Not Your Parents' Pot

Not Your Parents’ Pot

Teens take risks. Many of these involve drinking and drugs. The recreational use of marijuana has become more common at teen parties. Many view it as a harmless drug, fun to use and easy to get. But Dr. Frances Jensen, in her book The Teenage Brain, warns that pot-smoking is anything but benign. 

Dr. Jensen writes that the highly-concentrated marijuana smoked by kids today can “disrupt the development of neural pathways.” Brain development can be seriously impaired. Studies show that smoking pot “interrupts the smooth functioning of the motor cortex” which is why “pot smokers can appear to be slack, clumsy, and slow moving and have trouble reacting promptly in dangerous situations,” such as driving, swimming, and playing sports. Further, “early teen users are twice as likely to get addicted, and … have more trouble with focus and attention and make twice as many mistakes on tests involving planning, flexibility and abstract thinking… Bottom line: The earlier the use, the greater the abuse.” 

Marijuana affects adolescent brains more quickly and far longer than adult brains. Cases of schizophrenia, clinical depression and psychosis have been linked to marijuana use. Marijuana  users inhale smoke with three to five times the tar and carbon monoxide tobacco-users do. Since the smoke is held longer in the lungs, the risk for cancer and emphysema is greater. 

Is marijuana a gate-way drug? The jury is still out on direct connections between pot and  hard drugs but pot smoking is often done in situations where hard drugs are also being used. Peer pressure might soften a teen’s resistance to hard drugs.

Marijuana’s effects can be deadly serious. Parents need to discuss these dangers when their children are young. Don’t joke about your own experimentation. Give your children the facts in a friendly way. Model responsible behavior. Children watch adults for cues for living. They respect their parents and don’t want to disappoint them.

Encourage your teens’ hopes and dreams and make sure that they know how drugs, even pot, can affect those goals. Know what you are talking about. Do the research necessary for meaningful conversations. Know where your teens are and what they are doing. Keep the lines of communication open, friendly and caring. 

Today we know that partying with alcohol, marijuana or drugs can cause permanent brain damage. As Dr. Jensen warns, “If, as parents, teachers and guardians, we ignore the science, we do so at the peril of our own children.” Protect your children now. 

(All quotes from The Teenage Brain by Dr. Frances Jensen, MD)