Asthma and Depression by Jonathan

My name is Jonathan .  I am 19 years old.

I have had Asthma since age 2.  When I was 17, I missed a lot of days of school because of sickness dealing with asthma as well as other allergies.  I am also allergic to many grasses and weeds such as Bermuda grass and Ragweed.

After missing too many days because of sinus surgery, I was held back from the 11th grade.  During this time I became very depressed, and "friends" turned their backs on me because I was the weirdo who never showed up for school.

I joined a band with a couple of guys I didn't know that well, because they didn't hang out with my older "friends".  After we began to hang out more often, they tried to get me to smoke pot.  I refused to smoke it. This went on for a couple of months.  Finally, I decided to smoke with a friend.  The experience made me feel better than I've ever felt before. 

I was happy, and the smoke did not bother me.  (I can't stand cigarettes, they have always bothered me). 

After I started smoking more often I began to notice significant changes in my health and personality.  I used to visit the doctor often, and I had a list of medications.  But after I started smoking pot, the frequency of doctor visits dropped tremendously.  I have only been sick a few times since I began smoking, and those were bacterial infections that were quickly treated. 

I also noticed emotional changes.  Depression was long gone, and I actually got along with my parents a lot better. 

Since I started smoking, my high school grades increased, and now I am in my second year of college. I have good grades because I DO NOT smoke before class, and I never smoke before work.  You can be a responsible pot smoker, no matter what anyone thinks. Now, my asthma hardly bothers me, my friends get sick more than I do, and I actually have good friends to talk to.