Life is a journey of ups and downs, but sometimes when things go way too down, people tend to seek

platforms to find a shortcut way out of it or simply escape it. And one of these ways are drugs lke
marijiuana. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug extracted the Cannabis plant, that contains two active
ingredients CBD and THC, the addictive substance is THC that most drug abusers use for recreational
purposes.

As marijuana is a highly addictive substance, lets go over through a few statistics. Approximately 1 in 10
people who use marijuana will become addicted. When they start before age 18, the rate of addiction rises
to 1 in 6. And this is because our brains only fully develop until the age of 25, and sadly 99% of addiction
starts while our brains are still developing.

So first of all, let's talk about why such happens, what are the reasons that people fall into this practice.
And let’s start with the basics, peer pressure, many people find the need to be “accepted” by peers and not
feel like an “outcast” in social settings, others generally just seek it to escape from their reality. But what
if I told you that all this was only going to scar one’s potential.

In short term, having marijuana can offer you “immediate” social rewards, but in the long run, it's going
to lead to things getting way worse. I am sure everyone here must have probably heard of why marijuana
is harmful in terms of physical well-being. But marijuana is way more destructive to all the other areas of
our life also.

Fun fact, marijuana can cause permanent IQ loss of as much as 8 points when people start using it at a
young age. And these IQ points can’t be redeemed back, even after quitting marijuana. Along with
accompanying memory loss, which also happens in the long run. Studies link marijuana use to
depression, anxiety, suicide planning, and psychotic episodes. People who drive under the influence of
marijuana can experience dangerous effects: slower reactions, decreased coordination, and difficulty
reacting to signals and sounds on the road, with higher chances of accidents.

And if this wasn't enough, there are more risks it poses, as cannabis is illegal in Hong Kong, with charges
of up to 1 million and 7 years imprisonment for possession of cannabis, and up to 5 million charges and
life imprisonment for its trafficking. All of these show that marijuana indeed has tremendous risks to our
potential, and it's best to stay away from it.

But I want to go back to the starting point, why do people do such despite marijuana being so detrimental
to our potential. Addiction begins with the hope that something “out there” can instantly fill up the
emptiness inside. But in the larger picture, consuming drugs like marijuana is only going to expand that
emptiness to a greater level.

But back to the root cause, peer pressure and the need to escape that young person feel that brings them to
use marijuana but is there no alternative path, that could lead to a better future. And with this I think it is
really important for us to recognize the needs behind these desires, why do people want to be socially
accepted even when their peers are not the right influence to have, and why is there such a need to escape
one’s reality, why do people explore drugs to bandage upon the scars of their lives.
It really draws the importance of self-reflection, we humans are complex creatures, we have two minds,
subconscious and conscious mind. Conscious mind are thoughts and beliefs we are aware of, but the
subconscious mind is the real deal, its the hidden driver that shapes our thoughts.

Our subconscious mind is shaped by the experiences we have when we are growing up. These can leave
us with some deeply ingrained ideas about ourselves, including what we want to be in the world and want
to be seen by others. Todays science estimates that 95% of our brains activity is unconscious, meaning
that the majority of the decisions we make, the actions we take, our emotions and behaviours, depend on
the 95% of brain activity that lies beyond conscious awareness. And its so its necessary for all of us to
first reflect on what is the type of life we want, not the one that society thinks is a good or so-called
perfect life. And the step that follows is to reflect on the environment we surround ourselves with, to
evaluate whether our peers are adding value to our lives or the other way around, like peer pressure.

And last but not the least, realise how we all have been at this point or still are, that we aim our life to be
perfect. But really perfection is not the ultimate goal, but rather improvement and contentment, to strive
for better day by day, and contribute to the society for something you are passionate with. These things
may sound overwhelming but its a step-by-step process to reach to our true potential, and people tend to
take a short cut through drugs, but thats not how it works, because drugs are not the solution and never
will be. Thank you!