Marijuana use can affect the health and well-being of teens at a critical point in their lives—when they are growing, learning, maturing, and laying the foundation for their adult years. As a parent/guardian, your children look to you for guidance in working out problems and in making decisions, including the decision not to use drugs.
Tips on how to discuss marijuana with your child:
• Ask what he/she has heard about using marijuana. Listen
carefully, pay attention, and do not interrupt. Avoid
making negative or angry comments.
• Offer your child facts about the risks and consequences
of smoking marijuana (www.cdc.gov/marijuana)
(drugfree.org)
• Ask your child to give examples of the effects of
marijuana. This will help you make sure that your child
understands what you talked about.
• You can explain that marijuana is significantly more
potent now and that we know a lot more about the
potential harmful effects of marijuana on the developing
brain.
• Be certain the discussion focuses on how much you care
about your child’s health.
The bottom line is marijuana can be harmful for teens and can alter the course of a young life, preventing them from reaching their full potential. That's reason enough to have this (sometimes difficult) conversation. We hope this information encourages and helps parents to begin the
dialogue and keep the channels of communication open.
Sources: www.aacap.org/AACAP, drugfree.org,
www.drugabuse.gov
Lake of the Woods Prevention Coalition's Meeting is tomorrow July18th at noon. Please join us for lunch and a quick meeting at the Ambulance Garage! Anyone is welcome to attend! See you there.
