Marijuana Parent Prevention Toolkit

Even though the number of teens smoking marijuana has dropped since the 1990s, smoking marijuana is still a prevalent and dangerous problem for teens. Parents, by having a well-organized toolkit of information and resources, you can talk to your teen about marijuana and can ensure that they are one of the smart teens who never lights up or takes a puff in the first place.

Talking to Your Teen about Marijuana

In 2012, recreational marijuana smoking became legal in Colorado and Washington; other states have also since legalized it. The result of legalization lends to the narrative that smoking marijuana is okay. Those who support legalizing marijuana point out that marijuana is not as dangerous as other drugs, which somehow makes it okay. Some argue that the drug is not dangerous at all.

This information is what your teen hears, and unless you talk to your teen about marijuana, that is all that they hear. You have the power to influence your teen. In fact, according to a study conducted by Columbia University, teens that choose to be drug free say that their parents are the number one influencers in that decision. Other studies show that:

·         Parents who talk to their children about using drugs are less likely to use drugs

·         Teens who have regular family meals are less likely to ever smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs

When you do talk to your teen about smoking pot, talk to them about the facts.

Side Effects of Smoking Marijuana

Marijuana’s Effects on Your Teen’s Mental Health

Your parent prevention toolkit should be packed with information that combats and contradicts the things people who support marijuana legalization and usage say. Again, your teen hears that marijuana isn’t addictive or doesn’t lead to traffic accidents or doesn’t have long-term side effects; however, studies reveal otherwise:

·         Teen brains aren’t finished developing until the mid 20s and sometimes-early 30s; early exposure to marijuana could change brain development.

·         Teens who started smoking before age 16 did worse on cognitive tests of brain function in areas related to planning, abstract thinking, understanding rules, and inhibiting inappropriate responses.

·         The negative impacts on memory and learning can last days or weeks and can make learning new information, completing tasks, or stringing together sequential information challenging.

·         Marijuana negatively impacts learning and memory and is shown to lead to decreased IQ among teens who regularly smoke.

·         Roughly one in six who start smoking marijuana at an earlier age are more likely to become addicted.

How Marijuana Affects Your Teen Physically

As though the short and long-term damages to mental health aren’t enough, there are other outcomes directly related to smoking marijuana that can shorten your teen’s lifespan. For example:

·         Marijuana really does make users bigger threats on the road as it leads to impaired judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time.

·         Marijuana use increases the risk of cardiorespiratory disease and testicular cancer.

The Real Facts about Today’s Marijuana

Today’s Marijuana is Stronger and More Dangerous

Your teen might be curious to know why the facts about marijuana have seemingly changed. The reality is that today’s marijuana is stronger and more likely to be laced with synthetic chemicals that mimic marijuana’s effects but that are infinitely more dangerous and that are potentially deadly.

·         THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marujuana) was 1.3% in 1978; in 2013, it was on average 15% and sometimes over 30%.

·         Marijuana edibles like cookies and chocolate are usually 10 times stronger than what kids smoke.

·         K2 and Spice, which are labeled as not being for human consumption, are often laced into marijuana mixtures.

·         Effects of synthetic chemicals, which often change from batch-to-batch include rapid heart rate, vomiting, violent behavior, and suicidal thoughts

The reality is that marijuana is addictive; next to alcohol, marijuana is the leading cause of substance dependence. A 2013 study showed that marijuana use accounted for 4.2 million of the 6.9 million dependent upon or using an illicit drug.

That is a key message to drive home to your teen: marijuana is still illegal in most states, so even if the very real potential health consequences don’t seem to influence your teen, remind them that illegal drug usage can send them to jail.

Signs of Marijuana Use in Teens

In addition to being proactive about talking to your teen about smoking marijuana, it is useful to be aware of potential behavioral changes in your teen or their friends that indicate they are doing drugs. Signs include:

·         Changes in mood, interest in former hobbies, academic performance, sleeping patterns, and friends or other once-steady relationships.

·         Red eyes, dizziness or poor coordination, giddiness, and poor memory

·         Odor on clothes or in car / bedroom.

Keep in mind that marijuana concentrates (butane hash oil) can used (with no telltale odor) in vaporizing pens now popular among many young people.

When it comes to preventing teen marijuana use, the best tool in your parental kit is communication. Spend quality time with your teen. Talk to them. Show a genuine interest in their lives. They listen. If your job to make sure that what they are listening to you is you and not someone else.

Having a well-stocked toolkit of facts and information related to smoking marijuana and being willing to communicate are things parents need to keep their teens safe from drugs. The Walton County Prevention Coalition (WCPC) is dedicated to supporting parents in helping teens make good decisions. Visit the WCPC website for additional resources useful for ensuring your teen never inhales (not even once). 

Facts and Statistics about Teenage Smoking That Your Kid Will Listen To

Smoking is a tough subject when it comes to substance abuse prevention. Tobacco companies are getting more creative than ever at targeting the young audience in their marketing efforts. It is important to educate our youth on the dangers and negative effects of smoking. Here are some facts and statistics that your kid is likely to listen to.

9 Teenage Smoking Facts and Statistics

1.       Nicotine use during adolescence negatively affects brain development. Does your teenager have big college plans? Not if they don’t have the grades to make the cut! Fill them in on the negative effects that tobacco use can have on their brain development.

2.       Smoking leads to poor physical performance from decreased lung function.If your child dreams about being the star of the football or softball team then they may be interested to know that smoking can hinder their performance on the field and prevent them from accomplishing their goals.

3.       Smoking can fry dopamine receptors, decreasing your sense of pleasure, memory, thinking and awareness.How do you like the sound of that? Exactly. The teenage years are meant to be some of the best of our lives – smoking can take away from the joy of adolescence and hinder your ability to retain memorable moments.

4.       16 million people in the US live with smoking related disfigurements and diseases.

Oh, you didn’t know that smoking could cause these types of adverse reactions? These are the things that we need to be educating our teenagers about.

5.       1,300 people die per day from smoking, which means 9,100 people per week.

This is a disturbing statistic to say the least. What does your teenager want to be when they grow up? If the answer isn’t “just another one of these statistics,” then smoking has no place in their adolescent life.

6.       For every vine video you watch, someone dies – tobacco-related deaths happen every 6.5 seconds. Now this is a statistic that your teenager can relate to and hopefully learn from. Is a cigarette really worth someone dying every 6.5 seconds?

7.       Approximately 90% of smokers began smoking before the age of 18.

A common misconception among teenagers is that just because they smoke occasionally with their buddies, doesn’t mean they are going to smoke when they grow up – that is a dangerous mindset, according to this statistic.

8.       Teenagers who continue to smoke into adulthood can develop infertility and impotence issues later in life.

This statistic can especially hit home with young girls who have been dreaming of becoming a mother since they were little girls – smoking can turn that dream into a nightmare. Is a cigarette worth losing sight of that dream?

9.       Smoking causes multiple immediate effects that can be detrimental to your image and physical appearance. Teenagers should ask themselves these questions –

·         Do you like talking to someone who has bad breath?

·         Do you think having yellow teeth is attractive?

·         Do you want to be coughing and hacking up phlegm during your movie date with the cute girl in your Algebra class?

·         Do you want people to avoid you because your clothes and hair reek of cigarette smoke?

10.   What does dog urine and a pack of cigarettes have in common?

Ammonia. Don’t know what this is? Well, it is a gas that is found in dog pee and, you guessed it, that cigarette that you are smoking because you think it makes you look cool. Think again.

The Walton County Prevention Coalition prides itself in working towards efforts of creating a Tobacco-Free Florida. Tobacco isn’t to be ignored when it comes to substance abuse in our youth, being that tobacco use contributes to the leading causes of death in our country. Talk to your kids about smoking and keep them informed on all of the horrifying statistics surrounding tobacco use.