Marijuana - How to explain it to your children...
How marijuana was explained to me...
Well, I was raised much differently than most children. I spent a lot of my early years in my parent's well known head shop in Dallas, TX named Strawberry Fields. My parents were high contributors to NORML, and in 1979 they attended an art auction hosted by NORML at the Playboy mansion. Marijuana (and it's paraphernalia) was always around me. My parents would smoke marijuana in front of me on a regular basis.
In 7th grade, I remember saying I would never drink alcohol or do drugs. By 9th grade, I was drinking vodka in large amounts every weekend. I made so many careless, dangerous, stupid mistakes, but I did not try marijuana until I was 17, and I did not like it.
Now I am one of the Founders and the Executive Director for San Antonio NORML.
There are ways to talk to your kids to help them understand why you
have the right to choose to smoke or ingest marijuana and they do not. There are some exceptions for teenagers and some children that need marijuana for medical purposes.
Links regarding children and medical marijuana
- Medical Marijuana for Children - NYTimes.com
Had it occurred to you that medical marijuana was being used for children? Would you give your child the same treatment under the same circumstances? - Mother Gives Son Marijuana To Treat His Autism - ABC News
Given the many difficulties involved in raising an autistic child, parents are willing to try a variety of potential remedies, many of which are controversial and unproven. - Marijuana as Alternative Treatment for Children with OCD and Autism - ABC News
Why would a mother give her 12-year-old marijuana? There are no studies done to show the effects marijuana may have on the developing mind. Even so, some parents are turning to medical marijuana as a way to help their children.
The simple ABC formula:
- Adult - you are the adult. You are over the age of 18. You are the parent. You make the decisions. What makes you an adult? Your...
- Brain - a child's brain is still growing. Adding ANY substance can hurt the development of their brains and bodies. I'm also talking about alcohol, caffeine, over the counter medications, and prescription drugs.
- Cognitive Development - studies have shown that kids who start smoking marijuana at an early age show cognitive defects which are not shown in people who begin smoking when they are older. This is also an important time that teenagers and children are learning coping skills. You cannot learn appropriate coping skills by using substances to cover up your problems.
Check out these links...
Have you talked to your kids about drugs?
Is it really that simple? No... there are more drugs and things to talk to your children about than just marijuana. At least your children cannot overdose on marijuana unlike the chemicals under your sink, pills in your medicine cabinet, alcohol, and more harmful drugs. It is very important to also talk to your children about the effects of other drugs and the risks of having sex.
What I found useful is pictures.
This is what drugs can do...
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This is what sex can do...
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