Info Centre - Cool Kids

The Dangers of Marijuana

Your 15-year-old graciously allows you to play an oldies station on a short drive to the mall. In the middle of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields," your reverie is shattered. "Mom," your teenager asks, "Did you ever smoke pot?"

Talking with teens today about marijuana is complicated, in part because parents who've smoked it aren't sure whether or not to "'fess up." Parents have to make their own decisions about how much to share with their children. But being honest and reflecting on how you feel about the risks you took in youth is a good way to engage teens in dialogue about what's going on in their lives.

According to a 1998 survey by the Department of Health and Human Services, 22 percent of eighth-grade students and 40 percent of twelfth-graders report having tried marijuana. Whether or not you've used marijuana and choose to share that with your children, it's essential for them to know some important things about the drug.

Give a Clear Message

Kids get mixed messages about marijuana, but your message needs to be clear:

It's an illegal substance in the United States. While many people feel that marijuana should be legalized, and it's not thought to be as lethal as drugs like heroin or cocaine, smoking marijuana isn't harmless.

Because marijuana is so available to young people, it's important to begin talking with kids about it by the time they are 12, even if they don't raise the issue themselves. Many schools start drug-education programs as early as sixth grade. Find out how your school system handles drug education, and work with other parents to make sure children get accurate information.

Expect to have conversations with your kids about drugs throughout their adolescence. Magazines or newspaper articles are often good jumping-off points for talks. Or you can begin by saying, "You're getting to an age where you will have to make choices about all sorts of things, including drugs. I'm wondering if you know anything about marijuana." Teens and preteens need to be told clearly that using the drug carries significant safety, health, and legal risks.

Share the Facts

Here are some facts to share with your kids about marijuana:

• Possessing marijuana is a criminal offence. A person arrested for possession of marijuana can be charged with either a misdemeanour or a felony, depending on the amount involved and may receive a prison sentence.
• The marijuana available today is stronger than the marijuana available in the 1960s. It also may be laced with other drugs. Because it's impossible to judge its potency just by looking at it, its effects are hard for users to regulate.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main, active ingredient in marijuana, temporarily alters brain functioning that affects sensory perception, reflexes, and coordination. Because it changes the way people see, hear, and feel, it can impair judgement. Driving under the influence of marijuana is extremely dangerous. The fact that many teens smoke marijuana while they are drinking alcohol makes driving even more lethal.
• Though many people believe it isn't, marijuana is physically addicting. Each year, 100,000 people in the United States alone are treated for marijuana dependence. Heavy marijuana smokers who quit smoking may experience the same symptoms of withdrawal as users of nicotine or other drugs.
• Studies suggest that marijuana may cause permanent short- and long-term memory loss.
• Smoking marijuana can release inhibitions, causing people to engage in risky social and sexual behaviour. In recent years, the consequences of such behaviour has become deadly; since contracting AIDS is a possible consequence of unsafe sexual practices.
• As with any excessive drug use, smoking marijuana can interfere with school performance, extra-curricular activities, and peer relations. Heavy smokers often lose their sense of motivation and find it difficult to concentrate. Particularly potent marijuana can even induce paranoia.
• Regular use of marijuana may play a role in causing cancer (particularly lung cancer) and problems with the immune or reproductive systems. Studies also show that someone who smokes five joints a day may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.