Palo Alto

Clouds of smoke waft through the room while music blasts so loud it can be heard from down the street. As a senior walks into a high school party at 11 p.m., it seems like everyone is high, drunk or a combination of the two.

While marijuana is not a new phenomenon in high schools, ever since recreational marijuana was legalized in California in 2016, adolescents’ perceived risk of cannabis use has steadily declined.

Regardless of the real dangers of using marijuana, the medicinal properties of it have led many to think the drug is not harmful, according to a study in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors.

While marijuana is legal in California, in Palo Alto, storefront dispensaries for medical and recreational purposes are illegal. Cultivation of marijuana is also prohibited by city law.

With its legalization in the state, though, marijuana has become readily available to students. is has led to a more positive perception of marijuana, despite its potential negative e ects and chance for addiction.

But according to California Health and Safety Code Section 11357, if someone under 18 and possess more than 28.5 grams of cannabis or eight grams of concentrated cannabis, they can face up to 60 hours of community service.

If they are over 18 and possess more than that amount, they can face six months in a county jail or a ne of $500.

Derived from the owers of Cannabis sativa, marijuana is a cannabis product containing two main chemicals, cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBD has been marketed as having medicinal properties, and THC is the psychoactive element that may cause people to experience a sense of euphoria.

Courtney Woo, a sales executive at the cannabis company CannaCraft, said that prior to 2016, marijuana was only legally used for medical purposes.

“(Cannabis) had been medical for over 20 cannabis legally, you would have had to see a doctor, get a medical card, and from there, you would go to a dispensary.”

Marijuana appeals to students

e neurological and believed medicinal properties of marijuana, paired with an increased accessibility due to its legalization, make it a popular drug among students.

But Stanford Professor of Addiction Medicine Anna Lembke said the THC concentration in cannabis products have increased in recent years.

irty to 50 years ago, cannabis contained about 10% THC, and people were most often weekend recreational users of low potency cannabis,” Lembke said. “ e trend we’re seeing today is ever higher potency forms of cannabis with up to 90% of THC in cannabis products.”

Due to the structural similarity between THC and anandamide, which is a naturally occurring chemical produced in the body, Lembke said the body recognizes THC as anandamide. When THC instead of anandamide binds to receptors in the nervous system, it alters a person’s neurochemistry and brain communication.

“Anandamide or cannabis and cannabinoid receptors are widely distributed throughout the central nervous system,” Lembke said. “Cannabis binds (to) those anandamide receptors and stimulates them in a much longer and potent way than our (internal) cannabinoid system, leading to changes in perception of time, euphoria, decreased anxiety, elevated mood, increased appetite and other myriad functions.” recreational use by somehow making it a human right to allow people to use it,” Ostacher said. “If they have access to it, they can’t get legitimate treatment for their medical problems.”

Nancy Haug, a clinical psychologist at Palo Alto University, said the medicinal aspects of marijuana can increase the appeal of it as well.

Furthermore, Lembke said some of the medicinal e ects of marijuana have not been fully researched.

“I have a lot of patients that take marijuana who say, ‘No, that’s not a drug. at’s my medicine,’” Lembke said. “If I suggest they should quit smoking cigarettes, they agree, but when it comes to their cannabis, that’s medicine. But, in fact, there’s not a lot of evidence.”

Marijuana has also become widely accessible, even for those under 21. A Paly parent of a sophomore and senior who requested anonymity because her son has used marijuana said stores in Palo Alto illegally sell THC products by reducing the dosage.

“Another mom and I went to a store a couple weeks ago,” the parent said. “ e guy behind the counter said, ‘ ey’re all marijuana products. We sell low doses because that’s how we get around the fact that we’re not a legal dispensary. ey’re all the same in terms of the overall milligrams of THC they contain in the products.’” e parent also said one of her underage sons was able to

A senior said they had a similar reason for using marijuana.

“While I was high, there was no stress at all,” the senior said. “It was like the real world didn’t even exist, and I was o in my own world. I just wanted to be there forever.” e senior also said they once got higher than usual and felt ects.

“I got scared that I was dying, and that was terrifying,” the senior said. “I don’t ever want that to happen again, I was really paranoid that my body was gonna fail.”

Despite its potential dangers, Advanced Placement Psychology and World History teacher Christopher Farina said some justify casual usage of the drug.

“For people who use it occasionally and recreationally, they can pretty easily rationalize it,” Farina said. “(If) it’s infrequent, there’s not a lot of harm that you would see with usage once a month.” e second junior female also said she rst started using marijuana as an alternative to drinking alcohol.

“Weed was more accessible than alcohol, and it didn’t seem as severe as getting drunk,” she said. “Getting drunk is very messy and doesn’t make you feel too good the next day, but getting high is a more mellowed out version if you want to get away from reality.”

And the anonymous parent said this perception of marijuana is comparable to her high school experiences with drinking.

“(My son) said it’s pretty prevalent at parties that he’s been to, and it’s just a fun thing to do,” the parent said. “It feels like (how) drinking was when I was in high school. It was really available and pretty common. ( ere) certainly wasn’t a stigma to experimenting with alcohol when I was growing up. THC products are in that category at this point.”

PAUSD to improve drug education

Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said consequences for students who are caught using marijuana on campus have also loosened over time.

“A student, back in the day, if they were caught with two separate baggies of pot, that was with the intent to sell, and that was at least misdemeanor, maybe even felony,” Berkson said. “Nowadays, my understanding is a student could have 27 baggies, which is just under an ounce, and it wouldn’t be a misde-

Berskon said punishments today depend on whether or not a student attends a drug education class as part of their

“Usually it starts with a ve-day suspension, but then they are offered to go to a drug and alcohol counseling class,” Berkson said.

“If they agree to that, then it becomes a two-day suspension.”

PAUSD is also planning to take measures to prevent marijuana use by making Living Skills a required freshman course, Superin-

“Classes like Living Skills will become a freshman mandatory course,” Austin said. “One thing that we hear is that some of the information that’s in that class, students aren’t getting until they’re seniors. So we’re going Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said education has to start even earlier, and both students and parents need to know the consequences of

“It has to happen before high school,” Berkson said. “You are going to move Living Skills to freshman year just for a drug unit that lasts how long? ective is that going to be? I think it Austin said there is only so much a school district can do to

“Our students are smart enough and hear enough and read enough and are presented with enough information,” Austin said. “If they’re choosing to use marijuana in high school or middle school, it’s largely not due to a lack of understanding.

Health problems arise from long-term use

Although marijuana has become increasingly normalized, Dr. Nancy Haug said there can be signi cant withdrawal symptoms associated with its use.

“Sometimes people don’t realize what they’re experiencing because the withdrawal tends to be delayed a few days,” Haug said. “What happens is they might stop using and a couple days go by, and then they notice they’re feeling really anxious, or they might experience physical symptoms like stomach pain, headaches or temperature dysregulation.” ese symptoms arise as a person’s body tries to adjust to the in ux of THC, Haug said.

“Once the drug wears o , you actually wind up feeling worse because there’s a depletion of those neurotransmitters,” Haug said. “ ere has to be some sort of reset or homeostasis, so there’s an imbalance, and for some people, it’s really uncomfortable to experience that low crash.” is can be especially harmful for people with existing medical conditions such as anxiety or depression.

While people may perceive marijuana as a relaxing drug, Haug said it can actually worsen these conditions.

“(Marijuana) is most likely causing (anxiety and depression) or at least maintaining them,” Haug said. “You have to distinguish what is relief from symptoms and what are the e ects of getting high, because you may feel good while using it, but does that mean it’s treating your anxiety and depression?”

And Stanford Clinical Professor of Anes thesiology Kyle Harrison said marijuana use not only worsens existing anxiety, but also increases the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder.

“Ten percent of the population has an anxi ety disorder,” Harrison said. “ cannabis use, and then it goes up to 40% if you develop (an addiction).”

Although a fatal marijuana overdose is unlikely, Stanford Professor of Pediatrics Bonnie HalpernFelsher said it is possible to consume too much and develop cannabis hyperemesis which causes signi cant physical harm.

“Some people who use too much cannabis vomit, get very sick and wind up in the hospital,” HalpernFelsher said. “Especially with edibles, they may not feel the high right away, so they keep eating more. By the time their

Edibles