Marijuana is one of the world’s most commonly used illegal drugs. There are approximately 300 million users worldwide and 28 million users in the United States alone.

Marijuana comes from a plant called “Cannabis sativa.” The chemical found in this plant that produces the altered states of consciousness is called “delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol” or “THC.” Whether smoked as a cigarette, or cooked into baked goods like brownies or cookies or brewed like a tea, marijuana use causes: relaxation, reduced coordination, reduced blood pressure, sleepiness, disruption in attention, an altered sense of time and space. In high doses, marijuana can also cause hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory and disorientation.

Now, according to a new White House Office of National Drug Control Policy report, teens using marijuana put themselves at higher risk for serious mental problems including worsening depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and suicide.

The report, called Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression: An Analysis of Recent Data Shows “Self-Medicating” Could Actually Make Things Worse, sustains that teens using marijuana increase their risk of developing a mental disorder by 40 percent. Teens who use marijuana at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those who don’t use the drug.

However, the most consistent finding of the report was that using marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of depression puts teenagers at a high risk of becoming addicted to pot and increases their chances to develop mental health problems, such as an advanced form of depression, anxiety, as well as suicide.

Nearly 2 million teens felt depressed over the past year, data showed and depressed teens were more than twice as likely as others to have used marijuana during that period.

Marijuana is not the answer when feeling depressed. People’s thinking that they can run away from depression by smoking pot are making a big mistake and worsen their situation, sustains John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy. Their only solution to feel better is to seek medical help.

Marijuana among American teens has decreased 25 percent since 2001, which is encouraging. According to the report, above 2.3 million children currently use marijuana at least once a month.

More teens could escape serious health problems if they received the necessary support from their parents or psychologists. In fact, parents are urged to recognize any sign indicating their children are using marijuana and try to seek help for it.

Immediate help could save children from becoming addicted to other drugs. Long term studies of high-school students and their patterns of drug use show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana.

For example, the risk of using cocaine is much greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it. Using marijuana puts children and teens in contact with people who are users and sellers of other drugs. So there is more of a risk that a marijuana user will be exposed to and urged to try more drugs.

To better determine this risk, scientists are examining the possibility that long-term marijuana use may create changes in the brain that make a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine. Further research is needed to predict who will be at greatest risk.