Before it can even be seen, the smell lingers in the air. Before it can even be found, the eyes of the perpetrator are bloodshot to the cornea. But no matter what various street name it is referred to by, the suspect remains the same – Marijuana.

Weed, as many adolescents refer to the leafy plant in this day and age, has grown its way into a symbol throughout modern culture. The design is splattered on anything from socks to shirts to coffee cups.

This public advertisement of an illegal hobby or addiction, however, is in no way beneficial to the buyers. Feeling the need to deck a wardrobe out with a pointed leaf doesn’t stand for protecting the Earth or whatever excuse teens might spit out.

News flash: everyone around you knows you do drugs, and it’s not cool.

Why society thinks smoking weed is an indication of some urbane status is beyond me, but the facts just point to a lack of productivity and immature manner. The mere thought that drugs can lead to acceptance is a misconception that has drifted into society through the many different communication channels.

Music unites man with feelings and digs deeper into the uneasily expressed thoughts. However, when lyrics become shallow and monotonous the message transforms into brainwash. Hits of today are more like hits over the head with bad ideas, specifically outrageous partying.

According to the Drug Slang in Hip Hop Project, weed and cocaine were shown as having the highest number of references across the board since 1988. For years, it has been embedded into the minds, and ears, of listeners that marijuana is alright, but it’s 2015 and it is still not okay.

Big faces of pop culture are followed closely by adoring fans. Therefore, it is the moral responsibility of these stars to send the right message. It is purely cause and effect when it comes to making a change. If drugs are portrayed as harmful by the media, then people will adopt a new opinion towards what is now “that good kush”.

So what are the impacts of continuing to immerse in the weed culture? Well for starters, addiction and abuse can become rampant as usage increases. According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), marijuana accounted for 4.2 million of the estimated 6.9 million Americans dependent on or abusing illicit drugs. More than half of drug users became addicted to weed, a fate that many teens feel is impossible.

The naïve minds of teenagers tend to embody a type of perceived invincibility. “It won’t happen to me” is a common mindset for the young adults who don’t possess the ability to imagine the negative outcomes becoming a reality.

Getting submerged into a culture of weed isn’t always easy to resurface from.  Once a cushy routine becomes the norm, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to change. One thing leads to the next, and the final destination becomes a place in the ground.

Go out and play a sport, join a club, or get a job. Going home from school to “blaze it” or “get stoned” is a mindless waste of time and energy, and still not to mention illegal. School itself offers numerous opportunities to exert time and energy into something productive that can positively impact one’s life.

The biggest debate surrounding marijuana use is the legalization of the drug. People are spending countless hours around the country rallying for weed to be available for recreational use. Two words in that sentence are the problem: “recreational use”. Basically, every day people just want weed to be available for them to do as they please with it.

However, not everyone is on board with making weed so available to the public. Productivity faces a possible large decline if smoking becomes easily accessible. Instead of spending time on projects and homework, teens will be buying, selling, and doing drugs. Even adults are vulnerable to this temptation if legalization is put into action. Why hand society the gun to shoot itself in the foot?

Bottom line, that type of freedom can’t be entrusted to many in confidence that they will be responsible.

There is not one sixteen to eighteen year old that has life completely figured out and a plan to account for many years into the future. Weed is a danger to the progress and health of every individual, especially teenagers prone to peer pressure and current trends. If living by the lifestyle of “smoke weed everyday”, the next words might as well be “till death do us part”.