Community Corner

OASIS on the Move: How Do I Know if I Have a Marijuana Problem?

The final part of a two part series dealing with marijuana.

The following is written by Dan Tarlin of OASIS.

Dan Tarlin is a clinical social worker and Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor at Westwood Lodge Hospital, where he directs the Partial Hospital Programs for children, adolescents, and adults.  He has been working in the field for over twenty years and is a charter member of OASIS.

OASIS (Organizing Against Substances In Stoughton) partners with a diverse group of people and agencies that offer various support for: families, education in schools, policy development and after-school programs.

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Marijuana Series Part 2 – How Do I Know if I Have a Marijuana Problem?

Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I tried to rebut some of the common arguments of the pro-hemp forces.  While marijuana is not as dangerous as opiates or cocaine, it is still a psychoactive and illegal drug, and it harms people. 

Some people reading this article will be unconvinced, however, and may say “OK, weed isn’t health food, but I use it and it hasn’t destroyed my life”.

Maybe it hasn’t.  But I would urge you to ask yourself some tough questions:

 

  • Do you have less motivation in school than you used to?  Are your grades going down? 
  • Has your job performance deteriorated?  Do you skip work more?  Have you been sanctioned or fired from work?
  • Have you stopped doing healthy activities that you used to enjoy?
  • Do some people who used to spend time with you now refuse to do so?
  • Are parents/friends/relatives/girlfriends/boyfriends telling you that you are smoking too much?
  • Are you in legal trouble?
  • Do you find yourself thinking about weed a lot when you haven’t smoked in a while?
  • Are you always broke?
  • Have you stolen money or drugs from people close to you?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, is it possible that marijuana use has contributed to any of this? 

If so, help is out there - contact OASIS (http://www.stoughtonoasis.org/) and we can help put you in touch with professionals who know how to help.

To read part I of the marijuana series, click here.

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