conference about technology addiction earlier this year in Washington, DC. But when you open YouTube, "it doesn't know any of those goals. It has one goal: to make you forget your goals and to keep you watching as many YouTube videos as possible."

Recently, some major tech companies, including Google and Apple, have said they would introduce features to help parents and kids monitor and manage their time online.

Pew's latest research suggests that teens are self-aware about the problem-but unable to rein themselves in. That makes sense when you consider that neurobiological and hormonal changes in teen brains elevate their desire to feel a sense of belonging, to be respected and admired (and how hopeless adults are at tearing themselves away from their phones). A startling 44% of teens tell Pew that they often check their phones for messages or notifications as soon as they wake up; 28% say they check at least sometimes.

The study, which included 743 US teens and 1,058 US parents of teens, was conducted between March 7 and April 10, 2018. In keeping with other findings, girls were more likely than boys to say they spend too much time on social media (47% vs. 35%) while boys were four times as likely to report spending too much time on video games (41% of boys vs. 11% of girls). The top emotion teens associated with not having access to their phones was anxiety (42%), with girls once again reporting more anxiety from phone deprivation than boys (49% to 35%).

Meanwhile, parents are concerned about their kids' smartphone use-and many are enforcing limits. About two-thirds of parents (65%) say they worry about their teen spending too much time in front of screens, and one-third say they worry a lot. More than half of parents (57%) say they put limits on their kids being online, or on their phones, with a quarter saying they often do this.

Perhaps most interesting was Pew's findings on how kids feel about their parents' use of technology. While 72% of parents say their teen is sometimes or often distracted by their phone while having real-life conversations, more than half (51%) of teens say the same about their parents. This raises the issue, highlighted by others including MIT professor Sherry Turkle, that parents would be smart to consider the technological behavior they model to their children.

There is some reassuring news in the study: Many teens are trying to cut back on their own, with 52% saying they have tried to reduce mobile phone use, and 57% saying they have tried to limit their use of social media. We all probably spend too much time online, but teens, at least, are trying to do something about it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Even teens are worried they spend too much time on their phones

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Many parents believe their teens are too attached to their phones-maybe even addicted. In a surprise finding, a new report from the Pew Research Center shows that even teens think they have a problem.

# data[].attributes.body
Abuse of Alcohol and Drugs is common among 15-24 year olds. 50% of deaths (accidents, homicide, or suicide) involve alcohol or drugs. A teen with a family history of drugs and alcohol is likely to use those things themselves.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use and abuse of drugs and alcohol by teens is very common and can have serious consequences. In the 15-24 year age range, 50% of deaths (from accidents, homicides, suicides) involve alcohol or drug abuse.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that Meth can make you feel like a super hero,like hyped up.Because meth is a stimulant.It makes you feel good and yummy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stimulant: Stimulant, any drug that excites any bodily function, but more specifically those that stimulate the brain and central nervous system. Stimulants induce alertness, elevated mood, wakefulness, increased speech and motor activity and decrease appetite. Their therapeutic use is limited, but their

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that alcohol affects you in a way  that you are not able to drive . It makes you think you are driving good but you are not. You are also putting yourself at risk, but also the people around you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Together We Can Make a Difference.

This article is also in Spanish. Click here for the Spanish version.

Millions of people worldwide do it. Many say "What's the harm, I got home safely and no one was hurt?" Just because you made it home safely to your bed does not mean that you're making a right decision. When putting those keys in the ignition and driving away after drinking you are not only putting your life at risk but you are risking the lives of all those you come across while driving.

Poor Decision Making

Alcohol affects you in a way that changes your judgement, depth perception as well as vital motor skills required to drive safely. Its easy to think you are driving normally when truly you are not. When the police take notice you could be hit with a DUI/DWI. This is the best case scenario. Getting into an accident your life could be lost as well as any others who too are involved in this accident. According to 2009 drunk driving statistics there were 10,839 traffic fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. This is those whose lives were lost not the total number of alcohol related accidents, or the number of individuals arrested for drinking and driving.

Is drinking and driving more important than your legal status or life? Take a cab, protect yourself as well as others on the roadways, don't become another drinking and driving statistic. Operating a motor vehicle while sober can be difficult in itself, adding alcohol or other intoxicants into the mix is putting your life and the lives of others on the roadways at risk. Make the right choice and put your keys down.

Looking to quit drinking, and get your life on track? Check out the best rehabs of 2015.

The Legal Repercussions of Drink and Driving, DUI/DWI

The sound of a siren, the red flashing lights and a person in uniform knocking at your driver side window. An officer has pulled you over for suspicious driving. If the officer smells a strong odor of alcohol, you exhibit slurred speech or general incoherence you will be asked to exit your vehicle and move to the side of the road where you will undergo field sobriety testing. If you fail to demonstrate the proper motor skills or judgment to safely operate a motor vehicle during these field tests, the officer can then ask permission to perform a blood alcohol content test, commonly abbreviated BAC. In most states the legal limit for BAC is .10%, however many states have adopted a lower BAC of .08%. Failing these tests will result in a ride in the back of a police car, a night in jail and charges of a DUI or DWI. You are now facing the legal repercussions of drinking and driving.

All 50 states have taken serious action when it comes to individuals that DUI, driving under the influence, or DWI, driving while intoxicated. There is zero tolerance, all violators will be arrested and charged accordingly.

DUI

A DUI, driving under the influence, is the act of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level, BAC, over the legal state limit. If you are arrested and charged for a DUI the state will prosecute you accordingly. First offense typically resulting in loss of license for 1 year, as well as, federally mandated outpatient alcohol abuse program and probation. Those who have had multiple DUI's will most likely be prosecuted to the fullest ability of the law, which varies with each individual state jurisdiction. Regardless to if this is your first offense or second if in an accident while DUI you will be fully prosecuted, if an individual is killed as a result you will too be charged with vehicular manslaughter.

DWI

A DWI, driving while intoxicated, is too the act of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level, BAC, that is over the legal state limit. If a law officer suspects you of DWI you will undergo a field sobriety test, breathalyzer test and/or blood test to determine intoxication level. The legal repercussions of a DWI are more severe in comparison to an DUI. If you are found guilty of an DWI, you will be charged with drinking and driving. The legal repercussions of an DWI vary with each individual state jurisdiction, often resulting with time in jail, federally mandated alcohol treatment programs and loss of drivers license for an amount of time.

Making The Choice Not to Drink and Drive

According to National statistics, an average of 12,000 people die every year in DUI-related accidents. There is an average of 900,000 arrested each year for DUI/DWI and a full 1/3 of those are repeat offenders. While National averages have dropped by half over the past 35 years there is still an ongoing problem with drinking and driving. The solution to this problem does not just rest in the hands of law enforcement to find these violators and prosecute them but within each and every person to make the conscious choice not to drink and drive. There is always a better option. Keep the roadways safe along with your loved ones and the loved ones of others by not drinking and driving.

Resources and Organizations

How You Can Help End Drinking and Driving

First thing anyone can do is make the choice themselves not to drink and drive. With this said there are many other ways you can help to end drinking and driving. Educating the youth, your personal family members as well as youth within your community is very important. They must know the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the legal repercussions of these action. Another way to help would be to volunteer with an organization set out to end drinking and driving, this will help you to reach out to more individuals and get the word across about the dangers of drinking and driving. You can also donate to these organizations, contributions made by individuals like yourself are what make it possible to keep drivers educated and safe. If you or a loved one have a problem with alcohol, please read our resource on choosing a safe and effective alcohol treatment center.
Regardless to how you help; by making the choice not to drink yourself, personally educating youth, volunteering or donating, you will be working to end drinking and driving.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Drinking and Driving Consequences and Effects : How to Avoid Disaster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article is also in Spanish. Click here for the Spanish version. Millions of people worldwide do it. Many say "What's the harm, I got home safely and no one was hurt?" Just because you made it home safely to your bed does not mean that you're making a right decision.

# data[].attributes.body
我了解到大麻可能让人上瘾，让人混淆，对声音，听觉和视觉扭曲非常敏感，而且速度更慢或更快。

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
神经专家谈大麻对青少年的危害 | WeiDB.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
大麻这个话题在美国公众中有着强烈的分歧。一方面，许多人认为吸大麻无异于嘬上几瓶啤酒，大麻不仅是一种止痛药物，近年一些州也将其娱乐性使用改为合法。另一方面，研究显示吸大麻导向更烈性的硬毒品，甚至阻碍智力发育。说法不一，令人困惑！科学突破显示某些化学物质如何影响大脑，证实了大麻对人，尤其是青少年的危害。无庸质疑，大麻在社会各阶层、各种人群，从贫民窟到高尚社区，都已经是最受欢迎的禁用品，娱乐用大麻...

# data[].attributes.body
In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group.  This is another record low for U.S. teens and a drop of 8% from 2014. Birth rates fell 9% for women aged 15–17 years and 7% for women aged 18–19 years.1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The US teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years) has been declining since 1991. Teen birth rates continued to decline from 17.4 per 1,000 females in 2018 to 16.7 per 1,000 females in 2019. This is another record low for US teens and a decrease of 4% from 2018. 1,2 Birth rates fell 7% for females aged 15 to 17 years and 4% for females aged 18 to 19 years. ²

Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years. 3, 4

Still, the US teen birth rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, 5 and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist. 1,2

Disparities in Teen Birth Rates

Teen birth rates declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups and for Hispanics. 1,2 Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:

5.2% for Hispanic females.

5.8% for non-Hispanic White females.

1.9% for non-Hispanic Black females.

Rates for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander teenagers were unchanged.

In 2019, the birth rates for Hispanic teens (25.3) and non-Hispanic Black teens (25.8) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White teens (11.4). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (29.2) was highest among all race/ethnicities. 1

Birth Rates for Females Aged 15 to 19 Years, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Mother: United States, 2018 and 2019

Data source: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2019. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2021;70(2):1-50.

Geographic differences in teen birth rates persist, both within and across states. Although among states with low overall teen birth rates, some counties have high teen birth rates. ⁶

Social determinants of health, such as low education and low income levels of a teen's family, may contribute to high teen birth rates. ⁷ Teens in certain settings are at higher risk of teen pregnancy and birth than other groups. For example, young women living in foster care are more than twice as likely to become pregnant than young women not in foster care. ⁸

To improve the life opportunities of adolescents facing significant health disparities and to have the greatest effect on overall US teen birth rates, CDC uses data to inform and direct interventions and resources to areas with the greatest need.

The Importance of Prevention

Teen pregnancy and childbearing are associated with increased social and economic costs through immediate and long-term effects on teen parents and their children.

Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age, whereas approximately 90% of women who do not give birth during adolescence graduate from high school.¹⁰

The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and to drop out of high school, have more health problems, be incarcerated at some time during adolescence, give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment as a young adult.¹¹

On a positive note, between 1991 and 2015, the teen birth rate dropped 64%, which resulted in $4.4 billion in public savings in 2015 alone.¹²

Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs have been identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review, which used a systematic process for reviewing evaluation studies against a rigorous standard. The Evidence Review covers a variety of diverse programs, including sexuality education programs, youth development programs, abstinence education programs, clinic-based programs, and programs specifically designed for diverse populations and settings. In addition to evidence-based prevention programs, teens need access to youth-friendly reproductive health services and support from parents and other trusted adults, who can play an important role in helping teens make healthy choices about relationships, sex, and birth control. Efforts at the community level that address social and economic factors associated with teen pregnancy also play a critical role in addressing racial/ethnic and geographical disparities observed in teen births in the United States.

References

1. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2019. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2021;70(2):1-50.

2. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK. Births: final data for 2018. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2019;68(13):1-47.

3. Santelli J, Lindberg L, Finer L, Singh S. Explaining recent declines in adolescent pregnancy in the United States: the contribution of abstinence and improved contraceptive use. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(1):150-6.

4. Lindberg LD, Santelli JS, Desai S. Understanding the decline in adolescent fertility in the United States, 2007-2012. J Adolesc Health. 2016:1-7.

5. Sedgh G, Finer LB, Bankole A, Eilers MA, Singh S. Adolescent pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates across countries: levels and recent trends. J Adolesc Health. 2015;56(2):223-30.

6. Romero L, Pazol K, Warner L, et al. Reduced disparities in birth rates among teens aged 15 to 19 Years-United States, 2006-2007 and 2013-2014. MMWR Morbid and Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(16):409-414.

7. Penman-Aguilar A, Carter M, Snead M, Kourtis A. Socioeconomic disadvantage as a social determinant of teen childbearing in the US Public Health Rep. 2013;128(suppl 1):5-22.

8. Boonstra HD. Teen pregnancy among women in foster care: a primer. Guttmacher Policy Review. 2011; 14(2).

9. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Counting It Up: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing 2013. Accessed March 31, 2016.

10. Perper K, Peterson K, Manlove J. Diploma Attainment Among Teen Mothers. Child Trends, Fact Sheet Publication #2010-01: Washington, DC: Child Trends; 2010.

11. Hoffman SD. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press; 2008.

12. Power to Decide. Progress Pays Off. Accessed January 10, 2019.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teen pregnancy and childbearing bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children.

# data[].attributes.body
Teenagers that become pregnant in their high school years are more likely to not graduate high school unlike their peers that delay having a baby. When a teen mother has a baby her baby is more likely to experience low birth weight, experience health and development problems, are frequently poor, abused, and/or neglected.

# data[].attributes.body
During teenage years the development of the prefrontal is occuring. That is that part that controls what ideas you're having and ideals. So teens can now compare their ideas/ideals to someone else's ideas/ideals. Sometimes that makes them embarrassed of their own ideas/ideals. They argue a lot because they are practicing their new abilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Jeanie Lerche Davis

Driving fast, breaking curfew, arguing, shoplifting. Teenagers can push your patience, but unfortunately, some kids go as far as blatantly flouting rules or breaking the law, often with tragic results. What's with this rebellious streak? How can parents funnel it into less risky business?

All teens go through similar phases -- the need for independence, a separate identity, testing authority. It's part of growing up; it's also linked to developmental changes in the brain that will eventually help them become analytical adults.

But today's teens get an extra whammy -- social pressures come earlier than in previous generations.

To understand this complex picture, WebMD turned to two of the nation's experts.

David Elkind, PhD, is the author of All Grown Up and No Place to Go, and is a professor of child development at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Amy Bobrow, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Child Study Center at New York University School of Medicine in Manhattan.

Brain: Under Construction

During the teenage years, the area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is developing. This is the part of your brain that is behind your forehead. It's your thinking cap and judgment center, Elkind explains, which means kids can now develop their own ideals and ideas.

Whereas younger children don't see the flaws in their parents, adolescents suddenly see the world more realistically. "They construct an ideal of what parents should be, based on their friends' parents, on media parents. When they compare their own parents to the ideal, they find them wanting. Their parents don't know how dress, walk, talk; they're embarrassing," he tells WebMD.

All the arguments -- they're also the result of the prefrontal cortex at work, Elkind says. As a child evolves into a teenager, the brain becomes able to synthesize information into ideas. Teens want to exercise their new skill -- and they tend to practice on their parents. "It may seem that they argue for the sake of arguing. But really, they're practicing their new abilities."

Going Social

Whereas wild clothes and make-up used to be a rite of passage into adolescence, that's not true today, says Elkind. The preadolescent 11- and 12-year-olds -- the Britney Spears generation -- are pushing that fashion envelope.

Continued

Body piercing, tattoos, and music are today's "markers" of adolescence. "No self-respecting 15-year-old is going to listen to Britney Spears," he says.

Another dynamic: first love, first sex, first drugs, first drinking. In earlier generations, kids weren't expected to be sexually active -- or experiment with alcohol or drugs -- until they turned 17 or 18, when they were better able to resist peer pressure, says Elkind. "Now they're getting pressure at 13 and 14, when they're too young to resist. It's not that child development has changed, it's that the demands are coming at earlier ages."

The Truth About Statistics

Yet it is a myth that all teenagers are big risk-takers, says Bobrow at New York University.

Over half of teenagers will experiment with alcohol, which means nearly half will not.

Roughly 40% of teenagers will try drugs at least once, which means 60% will not.

Even fewer teens regularly use illegal substances -- less than 25% of those who try them -- which means the majority do not.

"Parents are concerned that kids who try drugs use them on a regular basis, but that isn't always the case," she tells WebMD.

Indeed, there's evidence of a decline in teenage sexual experimentation, says Elkind. Thepregnancy rate has gone down. "I'm not sure if it's threat of AIDS or sex education. At any rate, those signs are good," he says. "Also, laws in many states require parental consent laws for an abortion. That may have contributed."

Also, teen crime statistics have stabilized, although they have taken a different twist. "We're finding that girls are involved in the same crimes as boys are, like armed robbery," says Elkind. "Girls are involved in carjacking, car stealing, which used to be exclusively boy crimes."

Unfortunately, Elkind adds, the rates of sexually transmitted disease have not declined among teenagers.

Of course, the fact that all teenagers aren't as wild as some people imagine doesn't necessarily help create peace in your home. Even the most balanced teenagers are arguing and challenging their parents, sometimes on a daily basis.

So what can you, the parent, do to keep your relationship strong during these turbulent years?

Continued

Spend time together, say the experts.

Offer to drive. You'll learn a lot about your teenager and her friends if you drive the kids home from a concert or a dance.

Watch TV or a video together. "I think a lot of parents don't feel comfortable bringing up some issues," says Bodrow. "TV or a movie can provide great jumping-off material -- a good opening for parents to open up a subject they need to discuss."

"The bottom line is communication -- and not just at times of disapproval, discipline," says Bodrow. "Make sure you communicate with your child when you're proud, when he did a good job. It's important to balance that out. Otherwise, it becomes 'why are you always nagging me, always on my back.'"

Originally published on August 11. 2003.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today pressures come earlier, when kids can't say no.

# data[].attributes.body
Marijuana is a well known drug that many think it is okay and doesn't cause harm. but their many thing marijuana can do to that is bad.

The long term use of marijuana has been known to cause brain illness  such as :
1. temporary hallucination
2. temporary paranoia

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can be in the form of physical contact, words, or subtle actions. The person that is being bullied has a hard time defending him or herself.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words, or more subtle actions.

The bullied individual typically has trouble defending him or herself and does nothing to "cause" the bullying.

Cyberbullying is verbally threatening or harassing behavior conducted through such electronic technology as cell phones, email, social media, or text messaging.

Adapted from APA Dictionary of Psychology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bullying is aggressive physical contact, words or actions to cause another person injury or discomfort. Cyberbullying uses an electronic device for acts such as threatening emails.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that Marijuana smoke contains many toxins. Marijuana smoke cause chronic cough, and phlegm production, wheeze and acute bronchitis. Studies have shown that marijuana may increase the risk of opportunistic infections among those who are HIV positive, although it does not seem to affect the development of AIDS or lower white cell counts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The American Lung Association is concerned about the health impacts of marijuana use, especially on lung health. We caution the public against smoking marijuana because of the risk of damage to the lungs.

# data[].attributes.body
If you start using marijuana at a young age then your brain won't develop until the age of 25, so you are affecting your brain.
Those you use marijuana showed a significant decline in verbal ability and in general knowledge between the preteen years.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What are marijuana’s long-term effects on the brain? | National Institute on Drug Abuse

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that teen wrecks have increased by 14%. This includes ages 15-20 year old. Most are caused by not paying attention and
reckless driving.

# data[].attributes.body
Alcohol can cause permit damage to your health, and can even cause cancer. There is five different kinds of cancer that you can get when you have cancer which are head and neck, esophageal, liver, and breast cancer. It can lead to pancrease making toxic substances.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Drinking too much - on a single occasion or over time - can take a serious toll on your health. Here's how alcohol can affect your body:

Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain's communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.

Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:

Cardiomyopathy - Stretching and drooping of heart muscle

Arrhythmias - Irregular heart beat

Stroke

High blood pressure

Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:

Steatosis, or fatty liver

Alcoholic hepatitis

Fibrosis

Cirrhosis

Pancreas:
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.

Cancer:
Source: National Cancer Institute -- see https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet:

Based on extensive reviews of research studies, there is a strong scientific consensus of an association between alcohol drinking and several types of cancer. In its Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen. The research evidence indicates that the more alcohol a person drinks-particularly the more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time-the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. Based on data from 2009, an estimated 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States (about 19,500 deaths) were alcohol related.

Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and the development of the following types of cancer:

Head and neck cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for certain head and neck cancers, particularly cancers of the oral cavity (excluding the lips), pharynx (throat), and larynx (voice box). People who consume 50 or more grams of alcohol per day (approximately 3.5 or more drinks per day) have at least a two to three times greater risk of developing these cancers than nondrinkers. Moreover, the risks of these cancers are substantially higher among persons who consume this amount of alcohol and also use tobacco.

Esophageal cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for a particular type of esophageal cancer called esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of alcohol-related esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Liver cancer: Alcohol consumption is an independent risk factor for, and a primary cause of, liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). (Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the other major causes of liver cancer.)

Breast cancer: More than 100 epidemiologic studies have looked at the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer in women. These studies have consistently found an increased risk of breast cancer associated with increasing alcohol intake. A meta-analysis of 53 of these studies (which included a total of 58,000 women with breast cancer) showed that women who drank more than 45 grams of alcohol per day (approximately three drinks) had 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer as nondrinkers (a modestly increased risk). The risk of breast cancer was higher across all levels of alcohol intake: for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day (slightly less than one drink), researchers observed a small (7 percent) increase in the risk of breast cancer.
The Million Women Study in the United Kingdom (which included more than 28,000 women with breast cancer) provided a more recent, and slightly higher, estimate of breast cancer risk at low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption: every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day was associated with a 12 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer.

Colorectal cancer: Alcohol consumption is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancers of the colon and rectum. A meta-analysis of 57 cohort and case-control studiesthat examined the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer risk showed that people who regularly drank 50 or more grams of alcohol per day (approximately 3.5 drinks) had 1.5 times the risk of developing colorectal cancer as nondrinkers or occasional drinkers. For every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day, there was a small (7 percent) increase in the risk of colorectal cancer.

Immune System:
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body's ability to ward off infections - even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Drinking too much - on a single occasion or over time - can take a serious toll on your health. Here's how alcohol can affect your body: Brain: Alcohol interferes with the brain's communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works.

# data[].attributes.body
Obama says marijuana is better for you then alcohol. alcohol kills 88,000 people a year. marijuana has killed zero people per year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The question of whether alcohol or marijuana is worse for health is being debated once again, this time, sparked by comments that President Barack Obama made in a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine.

"As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama said during the interview. "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol."

But how apt is the comparison between these substances? While both are intoxicants used recreationally, their legality, patterns of use and long-term effects on the body make the two drugs difficult to compare.

Both alcohol consumption and pot smoking can take a toll on the body, showing both short- and long-term health effects, though alcohol has been linked to some 88,000 deaths per year, according to the CDC, while for a number of reasons those associated with marijuana use are harder to come by. And research into marijuana's health effects is still in its infancy, compared with the rigorous studies looking at alcohol and human health.
Short-term health consequences
Drinking too much alcohol can quickly kill a person. The inability to metabolize alcohol as quickly as it is consumed can lead to a buildup of alcohol in the brain that shuts down areas necessary for survival, such as those involved with heartbeat and respiration. [ 7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health]

"You can die binge-drinking five minutes after you've been exposed to alcohol. That isn't going to happen with marijuana," said Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "The impact of marijuana use is much subtler."

(Of course, subtle effects don't equate with no danger, as is the case with smoking cigarettes, which is linked with 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S.)

Marijuana affects the cardiovascular system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, but a person can't fatally overdose on pot like they can with alcohol, Baler said.

Alcohol is more likely than marijuana to interact with other drugs. The way that alcohol is metabolized, or broken down, in the body, is common to many drugs that are taken for a variety of conditions, said Gary Murray, acting director of the Division of Metabolism and Health Effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

This means that for people taking drugs or medications while drinking, the alcohol can increase or decrease levels of the active drug in the body.

"Those things can make it very hit and miss, whether you're getting an active dose of a medication," Murray said.

Still, both drugs can affect health in indirect ways, too.

Because marijuana can impair coordination and balance, there is the risk of hurting oneself, particularly if someone drives or chooses to have unprotected sex while their inhibitions are lowered, Baler said. These are two areas where people using marijuana could hurt themselves for the short and long term.

You might not think marijuana and quizzes go together, but on the assumption that you arrived at this quiz sober, we pose some serious questions that will require your utmost attention and critical thinking skills. Good luck.

Pot Quiz: Test Your Marijuana Knowledge, Dude!

Long-term health consequences
The long-term effects of drinking heavily are well known. "Excess alcohol is going to lead to very severe consequences, and chronic excess alcohol is the most likely to lead to a lot of threatening issues," Murray said.

Drinking can lead to alcoholic liver disease, which can progress to fibrosis of the liver, which in turn can potentially lead to liver cancer, Murray said.

"I emphasize 'can' - it's not even clear to the best scientists what are the triggers that allow that progression to happen," he said, noting that why some people have a higher risk than others of developing liver disease from drinking is not understood medically or biochemically.

Unlike alcohol, Baler said, the effects of chronic marijuana use are not as well established. Animal studies have indicated some possible impact on reproduction. Additionally, there is evidence marijuana can worsen psychiatric issues for people who are predisposed to them, or bring them on at a younger age. Finally, Baler said, because the drug is typically smoked, it can bring on bronchitis, coughing and chronic inflammation of the air passages.

But while early studies showed some evidence linking marijuana to lung cancer, subsequent studies have debunked that association. Baler said it's unclear why marijuana smoke does not have the same result as tobacco smoke on the lungs, but perhaps some beneficial compounds in the marijuana smoke cancel out the ill effects, or perhaps the other health habits of marijuana smokers are different from those of cigarette smokers.

But cigarette smoking plays a complicated role in studying the impact of marijuana smoke, Baler said. Marijuana smokers tend to smoke much less than cigarette smokers, as some may smoke one joint a few times a week.

"It's a very tough epidemiological nut to break," Baler said.

Additionally, researchers looking to study long-term marijuana use have had difficulty in finding people who regularly smoke marijuana but don't also smoke tobacco cigarettes. And the illegality of marijuana has also limited research in this field.

For marijuana, much of the concern is with young people who use the drug, because the drug interferes with the development of the brain while it is still maturing, Baler said. [ 10 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Their Teen's Brain]

Smoking marijuana interferes with connections being made in the brain "at a time when the brain should be at a clear state of mind, and accumulating, memory and data and good experiences that should be laying out the foundation for the future," Baler said.

"How much you're impaired depends on the person, and how much you smoke," Baler said. Because some people are stoned a lot of the time, while others may use marijuana only on weekends, the health effects become difficult to generalize.

"You're cumulatively impairing your cognitive function. What's going to be the ultimate result, nobody can say."
Benefits
There is no known medical use for consumed alcohol, but there are health benefits observed in moderate drinkers, including lower rates of cardiovascular disease and possibly fewer colds, Murray said.

"We always counsel people to avoid drinking to excess, but moderate drinking is not something that's very dangerous," he said.

As for marijuana, whose legalization for medical uses has been a matter of strong public policy debate for years, there is ample evidence that beneficial compounds can be found in the plant.

"Researchers are working around the clock to try to identify the ingredients in marijuana that have potential," to benefit human health, Baler said.

Once such chemicals are in a pure form, and researchers understand their effects on the body, then they could be put in clinical trials for use in cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, glaucoma and other diseases, he said.

"There are segments of the population that want to bypass the entire process, grabbing this nugget of truth ... and claiming smoking marijuana can be good for your health and have medical uses," Baler said.

Although for palliative care, he said, "that would be a different realm of medicine," in which the goal is to drug a person so they do not feel pain.

The year 2014 has brought with it the first legal sales of marijuana to people who aren't using the drug for medical reasons in the United States since the 1930s, as voters in Colorado and Washington state brought about this policy change.

Public health researchers have said studying rates of injuries, accidents, mental illness and teen use in the wake of the new laws will lead to a better understanding of marijuana's public health effects.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Marijuana vs. Alcohol: Which Is Really Worse for Your Health?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The question of whether alcohol or marijuana is worse for health is being debated once again, this time, sparked by comments that President Barack Obama made in a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine.

# data[].attributes.body
I learn how drugs and alcohol affects your brain, health, it can also cause infection, legal consequences, financial problems, and can led you to death. When you try drugs for the first time you brain starts to release a chemical known as dopamine that makes people feel euphoric and make them to want more drugs.

# data[].attributes.body
Some effects of binge eating are weight gain and obesity. Being obese can lead to several health problems , sleep apnea, cancer heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SOURCES:

American Diabetes Association: "Diabetes Symptoms."

American Heart Association: "Obesity."

ANAD: "Binge Eating Disorder."

Binge Eating Disorder Association: "Treatment Options and Providers."

Cleveland Clinic: "Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease."

Cynthia Bulik, PhD.

McElroy, Susan L. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 2012.

NAMI: "Binge Eating Disorder," "Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis."

National Diabetes Education Program: "4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes."

NHLBI: "High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know," "What are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?"

Raevuori, A. International Journal of Eating Disorders, July 2014.

University of Rochester Medical Center: "Binge Eating Disorder."

UpToDate: "Binge Eating Disorder in Adults: Overview of Treatment," "Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in adults: Medical complications and their management," "Eating Disorders: Overview of Treatment."

World Health Organization: "Cardiovascular Diseases."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
health problems from binge eating disorder

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Serious Health Problems Caused By Binge Eating

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Binge eating can lead to other health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes. WebMD offers tips on regaining control of your eating and your health.

# data[].attributes.body
When students opt for online classes instead of being physically present in class, they're missing a key point of education. "Students miss the non-planned, non-structured elements. They don't establish a community of learning, which is why you go to university in the first place," Tim argues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
From real-time polling and quizzes, to live lectures viewed online from thousands of miles away, it's no doubt that technology has changed the modern classroom. But has it been for the better?
We posed this question to Tim Tangherlini, professor at the University of California, whose more than 20 years of experience teaching college students has given him a unique understanding of how technology has transformed his classroom and campus. In this article, we dive into what are some of the key disadvantages with tech in education and explore a few unique ways to tackle them.

1. Increased Multi-Tasking

"Technology in the classroom has the opportunity to support learning in a series of different ways, everything from classroom arrangement to computing in the classroom," Tim agrees. But a concern that he and faculty at UCLA frequently heard from students was less about the technology being used, and more about how those around them were using it.

At the end of every year, the school conducts a senior survey asking graduating students what they liked and didn't like about their college experience. "What they liked about it was diverse," Tim explains, "but what they didn't like converged around distractions in the classroom." The survey found that students were most bothered by their peers who were using technology for activities that weren't related to school work.

Students surveyed at UCLA were most bothered by their peers who were using technology for activities that weren't related to school work.

"It's not unusual for someone to burst out laughing in the middle of a class when there's nothing funny happening," Tim says. Distractions like these are part of the reason why the UCLA professor discourages students from taking notes on electronic devices or laptops. He, like more and more educators and brain-science experts, advocates that hand-written notes can not only prevent unwanted interruptions and distractions, but also help students remain engaged in the class and retain more information.

"Learning is difficult," he says. "It requires a lot of attention."

2. Lower Attendance

When students opt for online classes instead of being physically present in class, they're missing a key point of education. "Students miss the non-planned, non-structured elements. They don't establish a community of learning, which is why you go to university in the first place," Tim argues.

Students miss the non-planned, non-structured elements. They don't establish a community of learning, which is why you go to university in the first place.

While the UCLA professor agrees that online components have their benefits to learning - like greater access to material, video-conferencing, or flipping the classroom - he emphasizes that keeping things digital is less conducive to a strong community of learning, which he believes extends well beyond the basic components of a lesson. "If you go to the cafeteria, for example, which used to be loud with people talking, people are silent now because everybody's looking at screens," he says.

>>> Read 5 Ways To Engage Increasingly Distracted Students <<<

Lower attendance and fewer people talking on campus due to digital distractions can make for a significantly less enjoyable university experience for students. And at UCLA, where graduating students were most bothered by distractions at school, that seems to be the reality. "It's detrimental to their education," he says. "That's why a lot of students are complaining."

3. Short-Term Learning Goals

Education is a long-term investment, but Professor Tangherlini has noticed that more and more students are entering college less willing to stick it out. "Students want a return on their investment that's short-term oriented," he points out. "There's a less robust willingness to invest in long-term returns."

Tim explains that students who look at school work as a task that needs to get completed, as opposed to a longer process of development and learning, are bound to have shorter attention spans and get easily distracted. "There are certain tasks that require a long attention span," he says, "and it may be more than just the hour and a half of a lecture. It may be more than just two or three hours of reading; it may actually require a longer attention span of weeks, months, or even a decade."

Students who look at school work as a task that needs to get completed, as opposed to a longer process of development and learning, are bound to have shorter attention spans and get easily distracted.

But Tim doesn't blame students for having these short-term learning goals. He says the way education has been delivered, in addition to the way media is now consumed, are more to blame. "I don't think we've done a very good job recognizing the need for much more long-term engagement," he explains. "Students have been trained for short-term engagement, and they're also being trained more and more with the media that are now available, like in 2 or 3 minute sound bites."

4. Aversion To Boredom

Sage-on-a-stage is a term Tim and many educators use to describe a professor who delivers a non-interactive lecture at the front of the class with minimal back-and-forth and lower facilitative activities. A frequently criticized way of teaching in the modern classroom, a sage-on-a-stage has become the typical scapegoat for disengaged or bored students.

But Professor Tangherlini explains that boredom is often part of education. "There are certain things we're asking students to do that require deep and hard thought, and are not in and of themselves exciting in the short term," he says. Boredom, in other words, may not necessarily be a problem caused by lecture delivery, but rather a symptom of short-term learning goals.

There are certain things we're asking students to do that require deep and hard thought, and are not in and of themselves exciting in the short term.

He describes the university as a place where students should come to face and overcome boredom together - to ask questions and dive deeper. "With the intellectual process at a university," he says, "you find a community of other people who are struggling with the same problem, and you can talk to them."

>>> Learn 5 Strategies to Enhance Learning With Technology <<<

Encouraging students to communicate with one another as a community of learning is important to Tim, especially considering lower attendance, short-term attention problems, and increased distractions at school. And one strategy he believes helps achieve this is flexible learning spaces. "We can change the physical parameters to align with the specific learning goals of that day," he says, describing classrooms where chairs and desks are not fixed to the floor and can instead be moved into pods to support break out groups and hands on activities.

Ultimately, what matters to Tim is that real learning occurs. "Technology needs to be in support of the learning," he says, "instead of the learning chasing the technology."

What we recommend

1. Discourage multi-tasking by encouraging paper note-taking.

2. Improve attendance by limiting online-only material and including in-class activities.

3. Facilitate conversation and engagement through teaching in flexible learning spaces.

4. Build and support a community of learning by encouraging students to engage with one another out of class.

Professor Tim Tangherlini teaches folklore at UCLA, where he holds appointments in Scandinavian, and in Asian Languages and Cultures. His recent book, Danish Folktales, Legends, and Other Stories (2013) includes a deeply immersive digital component to it. His work has been supported by grants from the NSF, the NEH, the NIH, the ACLS, the Guggenheim foundation, and Google.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Problems With Technology In The Classroom (And How To Fix Them)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A UCLA professor shares what he and other educators believe are the biggest problems with technology in schools and how these problems can be fixed.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that males have a higher rate of incarceration than females. Nearly all of the female juveniles report having sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. While males typically first start in the system as a runaway or an offence, and they report abuse at home for their primary reason for leaving. Most of the juvenile incarcerations are black males or American-Indians.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Background
Definition
Juveniles in residential placement are defined as those under age 18 who were assigned a bed in a juvenile residential custody facility in the United States as of the last Wednesday in October in a given year.

Rates are computed per 100,000 juveniles ages 10 through the upper age of each state's juvenile court jurisdiction. The number of children younger than age 10 in residential placement is not large enough to warrant the inclusion of younger age groups in the denominator of rate calculations. States' upper age limits of original juvenile court jurisdiction up through 2016 are available at https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/structure_process/qa04101.asp.

Data do not include those juveniles in adult facilities or those juveniles held exclusively in drug treatment or mental health facilities.
Endnotes [1] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2017). OJJDP statistical briefing book. Retrieved from http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/JAR_Display.asp?ID=qa05230 [2] McCormack, A, Janus, M., & Burgess, A (1986). Runaway youths and sexual victimization: Gender differences in an adolescent runaway population. Child Abuse and Neglect, 10, 387-395. Rhodes, J. E., & Fischer, K (1993). Spanning the gender gap: Gender differences in delinquency among inner-city adolescents. Adolescence, 28, 879-889 Silbert, M., & Pines, M. (1981). Sexual child abuse as an antecedent to prostitution. Child Abuse and Neglect, 5, 407-411. [3] Hoyt, S., & Scherer, D. G. (1998). Female juvenile delinquency: Misunderstood by the juvenile justice system, neglected by social science. Law and Human Behavior, 22(1), 81-107. [4] More-specific definitions of incorrigibility vary by state. For more information see: U.S. Department of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (n.d.). Deinstitutionalization of status offenders promising practices nomination form. Retrieved from http://www.ojjdp.gov/programs/DSOpromisingpractices2009.pdf [5] The violent crime index includes criminal homicide, violent sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. [6] The property crime index includes burglary, theft, auto theft, and arson.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nearly 55,000 young persons were detained in residential placements in 2013; however, the rate of juvenile detention has been declining since 1999. Still, males and racial/ethnic minorities are heavily overrepresented in this population.

# data[].attributes.body
Abusing prescription drugs has increased the emergency room visits in the past fifteen years. And how most of these people are young kids that are in middle school or high school using there parents olde pills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ordering Publications

Call 1-877-643-2644 or:

APA Style MLA Style AMA Style

NIDA. (2018, January 17). Misuse of Prescription Drugs. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/misuse-prescription-drugs

​Research Reports

This series of reports simplifies the science of research findings for the educated lay public, legislators, educational groups, and practitioners. The series reports on research findings of national interest.

Lesson Plan and Activity Finder

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Misuse of prescription drugs means taking a medication in a manner or dose other than prescribed; taking someone else's prescription, even if for a legitimate medical complaint such as pain; or taking a medication to feel euphoria (i.e., to get high).

# data[].attributes.body
When drinking alcohol your vision, reaction time, and balance are affected. This is danger when driving because your mind is focused on driving but in a different state of mind.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Before Your License is Suspended

Complete this form for a FREE consultation from a DUI specialist.

Thousands of people lose their lives every year in alcohol-related accidents on U.S. highways. And as the problem continues to grow, the laws concerning drinking and driving will continue to become more strict.

The Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

Once the blood absorbs the alcohol and it flows throughout your body, your brain will enter a state of relaxation. If you are consuming alcohol faster than your body is processing it (one drink per hour of either a mixed drink made with one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine, or a 12-ounce beer) the parts of your brain that typically keep you in check while you are sober will ease up. The result is impaired judgment and the loss of control of your inhibitions.

Saturating your blood with alcohol can also affect your vision, reaction time, coordination, and balance. It's also not uncommon to experience a change in mood.

If you have consumed too much alcohol, the only thing that will sober you up is time. You can try taking a cold shower or drinking some coffee, but they won't dissolve the effects of being intoxicated.

Drinking and Driving

Just don't do it. Once alcohol has become a part of your good time, driving should not. Your judgment may be impaired and you may not realize how intoxicated you really have become.

If your blood alcohol content (BAC) inches above 0.05%, your driving skills are already decreasing.

While studies show that the highest number of alcohol-related accidents were the result of a beer binge, wine and liquor are just as likely to give you that dangerous buzz before driving.

Don't think you are getting away with driving while intoxicated for long if it is common practice for you. Police officers can easily pick up on a driver who shouldn't be behind the wheel. Here's how:

The alcohol has given you a false sense of confidence, and you think you can handle putting the pedal to the metal. Speeding is a quick tip off.

Your brain is swimming in alcohol; therefore you can't focus on the road and you have less control of your motor skills than normal. This causes you to drive erratically, causing the vehicle to weave.

You know you should not be behind the wheel, but you are driving regardless. You are actually driving slower than normal because you are over-cautious in your current condition.

Short mental lapses cause you to jerk the wheel or punch the gas pedal, causing your car to stroll down the road in a jerky motion.

The alcohol has slowed your reaction time and also affected your sense of depth perception. You make abrupt stops at traffic lights and stop signs, instead of easing your way to a smooth halt.

DUI in Idaho

The State if Idaho considers you Driving Under the Influence (DUI) if you fall under one of these three circumstances:

Your BAC is 0.02% or more if you are younger than 21 years old.

Your BAC is 0.04% or more and you are operating a commercial vehicle.

Your BAC is 0.08% or more and you are 21 years old or older. You can still be charged with DUI even if your BAC is less than 0.08% if you are under the influence of some other intoxicating substance(s).

Penalties for DUI in Idaho

Not only can the courts punish you for breaking criminal laws by driving under the influence, but the Transportation Department can as well. Administrative laws (civil laws) allow the DOT to suspend your license and levy other penalties against you for DUI and for refusing s test.

DUI 1st Offense:

Administrative Penalties

Mandatory suspension of your driver's license for at least 90 days.
No restricted license for the first 30 days.

Driver's license reinstatement minimum fee of $25 to $285.

Provide Financial Responsibility for 3 years (SR 22).

Criminal Penalties

6 months in jail.

Up to a $1,000 fine.

Driver's license suspension of 90 to 180 days.

DUI 2nd Offense:

Administrative Penalties

Mandatory suspension of your driver's license for 1 year.
No restricted license if 2nd offense within 5 years.

Driver's license reinstatement of $25 to $285.

Provide Financial Responsibility for 3 years (SR 22).

Criminal Penalties

A mandatory jail sentence of 10 days to 1 year.

Up to a $2,000 fine.

Suspension of your driver's license for 1 year.

Mandatory Ignition Interlock Device.

DUI 3rd Offense:

Administrative Penalties

Mandatory suspension of your driver's license for 1 year.

Driver's license reinstatement of $25 to $285.

Provide Financial Responsibility for 3 years (SR 22).

Criminal Penalties

A felony conviction.

Mandatory jail time from 30 days to 10 years.

Up to $5,000.

Suspension of your license for 1 to 5 years.

Mandatory Ignition Interlock Device.

Refusing a Test

Refusing a test carries penalties of its own in Idaho. If you refuse a test you will be given an order of suspension. You do have the right to request a hearing, in writing, within 7 days. If you do not appear at the hearing or the hearing does not go in your favor you will have to pay the $250 fine and your driver's license will be suspended for 1 year.

If you refuse a test for a second time you will pay another $250 fine and you will lose your license for 2 years. On a second refusal you have no option for a restricted license.

DUI Under 21 in Idaho

Idaho takes DUI very seriously and especially so for drivers under 21 years old. A 1st offense will get you a fine by the court of $1,000 and your license suspended for 1 year. For the first 90 days of the suspension you have no chance of a restricted driver's license. You will be required to take an alcohol evaluation as well. Those who are minors will lose their license until they turn 21 years old under administrative penalties.

Seeking Legal Aid for Idaho DUI

If you are caught driving under the influence, you might wish to consult a DUI attorney to help you with your case and defend you in court.

Reinstating You License

In order to reinstate your license you will need to satisfy all of the court requirements and then:

Fill out a Reinstatement application (Form ITD 3786).

Pay your license reinstatement fee: $25 to $285.

Show proof of financial responsibility (Usually SR22 carried for minimum 3 years).

You may also pay your reinstatement fee online.

For more information please contact the Transportation Department in Boise at (208) 334-8736.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Idaho DUI & DWI Laws & Enforcement | DMV.ORG

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about Idaho's DUI and DWI laws. Find out the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in ID.

# data[].attributes.body
cocaine will make you feel good and its an upper,a stimulant.it can make you run fast for a little bit but then will wear off fast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Effect of cocaine on exercise endurance and glycogen use in rats. - PubMed - NCBI

# data[].attributes.body
Graffiti is illegal. It can also cause brain damage due to the fumes in the paint. It can also cause pollution due to non-proper disposal of cans, as well as the fumes going airborn.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
graffiti, form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related. Graffiti can be understood as antisocial behaviour performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking, but it also can be understood as an expressive art form.

Derived from the Italian word graffio ("scratch"), graffiti ("incised inscriptions," plural but often used as singular) has a long history. For example, markings have been found in ancient Roman ruins, in the remains of the Mayan city of Tikal in Central America, on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century, and in medieval English churches. During the 20th century, graffiti in the United States and Europe was closely associated with gangs, who used it for a variety of purposes: for identifying or claiming territory, for memorializing dead gang members in an informal "obituary," for boasting about acts (e.g., crimes) committed by gang members, and for challenging rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations. Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban centres throughout the world, especially in the United States and Europe; common targets were subways, billboards, and walls. In the 1990s there emerged a new form of graffiti, known as "tagging," which entailed the repeated use of a single symbol or series of symbols to mark territory. In order to attract the most attention possible, this type of graffiti usually appeared in strategically or centrally located neighbourhoods.

To some observers graffiti is a form of public art, continuing the tradition, for example, of the murals commissioned by the U.S. Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project during the Great Depression and the work of Diego Rivera in Mexico. Like the murals of these artists, great works of graffiti can beautify a neighbourhood and speak to the interests of a specific community. For example, the graffiti in many Hispanic neighbourhoods in the United States is quite elaborate and is regarded by many as a form of urban art. The question of whether such work is an innovative art form or a public nuisance has aroused much debate.

Graffiti became notoriously prominent in New York City in the late 20th century. Large elaborate multicoloured graffiti created with spray paint on building walls and subway cars came to define the urban landscape. The art world's fascination with artists who functioned outside traditional gallery channels stimulated an interest in this form of self-expression. In the 1980s New York artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat gained notoriety for their graffiti and parlayed this recognition into successful careers as painters represented by top galleries.

Most jurisdictions have laws prohibiting graffiti as vandalism, and in some countries punishment is quite severe. For example, in Singapore violators are subject to caning. During the 1980s and '90s many jurisdictions sought ways to eliminate and remove graffiti, fearing that it would otherwise lead to the debasement of the community. Significant resources were allocated for abatement and other clean-up efforts, and some cities even introduced mural programs or "free walls" to provide legal opportunities for urban youths to express their artistic creativity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Graffiti, form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. It can be understood as antisocial behavior or as an expressive art form. Graffiti has had a long history, but became closely associated with gang activity in the 20th century.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that nearly 750,000 american girls get pregnant every year, before the age of twenty. 50% of teen moms actually drop out of high school. And less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
About a quarter of teen moms have a second child within 24 months of their first baby.

# data[].attributes.body
Teens that drink are 4 times more likely to have a drinking disorder in the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Additional Resources

References

1. Sudhinaraset M, Wigglesworth C, Takeuchi DT. Social and Cultural Contexts of Alcohol Use: Influences in a Social-Ecological Framework. Alcohol Res. 2016;38(1):35-45.

2. Witkiewitz K, Litten RZ, Leggio L. Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder. Sci Adv. 2019;5(9):eaax4043. Published 2019 Sep 25. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax4043

3. GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 [published correction appears in Lancet. 2018 Sep 29;392(10153):1116] [published correction appears in Lancet. 2019 Jun 22;393(10190):e44]. Lancet. 2018;392(10152):1015-1035. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2

4. Substance Abuse Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, SAMHSA. Accessed January 2023.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Alcohol | National Institute on Drug Abuse

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alcohol is among the most used drugs, plays a large role in many societies and cultures around the world, and greatly impacts public health.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that tobacco company send billions of dollars on adds to make their product look better and safer. Tobacco also gives the user an adrenaline rush not big enough to notice but enough to raise your blood pressure and speedup your heart.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that more families are reaching for those low cost foods, so they will go to a fast food restaurant. Those foods have a lot of preservatives and they aren't getting the nutrition they need. Also the lack of exercise, watching TV, is a factor in obesity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What Causes Obesity? On the surface, the cause of obesity seems simple: if you consume more calories than you burn as energy through physical activity, then you'll gain weight.

# data[].attributes.body
All drugs have different affects to the body. Most of those effects include health consequences, or it could even have a long lasting/ permanent .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Effects of drug abuse and addiction

Drugs are chemicals that affect the body and brain. Different drugs can have different effects. Some effects of drugs include health consequences that are long-lasting and permanent. They can even continue after a person has stopped taking the substance.

There are a few ways a person can take drugs, including injection, inhalation and ingestion. The effects of the drug on the body can depend on how the drug is delivered. For example, the injection of drugs directly into the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while ingestion has a delayed effect. But all misused drugs affect the brain. They cause large amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and produce a "high." Eventually, drugs can change how the brain works and interfere with a person's ability to make choices, leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency, or drug addiction.

Today, more than 7 million people suffer from an illicit drug disorder, and one in four deaths results from illicit drug use. In fact, more deaths, illnesses and disabilities are associated with drug abuse than any other preventable health condition. People suffering from drug and alcohol addiction also have a higher risk of unintentional injuries, accidents and domestic violence incidents.

The good news is: Substance use disorders are treatable.

What is drug abuse?

Clinically known as substance use disorder, drug abuse or addiction is caused by the habitual taking of addictive substances. Drugs include alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens and opioids. Substance use disorder is a disease, causing people to compulsively use drugs despite consequences.

The Effects of Drug Abuse on Health

Substance use disorders are associated with a wide range of short- and long-term health effects. They can vary depending on the type of drug, how much and how often it's taken and the person's general health. Overall, the effects of drug abuse and dependence can be far-reaching. They can impact almost every organ in the human body.
Side effects of drug addiction may include:

A weakened immune system, increasing the risk of illness and infection

Heart conditions ranging from abnormal heart rates to heart attacks and collapsed veins and blood vessel infections from injected drugs

Nausea and abdominal pain, which can also lead to changes in appetite and weight loss

Increased strain on the liver, which puts the person at risk of significant liver damage or liver failure

Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage

Lung disease

Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living more difficult

Global effects of drugs on the body, such as breast development in men and increases in body temperature, which can lead to other health problems

The most severe health consequences of drug abuse is death. Deaths related to synthetic opioids and heroin have seen the sharpest rise. In the past 12 months, 212,000 people aged 12 or older have used heroin for the first time. Every day, more than 90 Americans die after overdosing on opioids.

Effects of Drug Addiction on the Brain

All drugs-nicotine, cocaine, marijuana and others-affect the brain's "reward" circuit, which is part of the limbic system. This area of the brain affects instinct and mood. Drugs target this system, which causes large amounts of dopamine-a brain chemical that helps regulate emotions and feelings of pleasure-to flood the brain. This flood of dopamine is what causes a "high." It's one of the main causes of drug addiction.

Although initial drug use may be voluntary, drugs can alter brain chemistry. This can actually change how the brain performs and interfere with a person's ability to make choices. It can lead to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency or drug and alcohol addiction.

Alcohol can have short- and long-term effects on the brain and disrupts the brain's communication pathways. These can influence mood, behavior and other cognitive function.

Brain damage may also occur through alcohol-induced nutrition deficiencies, alcohol-induced seizures and liver disease. In pregnant women, alcohol exposure can impact the brains of unborn babies, resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

It is reported that alcohol-induced brain problems can often be corrected with proper treatment. Abstinence from alcohol for months or years can help partially repair thinking abilities, like memory skills.

Drug Effects on Behavior

Substance use disorders can lead to multiple behavioral problems, both in the short- and long-term, which can include:

These effects of drug abuse have serious consequences, like missed work, punishable offenses, accidents and injuries. In fact, alcohol and drugs are partly to blame in an estimated 80 percent of offenses leading to jail time in the U.S. These incidents include domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and offenses related to damaged property. Legal and illegal drugs excluding alcohol are involved in about 16 percent of motor vehicle crashes. In the past year, almost 12 million people drove under the influence of illicit drugs, and almost 4,000 fatally injured drivers tested positive for drug involvement.

Effects of Drug Abuse on Unborn Babies

Illicit drug use poses risks for pregnant women and their babies. Drugs may contain impurities that can be harmful to an unborn baby. Pregnant women who use drugs may be more likely to harm the fetus with risky behaviors and poor nutrition. Drug use can lead to premature birth or low birth weight. It can also cause the baby to have withdrawal symptoms (sometimes in the form of neonatal abstinence syndrome), birth defects or learning and behavioral problems later in life.

An estimated 14 percent of adults with an illicit substance use disorder reported receiving treatment in the past year. At Gateway Foundation, we offer treatment programs for all levels of drug addiction. Give us a call at 877.505.4673 to find out how we can help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Effects of Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction Effects | Gateway Foundation Rehabs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The effects of drug abuse and effects of drug addiction are far reaching. Discover some of the most devastating drug addiction effects: 877-377-2027.

# data[].attributes.body
This website talks about the risk and challenges of being pregnant before 15. Also how affects your social life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Let's be honest - going through a teen pregnancy is probably not going to be easy. However, it is definitely possible. Young women like you push through the trials of teen pregnancy every day. Many people say it is hard enough just being a teenager by itself - add in pregnancy and all that planning and preparing that comes with it, and it becomes even more challenging. Sometimes, "challenge" can be an understatement.

Below are some of the most common challenging areas for someone experiencing a teen pregnancy and ways to help overcome those challenges.

If you are looking for information on finding out if you're actually pregnant, how to tell your parent(s) or boyfriend the news, your three pregnancy options, or teen pregnancy prevention, visit our Pregnant Teen article. If you'd like to learn more about healthy choices during pregnancy, visit our Healthy Teen Pregnancy page.

Pregnancy in Your Teen Years

Though women are able to give birth as soon as they begin menstruating, there are some possible risks when you have a child early on in your teen years. These things are not guaranteed to happen, but it is a good idea to talk to your doctor about your reproductive health to know about any concerning signs or symptoms for your body.

Here are a few risks that are greater if you are pregnant before the age of 15 or you do not seek prenatal care:

low birth weight/premature birth

anemia (low iron levels)

high blood pressure/pregnancy induced hypertension, PIH (can lead to preeclampsia)

a higher rate of infant mortality (death)

possible greater risk of cephalopelvic disproportion* (the baby's head is wider than the pelvic opening)

Teens, in general, have a higher risk of preterm birth, which often goes along with low birth weight. Teens may also be in danger of not receiving the right amount of nutrients (such as in prenatal vitamins) during pregnancy. Regular prenatal visits, pursuing a healthy lifestyle (see our article Healthy Teen Pregnancy), and taking childbirth and parenting classes can help to reduce these risks and prepare a young mother (and/or father) for a great pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period.

*This has been claimed by some studies, while also showing disproven in others. Talk to your doctor about concerns regarding an early pregnancy and pelvic underdevelopment.

Maintaining your social life during a teen pregnancy

No matter how young or old you are, relationships are always extremely important, and most people find it necessary to stay active socially. Whether these are relationships with your friends, family, or a boyfriend, they are no doubt important to you. A teen pregnancy can cause a lot of changes, such as mood swings, fatigue, and a change in what you can or cannot do.

Friends & Family

For example, you may be more tired during your pregnancy, meaning that you spend more time sleeping than seeing friends, family, or your boyfriend. To help with this, try to plan things ahead of time and budget your time. Plan short group events so that you can catch up with multiple people at the same time. You may not be able to spend as much time with each person as before, but at least you will have some time with everyone.

Mood swings can cause tension in any relationship, and it's made worse when you feel that you can't control it! This emotional rollercoaster is fairly normal during any teen pregnancy, but your friends and boyfriend may never have been close to someone who was pregnant; they may not know what to expect. It might be a good idea to have conversations with your friends, family, and/or boyfriend and let them know that these mood swings may happen occasionally, and give them tips on how to bring you back to normal.

Also, find some activities that help keep you even-tempered. Some examples include a warm bath with music, meditation, slow breathing exercises, going for a walk, etc. A teen pregnancy is hard enough, you need time to think, rejuvenate, and plan.

Boyfriend

Going through a teen pregnancy with your boyfriend can get tricky, especially if the pregnancy was not planned. It's likely both his and your first experience with pregnancy, and if you are early/new in your relationship, you may not already have a solid foundation to fall back on. If you're still learning basic things about each other, pregnancy can make all of that more confusing.

Plus, there may be added pressure on the relationship from thoughts like, is he going to be a good father? Or will he really stay with me? Or are we going to get married? Instead of keeping these thoughts inside and allowing them to grow and bother you, talk to someone you trust, and after taking the time to think things through, talk to your boyfriend. When talking to your boyfriend, try not to sound like you're accusing him of anything; that will just put him on defense!

A teen pregnancy is challenging whether you work together or not. Don't judge him on his first reactions. It will be helpful to plan on multiple conversations. This will give both of you a better time to adjust to things and think through all the teen pregnancy and personal challenges you might experience.

Parents

Coexisting with your parents can be a struggle during your pregnancy as well. You may find that you've lost their trust, and this can put an extra strain on your relationship. Do what you can to earn their trust back in little ways during your pregnancy. Keep track of your vitamins, doctor's appointments, and parenting classes so that your parents don't have to remind you. Do something extra around the house to let them know you are thinking of them. And above all else, be truthful with them! It's easier to lose trust than to build it back up.

On the flip side, your parents may feel overbearing because they want to make sure you and the baby are okay. Speak up calmly if you feel the need, but know that they are doing this because they care. Some discover that during a teen pregnancy, their parents speak out against the pregnancy and look not to continue it, and some may even kick you out of the house. If this is the case, know that there is help out there for you. Call us at 1-800-672-2296 to find a local pregnancy center or maternity home for assistance.

High school or college with a teen pregnancy

High School

If you are in high school, you probably have a lot of questions about how your life will look now and after you have the baby. Right now, you may have to miss school here and there for doctor's appointments and check-ups. Maybe you have a lot of symptoms (like morning sickness) that cause you to be tardy or have to run out of class. Perhaps you're scared that you might have to drop your favorite sport or activity. Or, you're wondering what in the world you're supposed to do when your due date approaches; can you deliver your baby and still keep up on school work?

This will take a lot of communication between you, your parents, your school leadership, your teachers, and your doctor. You may need doctor's notes to excuse you from class or to have special bathroom priveledges. Your doctor may tell you that your sport is not safe during pregnancy.

If your due date is during the school year, you may need to make up time in summer school or do extra work ahead of time. It's possible that your school already has a plan for those with a teen pregnancy, so the first thing to do is ask. Talk to your counselor, your principal, and then your teachers. If things don't

If things don't workout with your current school, you may want to look into schools specifically designed for those with a teen pregnancy. This way the curriculum and timing are made just for you and you can still finish high school.

If your pregnancy is high-risk or you do not feel that you can handle schoolwork, you may want to look into classes towards earning your GED on your own time. Once you've graduated, you can look into applying to colleges. If you choose adoption, you will be relatively back to normal again after 9 months and able to continue, perhaps, as planned. If you decide to parent your child, you'll want to think about how much time you can devote to school, a job, and being with your child. Many colleges offer some type of childcare program, and if you go to a school nearby, you may be able to work childcare out with your parents (if they are willing).

College

If you are in college already, you will want to plan ahead. Do you need to take a semester off? What kind of childcare does the college offer? Can you keep up a job along with classes? How will you pay for classes/will your parents continue to pay for your schooling? If you're pregnant and already into a semester, try adding a job and see how you can manage your time and to see if you can earn enough money to provide for a child. If you plan to stay with your partner, he will need to figure out some earning possibilities too. Talk to your college about options for pregnant students/students with children. Ask questions early; the more you know, the more possibilities are open to you. It will not be easy, especially when you are dealing with being pregnant and the symptoms that come with it, or after pregnancy when you have a newborn. However, there are ways that you can stay in college classes and graduate. Women like you do it every day!

After a teen pregnancy: providing for your newborn

Finding a job during pregnancy or as a mom may be difficult, but definitely not impossible. If you don't already have a job, you will want to find something that can work with your schedule (around your doctor's appointments and/or school) and does not involve any heavy lifting or chemical exposure, as these are not safe during pregnancy. When your due date approaches, you'll want to communicate a plan for time off. Hopefully, your job will work with you. Remember that in many states it is illegal to fire or

When your due date approaches, you'll want to communicate a plan for time off. Hopefully, your job will work with you. Remember that in many states it is illegal to fire or layoff an employee due to pregnancy or medical leave. If this happens, you may want to look at your state's labor laws and consult a lawyer.

Providing for a newborn can mean financial budgeting or difficulty. If you are struggling, know that there are temporary assistance programs out there like housing assistance, financial assistance, food stamps, WIC, Medicaid for you/your baby, and many other programs to support citizens in times of need.

Budgeting and helpful tips

You'll want to learn about how to budget as well, and this can save you a lot of money. Put your paychecks toward the most important things first: rent, utilities, medical care, food, and your baby's needs. Here are some tips:

Make a BUDGET. Figure out what money you bring in each month, and from there you will see how much you can spend on each thing. It's the little things that can add up and end up leaving you with no money at the end of the month: that unplanned trip to Subway, a [decaf] fancy drink at Starbucks... So, know how much you can spend, and don't go over!

Start couponing! There are coupons in magazines, weekly ads, and a ton more online. The trick with couponing is that you never want to buy something just because you have a coupon for it; only clip coupons for things you already need and buy.

Figure out how much things such as baby formula/food and diapers/wipes cost per week and month, and buy when there are sales! A lot of women ask for diapers of all sizes for their baby shower gifts, so especially if money is tight, consider doing this.

You will have to cut back on unnecessary habits - hair and nail appointments, eating at restaurants, new clothes (unless necessary for work, or shop at a thrift store), trips, days at the spa, etc. Of course, there are special occasions, and you'll need to relax sometimes. When you do "treat yourself," use coupons or gift cards that you get for holidays or your baby shower.

Go off-brand. You can save a bunch on your grocery trips if you choose non-brand name items, and always look for what's on sale!

Shop at a discount store - they often have similar items but at lower prices.

All of these challenges above are not going to be easy, but that doesn't mean it's not possible for you! It is important to remember that there are resources, help, and support for you. Keep yourself close to positive, supportive people, and you will be able to push through and become a part of the growing community of teen moms.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for help. There may be a lot of people in your life that want to help you, but just don't know how. If a friend, boyfriend, or family member can come with you or drive you to doctor's appointments, you'll have someone to lean on for support. Maybe a mentor can help you find a budget or connect you with parenting classes and resources.

Need help or more information about teen pregnancy?

If you have questions or need someone to talk to about your options or struggles during a teen pregnancy, please feel free to call our helpline at 1-800-672-2296. Our team of Pregnancy Educators is standing by to listen and help you through the challenging times in your pregnancy.

Last updated: September 6, 2017 at 15:35 pm

Compiled using information from the following sources:

1. Mayo Clinic: Tween and Teen Health
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teen-pregnancy/art-20048124?pg=2
2. Youth.gov: Teen Pregnancy Adverse Effects
http://youth.gov/youth-topics/teen-pregnancy-prevention/adverse-effects-teen-pregnancy
3. Kawakita T, et. al. Adverse Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Adolescent Pregnancy. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Pregnancy. April 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2015.08.006
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1083318815003071
4. Perry, RL; Mannino, B; Hediger, M; Scholl, T. Pregnancy in Early Adolescence: Are There Obstetric Risks? Journal of Maternal Fetal Medicine. 13 Jan 1996.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14767059609018410
5. Sulaiman, S; Othman, S; Razali, N; Hassan, J. Obstetric and Perinatal Outcome in Teenage Pregnancies: Research. South African Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Jan 2013. doi: 10.7196/SAJOG.679
https://journals.co.za/content/m_sajog/19/3/EJC141507
6. Grover, N and Sandhu, K. Teenage Pregnancy: Too Much Too Soon. South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Sept 2009.
http://www.jaypeejournals.com/eJournals/ShowText.aspx?ID=390&Type=FREE&TYP=TOP&IN=_eJournals/images/JPLOGO.gif&IID=41&isPDF=NO7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen Pregnancy Issues and Challenges - American Pregnancy Association

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Let's be honest - going through a teen pregnancy is probably not going to be easy. However, it is definitely possible. Young women like you push through the trials of teen pregnancy every day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is marijuana?

Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical THC and other similar compounds. Extracts can also be made from the cannabis plant (see " Marijuana Extracts").

Marijuana is the most commonly used addictive drug after tobacco and alcohol. Its use is widespread among young people. In 2018, more than 11.8 million young adults used marijuana in the past year. According to the Monitoring the Future survey, rates of past year marijuana use among middle and high school students have remained steady, but the number of teens in 8th and 10th grades who say they use it daily has increased. With the growing popularity of vaping devices, teens have started vaping THC (the ingredient in marijuana that produces the high), with nearly 4% of 12th graders saying they vape THC daily. In addition, the number of young people who believe regular marijuana use is risky is decreasing.

Legalization of marijuana for medical use or adult recreational use in a growing number of states may affect these views. Read more about marijuana as medicine in our DrugFacts: Marijuana as Medicine.

How do people use marijuana?

People smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or in pipes or water pipes (bongs). They also smoke it in blunts-emptied cigars that have been partly or completely refilled with marijuana. To avoid inhaling smoke, some people are using vaporizers. These devices pull the active ingredients (including THC) from the marijuana and collect their vapor in a storage unit. A person then inhales the vapor, not the smoke. Some vaporizers use a liquid marijuana extract.

People can mix marijuana in food ( edibles), such as brownies, cookies, or candy, or brew it as a tea. A newly popular method of use is smoking or eating different forms of THC-rich resins (see " Marijuana Extracts").

Marijuana Extracts

Smoking THC-rich resins extracted from the marijuana plant is on the rise. People call this practice dabbing. These extracts come in various forms, such as:

hash oil or honey oil-a gooey liquid

wax or budder-a soft solid with a texture like lip balm

shatter-a hard, amber-colored solid

These extracts can deliver extremely large amounts of THC to the body, and their use has sent some people to the emergency room. Another danger is in preparing these extracts, which usually involves butane (lighter fluid). A number of people have caused fires and explosions and have been seriously burned from using butane to make extracts at home.

How does marijuana affect the brain?

Marijuana has both short-and long-term effects on the brain.

THC acts on numerous areas in the brain (in yellow).

Short-Term Effects

When a person smokes marijuana, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream. The blood carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. The body absorbs THC more slowly when the person eats or drinks it. In that case, they generally feel the effects after 30 minutes to 1 hour.

THC acts on specific brain cell receptors that ordinarily react to natural THC-like chemicals. These natural chemicals play a role in normal brain development and function.

Marijuana over activates parts of the brain that contain the highest number of these receptors. This causes the "high" that people feel. Other effects include:

altered senses (for example, seeing brighter colors)

altered sense of time

changes in mood

impaired body movement

difficulty with thinking and problem-solving

impaired memory

hallucinations (when taken in high doses)

delusions (when taken in high doses)

psychosis (risk is highest with regular use of high potency marijuana)

Long-Term Effects

Marijuana also affects brain development. When people begin using marijuana as teenagers, the drug may impair thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Researchers are still studying how long marijuana's effects last and whether some changes may be permanent.

For example, a study from New Zealand conducted in part by researchers at Duke University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities didn't fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults didn't show notable IQ declines.

In another recent study on twins, those who used marijuana showed a significant decline in general knowledge and in verbal ability (equivalent to 4 IQ points) between the preteen years and early adulthood, but no predictable difference was found between twins when one used marijuana and the other didn't. This suggests that the IQ decline in marijuana users may be caused by something other than marijuana, such as shared familial factors (e.g., genetics, family environment). NIDA's Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a major longitudinal study, is tracking a large sample of young Americans from late childhood to early adulthood to help clarify how and to what extent marijuana and other substances, alone and in combination, affect adolescent brain development. Read more about the ABCD study on our Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD Study) webpage.

A Rise in Marijuana's THC Levels

The amount of THC in marijuana has been increasing steadily over the past few decades. For a person who's new to marijuana use, this may mean exposure to higher THC levels with a greater chance of a harmful reaction. Higher THC levels may explain the rise in emergency room visits involving marijuana use.

The popularity of edibles also increases the chance of harmful reactions. Edibles take longer to digest and produce a high. Therefore, people may consume more to feel the effects faster, leading to dangerous results.

Higher THC levels may also mean a greater risk for addiction if people are regularly exposing themselves to high doses.

What are the other health effects of marijuana?

Marijuana use may have a wide range of effects, both physical and mental.

Physical Effects

Breathing problems. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, and people who smoke marijuana frequently can have the same breathing problems as those who smoke tobacco. These problems include daily cough and phlegm, more frequent lung illness, and a higher risk of lung infections. Researchers so far haven't found a higher risk for lung cancer in people who smoke marijuana.

Increased heart rate. Marijuana raises heart rate for up to 3 hours after smoking. This effect may increase the chance of heart attack. Older people and those with heart problems may be at higher risk.

Problems with child development during and after pregnancy. One study found that about 20% of pregnant women 24-years-old and younger screened positive for marijuana. However, this study also found that women were about twice as likely to screen positive for marijuana use via a drug test than they state in self-reported measures. This suggests that self-reported rates of marijuana use in pregnant females is not an accurate measure of marijuana use and may be underreporting their use. Additionally, in one study of dispensaries, nonmedical personnel at marijuana dispensaries were recommending marijuana to pregnant women for nausea, but medical experts warn against it. This concerns medical experts because marijuana use during pregnancy is linked to lower birth weight and increased risk of both brain and behavioral problems in babies. If a pregnant woman uses marijuana, the drug may affect certain developing parts of the fetus's brain. Children exposed to marijuana in the womb have an increased risk of problems with attention, memory, and problem-solving compared to unexposed children. Some research also suggests that moderate amounts of THC are excreted into the breast milk of nursing mothers. With regular use, THC can reach amounts in breast milk that could affect the baby's developing brain. Other recent research suggests an increased risk of preterm births. More research is needed. Read our Marijuana Research Report for more information about marijuana and pregnancy.

Intense nausea and vomiting. Regular, long-term marijuana use can lead to some people to develop Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. This causes users to experience regular cycles of severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration, sometimes requiring emergency medical attention.

Reports of Deaths Related to Vaping

The Food and Drug Administration has alerted the public to hundreds of reports of serious lung illnesses associated with vaping, including several deaths. They are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the cause of these illnesses. Many of the suspect products tested by the states or federal health officials have been identified as vaping products containing THC, the main psychotropic ingredient in marijuana. Some of the patients reported a mixture of THC and nicotine; and some reported vaping nicotine alone. No one substance has been identified in all of the samples tested, and it is unclear if the illnesses are related to one single compound. Until more details are known, FDA officials have warned people not to use any vaping products bought on the street, and they warn against modifying any products purchased in stores. They are also asking people and health professionals to report any adverse effects. The CDC has posted an information page for consumers.

Mental Effects

Long-term marijuana use has been linked to mental illness in some people, such as:

temporary hallucinations

temporary paranoia

worsening symptoms in patients with schizophrenia-a severe mental disorder with symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia, and disorganized thinking

Marijuana use has also been linked to other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among teens. However, study findings have been mixed.

Are there effects of inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke?

Failing a Drug Test?

While it's possible to fail a drug test after inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke, it's unlikely. Studies show that very little THC is released in the air when a person exhales. Research findings suggest that, unless people are in an enclosed room, breathing in lots of smoke for hours at close range, they aren't likely to fail a drug test. Even if some THC was found in the blood, it wouldn't be enough to fail a test.

Getting High from Passive Exposure?

Similarly, it's unlikely that secondhand marijuana smoke would give nonsmoking people in a confined space a high from passive exposure. Studies have shown that people who don't use marijuana report only mild effects of the drug from a nearby smoker, under extreme conditions (breathing in lots of marijuana smoke for hours in an enclosed room).

Other Health Effects?

More research is needed to know if secondhand marijuana smoke has similar health risks as secondhand tobacco smoke. A recent study on rats suggests that secondhand marijuana smoke can do as much damage to the heart and blood vessels as secondhand tobacco smoke.But researchers haven't fully explored the effect of secondhand marijuana smoke on humans. What they do know is that the toxins and tar found in marijuana smoke could affect vulnerable people, such as children or people with asthma.

How Does Marijuana Affect a Person's Life?

Compared to those who don't use marijuana, those who frequently use large amounts report the following:

lower life satisfaction

poorer mental health

poorer physical health

more relationship problems

People also report less academic and career success. For example, marijuana use is linked to a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. It's also linked to more job absences, accidents, and injuries.

Is marijuana a gateway drug?

Use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are likely to come before use of other drugs.Animal studies have shown that early exposure to addictive substances, including THC, may change how the brain responds to other drugs. For example, when rodents are repeatedly exposed to THC when they're young, they later show an enhanced response to other addictive substances-such as morphine or nicotine-in the areas of the brain that control reward, and they're more likely to show addiction-like behaviors.

Although these findings support the idea of marijuana as a "gateway drug," the majority of people who use marijuana don't go on to use other "harder" drugs. It's also important to note that other factors besides biological mechanisms, such as a person's social environment, are also critical in a person's risk for drug use and addiction. Read more about marijuana as a gateway drug in our Marijuana Research Report.

Can a person overdose on marijuana?

An overdose occurs when a person uses enough of the drug to produce life-threatening symptoms or death. There are no reports of teens or adults dying from marijuana alone. However, some people who use marijuana can feel some very uncomfortable side effects, especially when using marijuana products with high THC levels. People have reported symptoms such as anxiety and paranoia, and in rare cases, an extreme psychotic reaction (which can include delusions and hallucinations) that can lead them to seek treatment in an emergency room.

While a psychotic reaction can occur following any method of use, emergency room responders have seen an increasing number of cases involving marijuana edibles. Some people (especially preteens and teens) who know very little about edibles don't realize that it takes longer for the body to feel marijuana's effects when eaten rather than smoked. So they consume more of the edible, trying to get high faster or thinking they haven't taken enough. In addition, some babies and toddlers have been seriously ill after ingesting marijuana or marijuana edibles left around the house.

Is marijuana addictive?

Marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, a medical illness in which the person is unable to stop using even though it's causing health and social problems in their life. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction. Research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder. People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder.

Many people who use marijuana long term and are trying to quit report mild withdrawal symptoms that make quitting difficult. These include:

What treatments are available for marijuana use disorder?

No medications are currently available to treat marijuana use disorder, but behavioral support has been shown to be effective. Examples include therapy and motivational incentives (providing rewards to patients who remain drug-free). Continuing research may lead to new medications that help ease withdrawal symptoms, block the effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse.

Points to Remember

Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant.

The plant contains the mind-altering chemical THC and other related compounds.

People use marijuana by smoking, eating, drinking, or inhaling it.

Smoking and vaping THC-rich extracts from the marijuana plant (a practice called dabbing) is on the rise.

THC overactivates certain brain cell receptors, resulting in effects such as:

altered senses

changes in mood

impaired body movement

difficulty with thinking and problem-solving

impaired memory and learning

Marijuana use can have a wide range of health effects, including:

hallucinations and paranoia

breathing problems

possible harm to a fetus's brain in pregnant women

The amount of THC in marijuana has been increasing steadily in recent decades, creating more harmful effects in some people.

It's unlikely that a person will fail a drug test or get high from passive exposure by inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke.

There aren't any reports of teens and adults dying from using marijuana alone, but marijuana use can cause some very uncomfortable side effects, such as anxiety and paranoia and, in rare cases, extreme psychotic reactions.

Marijuana use can lead to a substance use disorder, which can develop into an addiction in severe cases.

No medications are currently available to treat marijuana use disorder, but behavioral support can be effective.

Learn More

For more information about marijuana and marijuana use, visit our:

References

1. Substance Abuse Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2018-nsduh-detailed-tables Accessed December 2019.

2. Johnston L, O'Malley P, Miech R, Bachman J, Schulenberg J. Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2015: Overview: Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan; 2015.

3. Bell C, Slim J, Flaten HK, Lindberg G, Arek W, Monte AA. Butane Hash Oil Burns Associated with Marijuana Liberalization in Colorado. J Med Toxicol Off J Am Coll Med Toxicol. 2015;11(4):422-425. doi:10.1007/s13181-015-0501-0.

4. Romanowski KS, Barsun A, Kwan P, et al. Butane Hash Oil Burns: A 7-Year Perspective on a Growing Problem. J Burn Care Res Off Publ Am Burn Assoc. 2017;38(1):e165-e171. doi:10.1097/BCR.0000000000000334.

5. Meier MH, Caspi A, Ambler A, et al. Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(40):E2657-E2664. doi:10.1073/pnas.1206820109.

6. Jackson NJ, Isen JD, Khoddam R, et al. Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(5):E500-E508. doi:10.1073/pnas.1516648113.

7. Mehmedic Z, Chandra S, Slade D, et al. Potency trends of Δ9-THC and other cannabinoids in confiscated cannabis preparations from 1993 to 2008. J Forensic Sci. 2010;55(5):1209-1217. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01441.x.

8. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2017.

9. Young-Wolff KC, Tucker L-Y, Alexeeff S, et al. Trends in Self-reported and Biochemically Tested Marijuana Use Among Pregnant Females in California From 2009-2016. JAMA. 2017;318(24):2490. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.17225

10. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Committee on the Health Effects of Marijuana: An Evidence Review and Research Agenda. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2017/health-effects-of-cannabis-and-cannabinoids.aspx. Accessed January 19, 2017.

11. Goldschmidt L, Day NL, Richardson GA. Effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on child behavior problems at age 10. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2000;22(3):325-336.

12. Richardson GA, Ryan C, Willford J, Day NL, Goldschmidt L. Prenatal alcohol and marijuana exposure: effects on neuropsychological outcomes at 10 years. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2002;24(3):309-320.

13. Perez-Reyes M, Wall ME. Presence of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol in human milk. N Engl J Med. 1982;307(13):819-820. doi:10.1056/NEJM198209233071311.

14. Galli JA, Sawaya RA, Friedenberg FK. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2011;4(4):241-249.

15. Röhrich J, Schimmel I, Zörntlein S, et al. Concentrations of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxytetrahydrocannabinol in blood and urine after passive exposure to Cannabis smoke in a coffee shop. J Anal Toxicol. 2010;34(4):196-203.

16. Cone EJ, Bigelow GE, Herrmann ES, et al. Non-smoker exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke. I. Urine screening and confirmation results. J Anal Toxicol. 2015;39(1):1-12. doi:10.1093/jat/bku116.

17. Herrmann ES, Cone EJ, Mitchell JM, et al. Non-smoker exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke II: Effect of room ventilation on the physiological, subjective, and behavioral/cognitive effects. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015;151:194-202. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.03.019.

18. McCaffrey DF, Pacula RL, Han B, Ellickson P. Marijuana Use and High School Dropout: The Influence of Unobservables. Health Econ. 2010;19(11):1281-1299. doi:10.1002/hec.1561.

19. Zwerling C, Ryan J, Orav EJ. The efficacy of preemployment drug screening for marijuana and cocaine in predicting employment outcome. JAMA. 1990;264(20):2639-2643.

20. Wang X, Derakhshandeh R, Liu J, et al. One Minute of Marijuana Secondhand Smoke Exposure Substantially Impairs Vascular Endothelial Function. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016;5(8). doi:10.1161/JAHA.116.003858.

21. Secades-Villa R, Garcia-Rodríguez O, Jin CJ, Wang S, Blanco C. Probability and predictors of the cannabis gateway effect: a national study. Int J Drug Policy. 2015;26(2):135-142. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.07.011.

22. Levine A, Huang Y, Drisaldi B, et al. Molecular mechanism for a gateway drug: epigenetic changes initiated by nicotine prime gene expression by cocaine. Sci Transl Med. 2011;3(107):107ra109. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3003062.

23. Panlilio LV, Zanettini C, Barnes C, Solinas M, Goldberg SR. Prior exposure to THC increases the addictive effects of nicotine in rats. Neuropsychopharmacol Off Publ Am Coll Neuropsychopharmacol. 2013;38(7):1198-1208. doi:10.1038/npp.2013.16.

24. Cadoni C, Pisanu A, Solinas M, Acquas E, Di Chiara G. Behavioural sensitization after repeated exposure to Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cross-sensitization with morphine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001;158(3):259-266. doi:10.1007/s002130100875.

25. Hasin DS, Saha TD, Kerridge BT, et al. Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(12):1235-1242. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858.

26. Winters KC, Lee C-YS. Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;92(1-3):239-247. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.005.

27. Corsi DJ, Walsh L, Weiss D, et al. Association Between Self-reported Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal, Perinatal, and Neonatal Outcomes. JAMA. Published online June 18, 2019322(2):145-152. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.8734

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Marijuana DrugFacts | National Institute on Drug Abuse

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical THC and other similar compounds. Extracts can also be made from the cannabis plant (see " Marijuana Extracts"). Marijuana is the most commonly used addictive drug after tobacco and alcohol.