Truth Hurts

            A huge knot formed in the bottom of my throat. I tried to convince myself this couldn’t be true. I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run away. I just wanted things to change. I couldn’t believe that they would do such a thing. They were too good. They were some of the last people I would expect to do this. As I sat there in awe, I listened as my friend told me about that fateful night when three of our closest friends succumbed to marijuana.

            As I listened, I wondered why they did it, why they would want to, or even consider it. This was one of the hardest things I ever had to hear. I was filled with so many emotions. I spent all day consumed by thoughts about them and why they would be so selfish. Why did they do it? And more importantly, why didn’t they tell me? I was supposed to be one of their closest friends.

            I started to worry what could happen to them. According to an article I read, the effects can start after a short period and can have effects like problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of concentration, increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. Then I started looking into the long-term effects. Those included cancer, breathing issues, damage to the immune system, and damage to the reproductive system. I was shocked after learning all this that my friends could potentially do this to themselves. I wanted to stop them, but knew they wouldn’t listen. I talked to one of my friends today about it and I felt like I was talking to a wall. She doesn’t think she’s harming herself in any way. I’m heartbroken to know that she is willing to throw away her health for something stupid like that.

            How many people actually harm themselves like that? How many people make an impact on their friends all over the country? I looked into this as well. I got a lot of results, but the average amount was around 10-12 percent of adolescents smoking marijuana. How many people after that does it affect? People don’t realize how painful it is to watch unless they’ve done it. I never thought I’d have this problem. I never thought I’d have to watch my own friends throw their lives away like this. But now it’s too late. An inanimate object the size of their finger is now the center of their attention. I wonder who else sits powerless, unable to change their loved one’s minds, as they are at the mercy of a stupid joint of weed. I now ask, who else? Who else has been affected by this?