pot is made to make sexual experience slightly more enjoyable, and billie holiday albums more soul-stirring than they already are. some people use it to boost your appetite but in the wrong hands i can easily see it as being damaging. teenage years are when you begin to discover the world.

you realize that there are more important decisions than skittles or m&ms and with all the bullshit that goes on in high-school and impending college, these might be the years where we really begin developing coping skills: the big test friday, the speech at the front of the class, asking that cute girl out, wondering what to do when senior year is up. if someone is using pot to cope with depression in these years, they may be missing out on the necessary coping skills that are developed when you've got a face full of zits the night before the big dance.

even in adults, i don't think pot should be used to escape depression. ultimately this story isn't surprising. excercise, junk food, television and sex are all good and harmless until taken without moderation or control. pot is no different.