I was a hard working cheerleader with perfect grades and lots of friends. I had a job. I was in every club you can think of and every one you can’t. I always had a smile on my face.

Now, I’m a teenage degenerate struggling to keep my life together. I don’t have a license anymore. I don’t have a work permit. I don’t have perfect grades and my friend group has diminished. I just spent a week in a mental hospital and I am diagnosed with severe major depression. All because of one thing.

Cannabis.

I was stressed out. I was tired of constantly trying to keep up to the perfect standard. Tired of chasing that top spot. So I started smoking cannabis. It helped. I was relaxed and felt stress-free. It became sort of a medication. I depended on it.

Now I’m sitting with three days of ISS and no idea how I can turn things around.

Cannabis ruined my life. Or to be more honest, I ruined my life with cannabis.

As a cheerleader, I had a certain persona I had to live up to. Peppy and proud. Smart and willful. But as soon as I went to my first party, those characteristics started to fade. I became infatuated with getting so messed up I couldn’t speak. I drank and I smoked so much I couldn’t walk the next day. After a while of getting away with it, a picture was turned in of me smoking to the athletic director and I got my first suspension off the cheerleading team for a couple games. I can’t tell you exactly what went through my mind when I was sitting out during those games. But I can tell you that drugs and alcohol became more important to me than my high school career.

After my second and final offense, I was no longer a cheerleader. And my entire mindset changed.

Screw it. I don’t have anything more to lose.

Biggest lie I’ve ever told myself. I then lost my family, my best friends, and myself. I started skipping school and toking it up with my friends. Most of the time I was high out of my mind. I got three truancy offenses and was sent to a mental hospital for suicidal thoughts. Now, I’m writing this to warn you.

Cannabis is not medicinal unless you have cancer or seizures or something like that. Cannabis is not something you can use as a teenager and keep your life on track. It is not something to be messed with. Especially as a junior in highschool with a lot going for you.

It will decrease your motivation and your mental capacity. I didn’t believe that until I started noticing it myself. I went from loving school to not even being able to get through first period. I noticed I couldn’t think and things that I used to know wouldn’t make it to my mouth. It slowed me down.

I got in so much trouble, but because of my lack of motivation, I didn’t care. I kept on smoking and smoking and nothing phased me. It took 7 days in a mental hospital to get me to stop. I don’t know how that sounds to you, but to me, now that I’m sober, it’s absolutely crazy.

The school took my license. My mom took my phone. I have two friends. All because I couldn’t stop smoking weed. I chose marijuana over my family and friends. And now it’s all coming back to screw me over.

The biggest and most important thing you take away from this is that cannabis highly increased my depression and gave me suicidal thoughts and I didn’t even realize it. I was going to kill myself and I didn’t have a reason why.

Weed destroyed my mind and my body and destroyed my life. A “harmless” drug you might try once at a party, can and will ruin your life. Don’t make the same mistake.

I beg you.