In today’s culture it has become increasingly common for teenagers to use marijuana, replacing the prior use of tobacco among adolescents. The question, “Do you smoke?” has become a concept of the past among today’s youth. The real question is, “What do you smoke?”

According to the Fairfax County Youth Survey, approximately one in five students have used marijuana in their lifetime. The survey is voluntary and is given every year to students in grades six, eight, ten and twelve. This statistic correlates with the idea that tobacco use has been decreasing in recent years to be replaced by the drug commonly known as weed.

The use of tobacco, commonly in the form of cigarettes, seems to be an idea of the past among most students. They realize the effects and dangers of smoking tobacco and the majority do not use it. It is not viewed in society as it use to be.

However, one in six students admitted to having smoked a cigarette in their lifetime, a small difference to those having admitted to ever using marijuana.

Tobacco use remains as the largest preventable cause of premature death and disease in America, with side effects such as cancers, lung infections and respiratory problems.

It takes 15 years for a tobacco smoker’s body to fully recover from all effects, while marijuana seems to have no commonly known negative side effects.

Adolescents view marijuana as a harmless drug, when in fact marijuana and tobacco have several of the same components.

Marijuana use can eventually take a toll on the lungs and brain of users. When used regularly and heavily, it can have the same effects on the lungs and respiratory system as that of tobacco.

The use of cannabis in FCPS has increased in the past three years alone, making it the second most abused substance in the county among students.

The perspective of a high school student at AHS shows that most everyone knows at least one person who is a marijuana user. Out of Fairfax County students, 17 percent admitted to using the drug in the past month before taking the student survey.

Another trend among Fairfax County students is the gender ratio of marijuana-smokers to nonsmokers. Among students, male students were shown to have a higher rate of marijuana use compared to that of female students.

Drug use has become a commonplace idea, with marijuana being an infamous drug in the media and society of today. Both drugs offer harmful health effects, and both have negative connotations surrounding them.

In today’s society, marijuana usage has surpassed the use of tobacco and has become the choice among adolescents who make the choice to use these drugs.