For many teenagers, summer is a time of freedom. A time to do what they want and some have limited boundaries as both parents are working or they are in a single parent household.
For teens, is summer going to pot? What an interesting concept and essay by Connect with Kids.
Data released by the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse that shows 40% of teens first try marijuana during the summer. In fact, about 5,800 teens try marijuana for the first time each day in June and July.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention annual Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, more than 38% of teens report having use marijuana in their life. Nearly 20% admitted to smoking pot within the past 30 days and 8% of kids tried marijuana prior to turning 13 years of age.
In order for parents to help curb the growing problem of marijuana use among teens, they must first understand the dangers involved in using the drug. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign cautions parents to be aware of the following points about marijuana use:
- Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today.
- More teens enter treatment for marijuana abuse each year than for all other illicit drugs combined.
- Marijuana is addictive.
- Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person's development.
- Adolescent marijuana users show lower academic achievement compared to non-users.
- Even short-term marijuana use has been linked to memory loss and difficulty with problem-solving.
- Time and again, kids say that their parents are the single most important influence when it comes to using drugs.
Whether or not you suspect your child is using marijuana, it is crucial that you discuss the issue at an early age. The experts at DrugHelp suggest following these steps when discussing tough issues, like drug abuse, with your child:
- Create a climate in which your child feels comfortable approaching you and expressing his or her feelings.
- Don't shut off communication by responding judgmentally, saying, "You're wrong" or "That's bad."
- Give your child an opportunity to talk.
- Show your interest by asking appropriate questions.
- Listen to what your child has to say before formulating a response.
- Focus on what your child has to say, not on language or grammar.
- Use probing questions to encourage a shy child to talk.
- Identify areas of common experience and agreement.
- Leave the door open for future conversations
Reference: Connect with Kids
Broward County offers Operation Medicine Cabinet. Be aware of who your teen's drug supplier is, and they may not even know it.
Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens.
Comments
# More teens enter treatment for marijuana abuse each year than for all other illicit drugs combined.
that is because they are forced to enter treatment by either law enforcement, or thier parents.
# Marijuana is addictive.
MJ Is not physically addictive.
so stop writing articles with misinformation
# Adolescent marijuana users show lower academic achievement compared to non-users.
# Even short-term marijuana use has been linked to memory loss and difficulty with problem-solving.
This is not proven! im a regular smoker and busy completing a master study in engineering.....
Wow - this is some article. I find it very difficult to describe without resorting to offensive expletives. How sad that this nonsense is still thrust at people?!:
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today.
Thank God! It is an excellent drug. Think of it like a safe form of alcohol without any of the negative effects. Tens of thousands of deaths are caused by alcohol poisoning (overdose) each year, whereas no-one has ever overdosed on cannabis. Unlike alcohol which switches off the brain, cannabis has quite the opposite effect on many (lucky!) people.
More teens enter treatment for marijuana abuse each year than for all other illicit drugs combined.
As an earlier respondent mentioned above, this is not because anyone feels any need for ‘treatment’. It’s because of the enormous number of people forced into ‘treatment’ by the legal system - ‘Take your choice: Rehab or prison!’
Marijuana is addictive.
This is simply incorrect.
Marijuana use can lea
Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person's development.
This is also in essence untrue, although it would be fair to say cannabis often combines with other factors to create difficulties for people at crucial periods of development. Cannabis, of course, will take the blame which leaves other factors untreated. Prohibition really is a lose-lose; no-one gets anything out of it (except those who make money enforcing it).
Adolescent marijuana users show lower academic achievement compared to non-users.
Even short-term marijuana use has been linked to memory loss and difficulty with problem-solving.
Memory loss and cognitive anomalies are short-term only. There really aren’t any long-term negative effects from cannabis use. There may, however, be significant benefits.
Time and again, kids say that their parents are the single most important influence when it comes to using drugs.
And than
And thank God more and more parents are beginning to find out the truth about cannabis.
Get yourself up to date: the (endo)cannabinoid system was discovered in the late eighties and since then an awful lot of work has been done to find out how it works. No-one really knows yet, but we’re much further away from the ignorance we suffered when such nonsense was considered feasible by many people. Look up Cannabis Science or NORML to find out what’s going on, because the sources you’re relying on now just don’t cut it.
The following three comments were posted in reverse, i.e. the one directly below this is the third, the one after it - the second, and the third down is the first, because of space restrictions (1000 characters).
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