Underage drinking and using marijuana usage is a way of starting one’s life with bad habits. Both of these substances can cause harm to a young person. However, their usage has very different affects. Neither substance is appropriate for a teenager, but alcohol is dramatically more damaging than marijuana. Both of these substances are illegal, but yet teens still use them. The question to consider is, should teenagers be drinking and using marijuana at their age? I don’t think so. These substances pose health risks to the user. Underage drinking can cause serious damage to the brain and also to one’s immune system. Marijuana can also cause a person to have bad lungs and respiratory problems. A teenager’s body and brain is not fully developed at the age of 13, 14, 15, and even 16. A teenager is at risk of damaging their health with the use of these two substances. Underage drinking is very common in the United States, even though there are laws which forbid teens to drink or use marijuana. Teens need to think before they drink …show more content…
There are 23 states where marijuana is used for medical use. Doctors prescribe medical marijuana for mild to severe symptoms. In fact, the former US Surgeon General, Joycelyn Elders, MD, stated, “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them and Marijuana can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.” (Medical Marijuana Pros and Cons). Alcohol, however, is never prescribed as a treatment for illness. In fact, alcoholism is considered a disease, itself. Throughout the years, medical research has proven that marijuana could help doctors treat various