Question:
In this day and age, marijuana seems to have been accepted into society as a "not so horrible" drug of choice. We have heard adults openly criticize people who go out for a cocktail or drink at a party, but then sit in their homes in secret and light up constantly. How can we teach our teen sons that marijuana is not a "safe" drug, even though "everyone" does it??Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline expert, Stephen Wallace, fields questions about drugs and alcohol. Stephen Wallace is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), and has served as school psychologist, camp director, and college professor. Stephen is also the author of Reality Gap . You can read more about him on SADD's site. Stephen answers:
By almost any definition of the word, America faces an epidemic of adolescent drug use. Teens Today research from SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) reveals that the average age of initiation to drugs is thirteen and that more than one third (35 percent) of teens say they have used some. Those numbers include almost one in six middle school students report having smoked marijuana and 30 percent of their high school counterparts saying the same (one in four reports having smoked it before or during school). Here are some things your son needs to know:
Marijuana is in fact a "gateway" drug that leads to other drug use. It may not be addictive for your son or lead him elsewhere, but it could. It's a bit like Russian Roulette.
Marijuana directly affects the brain. Researchers have learned that it impairs the ability of young people to concentrate and retain information.
Kids often think it's safe to smoke and drive, as opposed to drink and drive, but that is just simply not true. Each year, for example, marijuana use is linked to tens of thousands of serious traffic accidents.
Research has now established that marijuana is in fact addictive. Of the 4.3 million Americans who meet the diagnostic criteria for needing drug treatment (criteria developed by the American Psychiatric Association, not police departments or prosecutors) two-thirds are dependent on marijuana.