If you NEED to drink/smoke to socialize with your friends, then maybe they aren't very good friends in the first place. If there isn't an active pressure on you to do this stuff, why go out of your way? If it's just happening in the background, it doesn't really affect you. If you still have good friends without having to get into the drinking and the smoking, then you shouldn't feel any obligation to start.

Now that the social/habitual concerns are out of the way, the only thing left is personal preference. If it's something you WANT to experiment with, I can only tell you to be careful. Make sure that there's someone responsible in the group in case someone does something stupid. That may be less of a concern with weed, but whatever. There is an increased risk of developing mental health problems later in life if you smoke weed heavily during your adolescent years. Between alcohol and weed, there are some addiction factors to worry about. They may not be chemically addictive, but like with anything that makes you feel good (like salt, sex, video games), there is room for a psychological addiction. Life can get kind've shitty when you're always thinking about the next time you can blaze it up.

TLDR; if you've got good friends, you don't need it to socialize. If you want to experiment with it anyways, do so in moderation and with care.

I've always thought it was bizarre that people will use substances just to get along with other people who use, but it's your life. I've had several friends lose whatever real future they had because they started smoking pot and drinking, and I have no desire to get into that shit, but a lot of people can't go without it, apparently.

I you are going to partake in marijuana consumption, heed my words:

From what I have gathered, marijuana is not that bad of a drug. Seriously, alcohol and tobacco are 420 times worse. But that doesn't mean that there are no ill effects from extended use.

From what I have heard, consuming a fuck ton of weed during adolescents (when your brain is still in development) can have some adverse effects on your motor skills and thought processes as you grow older. So just take weed in moderation while your young. I hear it is actually more beneficial when you reach adulthood.

I suggest keeping smoking to a minimum, as you can still develop lung cancer when you are older. I like to consume the green stuff in edibles, like brownies and rice krispie treats. It is much healthier in the long term and keeps you from reeking of weed all the time.

while this may be true; i think he should consider the law as well.

im only trying to cover all the angles.

happened to someone in my highschool but then again i live in a small dull farmtown so a kid with weed at my highschool made front page news

only trying to give the best and well rounded advice

stay above for god's sake! im a completely dry green w/e you want to call it 19 year old in university. you can do this seriously you aren't missing anything i have just as much fun with my friends except i DON'T get wasted and:

ruin my relationships
get hospitalized
get caught underage drinking and suspended from university

besides the those facts no matter how downplayed it seems in media and daily life drinking underage is ILLEGAL and so are all drugs. make no mistake that you WILL be punished if caught and it will really stay with you for the rest of your life.