Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Adolescents sometimes raise important topics by putting adults on the spot. When asked if they have ever used marijuana, many parents feel surprised, defensive or wary. But with new research confirming that parents who provide direct information, guidance or advice about substances like marijuana have adolescents who are less likely to experiment with drugs, we might also feel grateful that our teenager has put the topic on the table.
Regardless of what your history is, it can help to receive “Did you smoke weed?” as an overture rather than an inquisition. Your teenager probably has more pressing questions lined up behind that one. Whether conscious of it or not, a teenager asking, “What choice did you make?” is often wondering, “What choice should I make?”
Dr. Jennifer Guss, a physician in Houston, said she faced the question when her daughter, Sofia, was in middle school. She explained why she had never tried marijuana but then asked what was on her daughter’s mind. She learned that Sofia was trying to make sense of the evolving marijuana laws, which gave her mother the opportunity to note that “just because something is legal doesn’t make it healthy and…
