Drug usage at Don Lugo High School has spiked tremendously over the years. Whether it’s at home, after school, or even on campus during school hours, the amount of students who abuse these substances continues to rise. The most common usage of substances includes marijuana, nicotine, inhalants, and psychedelics. The usage has spiked more recently due to more accessibility. Especially, due to the legalization of marijuana in California that was made in 2019.

The usage of substances especially marijuana in teens can harm the development of the brain and so much more. Adam Urbina, a student who attends Don Lugo, spoke up about the situation. Urbina describes that hes noticed a lack of motivation in students that he knows who happen to use marijuana often. “I’ve noticed that my peers begin to slack off during class and have grown into the habit over time, causing their grades to decrease”, states Urbina. Urbina also mentions, “Marijuana is more accessible due to peers selling it around the school campus.”

Marijuana begins to affect students memories, coordination, judgement, and reaction time, which are all needed to learn and process schoolwork properly. Without those characteristics at their full potential, their grades begin to decrease over time. A study done by Inside Higher Ed, states that students who use marijuana average a GPA of 2.66 compared to those who didn’t abuse the substance who averaged a 3.10 GPA.

Although marijuana has many negative factors, many students continue to abuse the substance due to it being easily addictive and incredibly accessible.