Grades, drama, relationships, and family problems control teenagers’ lives.

The stress builds up and up. There seems to be no way to relax. How are we supposed to cope? Many teenagers choose drugs. Drugs seem to be a simple way to release pressure and relax.

So what’s the problem? Adults say that they screw up lives, but do they really?

This summer I worked at ShopRite. In order to get hired, I had to take a drug test. Not going to lie, it was unpleasant.

A drug test consists of peeing in a cup. If my test had showed up positive, I wouldn’t have gotten the job. Many other retail companies drug test their applicants as well.

So if teenagers are getting high after school to relax, then chances are they will not be getting a job anytime soon.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana can stay in body systems for weeks after use.

Teenagers that do drugs should not bother applying for a job. How will parents feel when their child’s drug test comes back positive?

And then there is the “tiny” fact of the JC drug policy. Any student caught with drugs will receive 3-4 demerits and may be expelled.

Parents are paying $14,750 in tuition this year to send their teenagers to a Catholic school. This is a huge sacrifice for many families. So why throw it away on something trivial?

Peer pressure is another huge reason that many teenagers get involved in drugs. Did anyone ever notice that most of the popular kids are dealers?

I have a friend at JC that offers me drugs on a daily basis, and I just keep turning them down. “C’mon Rachel, it’ll make you relax, nothing bad will happen if you smoke with me,” this friend often says to me.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, smoking marijuana may cause some of the same lung and breathing problems that smokers get. Teenagers should respect their own bodies to keep their lungs healthy. Everything teenagers do can affect their futures. Are drugs worth that risk?

Drugs may appear to be harmless fun, but they are a bad idea. They will keep teenagers from getting hired, may cause them to be expelled, and cause health problems.

Drugs are not good means to an end. They might end up ending you.

Rachel Amrhein is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.