Discussing Marijuana in the Classroom

Marijuana has been a heavy topic in the last few years. Twenty nine states have passed laws either legalizing medical marijuana or for recreational use. Changes are occurring in our country regarding marijuana, so should our education about it also change?
When I was in high school, I had the typical health class that lasted about two months during my freshman year. We grazed over topics that included drugs, mostly focusing on the “harder” drugs which have more adverse and visible effects on the user. We were shown pictures, which were intended to make us scared about using the drugs. We also talked about alcohol quite a bit. It was drilled into us how alcohol use is bad and how alcoholism can ruin your life. But, the topic of marijuana wasn’t really touched on.
With the legalization of the drug in many states, I think that marijuana should be a topic which is focused on in schools. When alcohol was first legalized, nobody really knew how it affected the body. People would drive home after going to a bar and did not necessarily know about its addictive powers. Now, we are well aware of all of the negative side effects and long-term addictive properties of alcohol. Education has always been highly focused on alcohol, but why can’t we be pro-active about our education on marijuana?
We are in the beginning stages for marijuana legalization, just like we were with alcohol. But, I think that schools should devote more time to education their students about marijuana, just like we already do with alcohol. With it becoming more and more integrated in our society, students should know just what it does in order to make good decisions if they come into contact with it. I know that as a country we are still in the beginning phases, so more research does need to be done in order to determine if there are any possible long-term effects. But, for now, we can choose to be pro-active and commit to teaching society about marijuana, so that down the road more people are more informed about the drug.