Fewer than one in five high school seniors are current marijuana users. There are many reasons why some children and young teens start using marijuana. Most young people use marijuana because they have friends or brothers and sisters who use marijuana and pressure them to try it. Some young people use it because they see older people in the family using it. Other users may think it's cool to use marijuana because they hear about it in music and see it used in TV and movies.
Some people feel nothing at all when they smoke marijuana.
Others may feel relaxed or high. Sometimes marijuana makes users feel thirsty and very hungry - an effect called the munchies . Some users can get bad effects from marijuana. They may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. This is more likely to happen when a more potent variety of marijuana is used.