High Before 20: How Teen Peer Pressure Is Driving A 40% Surge In City's Cannabis Use
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Youths in the city are turning to cannabis for managing stress and for pleasure. The use of marijuana has grown by about 40% in the last five years in the city as youths, including school students are now smoking ganja. Earlier, most users were above 20 years of age.
Now, even teens, mostly in the 15-19 age group, are using it. The gender divide among marijuana consumers is also blurring.
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Recently, a 16-year-old boy was brought to the OPD of a city-based psychiatrist by his parents. The complaint was that the Class 10 student had become irritable and was losing interest in his studies.
On being questioned, the boy admitted that he had smoked 'maal' (a local slang for cannabis thrice.
Most youngsters are using it due to peer pressure and a desire to seek validation within their groups. They are unable to say no to their friends and classmates, say doctors.
A 21-year-old engineering student, who approached a psychiatrist on his own, said that he had been using ganja for the past six months. He had begun using the substance mainly to manage stress.
Psychiatrists explain that narcotic substances like cannabis overtake the natural reward system of the brain and, after some time, the user begins getting pleasure only when they take the substance.
But with time, substance-induced psychosis takes over, leading to hallucinations and delusions.
In another case, a 35-year-old working professional, who had been using marijuana for some years, began turning increasingly aggressive.
He threw things around and abused and attacked family members. He was brought for treatment by his wife, children and father.
Causes behind ganja use
Pleasure
Peer pressure
Seeking validation
Managing stress
Easy availability
Low cost
The youth using ganja build psychological defences to justify its use. They argue that it is a natural product, it is a herb, it is not illegal in the US and some other countries, and that it has religious sanction.
The use of ganja is growing, but the growing acceptance of any substance does not mean it is safe.
Dr Satyakant Trivedi, consultant psychiatrist
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