A parent's guide to preventing underage marijuana use

Now that marijuana is legal for adults in Washington . . .

A parent’s guide to

preventing underage

marijuana use

Marijuana is addictive

. Most teens who enter

substance abuse treatment programs in Wash-

ington state report that marijuana is the main

or only drug they use

. Teens who identify other

drugs as their primary drug of choice often say

they use marijuana too. Adolescents who start

using marijuana before the age of 14 are four

times more likely to become addicted by the

time they are adults

. Marijuana addiction is

more common among teens than adults because

their brains are still developing and vulnerable.

4, 5

Some teens make the mistake of believing that

marijuana can help reduce issues with ADHD or

anxiety, and improve their focus in school. But,

in truth, adolescents who use marijuana can have:

• Increased diculty memorizing things

• Distorted thinking and perception

(exaggerated or irrational thoughts)

• Hallucinations

• Paranoia

• Anxiety

• Depression

• A permanent decrease in IQ with

prolonged use

Teens who use marijuana are actually more likely

to experience school failure, which can lead to

school drop out.

Adolescents addicted to marijuana often struggle

with new mental health problems such as

anxiety, depression and paranoia.

Marijuana

addiction can also make existing mental health

conditions worse. When addicted to marijuana,

adolescents often lack motivation and energy,

and lose interest in activities they used to enjoy.

Three reasons why

YOU should care:

1. Marijuana is

addictive.

2. It is against the law

for people under 21

to use marijuana.

3. Marijuana use gets

in the way of saying

YES to other exciting

opportunities in life.

The Good News!

Most high school

seniors (73%) in

Washington state

DON’T use marijuana.

However, after alcohol,

marijuana is the drug

most commonly used

by high school students

who use drugs. About

20% of students in

grade have used

marijuana in the past

30 days. Those that do

are more likely to get

lower grades in school.

(2012 Washington State

Healthy Youth Survey)

How does Marijuana Use Aect

Adolescent Health?

PARENT GUIDE

Marijuana is the most

common drug used by

children 12-17 years

old who visit hospital

emergency rooms for

drug misuse or abuse.

While there are no records

of death directly from

marijuana overdose,

serious health problems

occur when potent

marijuana products

are eaten or inhaled.

What can YOU do?

Even as teens, children care about what parents say. One of the key

reasons teens choose not to use drugs is because they know their parents

don’t approve of it.

Express a no use attitude. Children whose parents have a positive

attitude toward marijuana use are ﬁve times more likely to use marijuana

by 8

grade.

Start early!

• Since teenagers who use marijuana often start by age 14, parents should

start an ongoing conversation about drugs by 4

or 5

grade.

• Be clear and speciﬁc about your family expectations about marijuana use.

What to say to 4

& 5

graders: “What do you know about marijuana?

Do you know that marijuana can hurt your health? Marijuana use is against

the law for anyone under 21 years old. We want you to do well in school,

so we have a family rule against using drugs, including marijuana.”

Give your child ways to say no to marijuana and other drugs.

• Role play social situations where your child is oered marijuana by a peer.

• Help your child to ﬁnd the right words to refuse drug oers.

• Help your child suggest an alternative to using drugs.

• Let your child know that it is ﬁne to walk away from someone,

including a friend, who is oering drugs and, if needed, to call

you for a ride home.

What to say to young teens: “Remember our family rule against using

marijuana? Let’s talk about how you can refuse drugs, including marijuana,

if oered to you.”

PARENT GUIDE

Set clear guidelines.

Communicate the importance of healthy behaviors and establish clear and

speciﬁc rules about not using marijuana and other drugs. This can be part

of a broader conversation about expectations for things like:

• Doing chores

• Following parental rules

• Showing respect for family members

• Bedtimes

• Curfews

• Following laws and school regulations

• School and class attendance

Provide consistent negative consequences for not meeting the guidelines.

Remember to provide compliments for good choices and healthy behavior.

What to say: “It is important to our family that we all stay healthy and

safe. One way to do this is to avoid drug use, including marijuana. This is

especially important for teenagers since marijuana can harm the developing

brain. That’s why we have a family rule against using marijuana.

If we ﬁnd out you are using drugs, what do you think a fair consequence

would be?”

Keep track of your child.

• Monitor your child’s behavior to ensure the rules are being followed.

• Remain actively involved in your child’s life and get to know his or

her friends.

• Network with other parents so that you may support one another to

keep your children away from drugs.

Keep lines of communication open.

• Eat dinner together.

• Do fun family activities together.

• Communicate the way your child does (texting, email, Facebook, Twitter).

PARENT GUIDE

Monitor your own behavior.

You are a role model for your child so think about what you do and the

message it sends.

• Avoid heavy drinking around your child or teen.

• Do not use marijuana around your child or teen.

What do I do if I ﬁnd my teen is using marijuana or other drugs

or breaking other family rules?

• Keep calm.

• Communication is key! When dealing with behavior problems it is

important to communicate your disapproval of the behavior without

making your child feel rejected or like they are a bad person.

• Remember the guidelines that were set and the consequences that

go along with breaking them.

• Leave the door open for problem solving.

What do I avoid?

Don’t overreact. This may lead your child to take greater risks to prove

that they are independent. When consequences feel overly punishing,

your teen is more likely to:

• Rebel

• Feel resentment

• Take revenge and you may see the behavior get worse.

This is not the time for anger, accusations, name calling or sarcasm.

PARENT GUIDE

How can I tell if my teen

is using marijuana?

Be aware of changes in your child’s behavior, such as carelessness with

grooming, mood changes, and relationship problems with family members

and friends. In addition, changes in grades, skipping school, lost interest in

favorite activities, and changes in eating or sleeping habits could all be

related to drug use.

If someone is high on marijuana, they might:

• Seem dizzy or uncoordinated

• Seem silly and giggly for no reason

• Have very red, bloodshot eyes

• Have a hard time remembering things that just happened

If someone uses marijuana often, they might:

• Have an odor on clothes and in the bedroom

• Use incense and other deodorizers in living space

• Increase their use of perfume, cologne or breath mints

• Use eye drops

• Wear clothing or jewelry or have posters that promote drug use

• Have unexplained use of money or may steal money

• Have items used with drugs such as pipes, bongs, scales,

rolling papers, blunt wraps or vapor pens

PARENT GUIDE

What should I do if my teen continues using

marijuana, even after suering consequences?

If you think that your teen is addicted or cannot stop

using marijuana or other drugs, contact their doctor

or the Washington Recovery Help Line at 1-866-789-1511.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t marijuana safer for teens

than alcohol and tobacco?

Marijuana, alcohol and tobacco are

all potentially harmful drugs. Each

aects teens dierently. Teen

marijuana use is associated with

many health and safety problems

listed earlier in this pamphlet.

Isn’t marijuana natural and

therefore OK for teens to use?

There are many natural things

that are not good for our bodies.

Regardless of it being “natural”

or not marijuana can harm

youth health.

Isn’t it better for my child to

consume marijuana at home

where I can make sure they

stay safe?

Research shows that teens who

use alcohol at home are actually

more likely to abuse alcohol when

not at home.

The same holds true

for marijuana.

What about marijuana brownies

and cookies? Aren’t they safer

than smoking marijuana?

Marijuana, no matter how it is used,

is harmful to teen health. Some

marijuana products that are eaten

or vaporized are more potent than

smoked marijuana. The health

eects of teen marijuana use listed

earlier in this pamphlet are the same

whether marijuana is smoked,

vaporized, or swallowed.

I smoked when I was a kid,

why deny a rite of passage?

Keep in mind that most teens do

not use marijuana, so it is not really

a rite of passage. Today’s marijuana

is more potent than the marijuana

that was available in the past. In

addition, some marijuana products

being sold are “concentrates” and

are even more potent.

How do I tell my child not to

smoke if I do now or did when

I was younger?

Just like with alcohol, tell your

child that it is against the law to

use marijuana until they are 21.

The teen brain can be harmed

by regular marijuana use in ways

that the adult brain is not. Using

marijuana as a teen increases

the likelihood that a person will

become addicted to marijuana.

PARENT GUIDE

Washington Marijuana

Laws & Minors

In 2012, Washington State voters approved Initiative 502 which

created a legal, commercial marijuana system. Adults aged

21 years and older are allowed to possess small amounts of

marijuana products.

Legal products include foods and beverages with marijuana

infused in them. Some of these products may be attractive

to youth and mistaken for common food and beverages.

Examples include candy, soft drinks, baked-goods and juices.

The new law allows marijuana advertising. Be aware of marijuana

advertising that your child is exposed to online, in magazines and

newspapers, and in the community. Talk about the ads and the

messages they send. Use these talks to stress your family rules

about not using drugs, including marijuana.

The law did not change for people under the age of 21. Like

alcohol, marijuana products are still illegal for people under

the age of 21. Possession of more than 40 grams is a felony.

It is illegal for people under the age of 21 to drive after using

any amount of marijuana. This is called “zero tolerance”.

It is illegal for adults to provide marijuana to people

under the age of 21, including parents giving their own

children marijuana.

It is illegal to consume (smoke, eat, drink) marijuana products

in public.

To report underage marijuana use, call your local

police department.

PARENT GUIDE

Seattle Children’s Hospital Adolescent Substance Abuse Program

Provides teen substance abuse prevention,

intervention, and out-patient treatment

www.seattlechildrens.org/clinics-programs/

adolescent-substance-abuse/resources/

University of Washington Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute

A one-stop source of marijuana information in Washington state

www.LearnAboutMarijuanaWA.org

Washington Recovery Help Line

24-Hour help for substance abuse, problem gambling and mental health

www.warecoveryhelpline.org or 1-866-789-1511

The Partnership at DrugFree.org

Information for parents about substance abuse

www.DrugFree.org

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Marijuana facts for parents and teens

www.drugabuse.gov

M-Files

Straight talk about meth, marijuana, and prescription medications

www.mﬁles.org

Prevention WINS

A youth substance abuse prevention coalition in northeast Seattle

www.preventionworksinseattle.org/ParentingTips.aspx

Resources

PARENT GUIDE

Sources

(1) National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Facts: Marijuana;

2012. Available at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/ﬁles/

marijuana_0_0.pdf

(2) Washington State Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drug Trends

Report, (2012).

(3) Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) Sponsored by

MetLife Foundation.; 2012. Available at: http://www.drugfree.org/

wp-content/uploads/2013/04/PATS-2012-FULL-REPORT2.pdf.

(4) Casey BJ, Jones RM, Hare TA. The adolescent brain.

Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2008;1124:111–126.

(5) Hurd YL, Michaelides M, Miller ML, Jutras-Aswad D.

Trajectory of adolescent cannabis use on addiction vulnerability.

Neuropharmacology. 2014;76 Pt B:416–24. Available at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23954491.

(6) Meier MH, Caspi A, Ambler A, et al. Persistent cannabis users

show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2012;109(40):E2657–64.

(7) The Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality

(CBHSQ) Report: A Day in the Life of American Adolescents:

Substance Use Facts Update, Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), August 29, 2013,

http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2K13/CBHSQ128/sr128-typical-

day-adolescents-2013.htm

(8) National Cannabis Prevention Information Centre.

Looking After a Friend On Cannabis. Available at: http://ncpic.

org.au/ncpic/publications/factsheets/pdf/looking-after-a-

friend-on-cannabis.

(9) Prevention of substance use and substance use disorders:

The role of risk and protective factors, (2011). Catalano, Richard

F., Haggerty, Kevin P., Hawkins, J. David, Elgin, Jenna. In Y.

Kaminer & K.C. Winters (Eds.), Clinical manual of adolescent

substance abuse treatment (pp 25-63). Washington, DC:

American Psychiatric Publishing.

(10) Risk and Protective Factors for Your Marijuana Use:

Preliminary Findings, (2013). Hong, G., Becker, L. Presented

July 10, 2013 at the What Works Youth Marijuana Symposium.

(11) Eects of Home Access and Availability of Alcohol

on Young Adolescents’ Alcohol Use, (2007). Komro, K.A.;

Maldonado-Molina, M.M.; Tobler, A.L.; et al. Addiction

102(10):1597–1608. Do parents and best friends Inﬂuence the

normative increase in adolescents’ alcohol use at home and out-

side the home?, (2010). van der Vorst; H., Engels, R.C.M.E; and

Burk, W.J. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 71(1):105–114.

Dr. Leslie R. Walker

Chief, Division of Adolescent Medicine

Director, University of Washington LEAH

(Leadership of Education in

Adolescent Health)

Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty

Aairs UW Department of Pediatrics

Immediate Past President 2012-2013,

Society of Adolescent Health and

Medicine (SAHM)

Seattle Children’s Hospital,

University of Washington

Dr. Walker is Co-Director of Seattle

Children’s Hospital Adolescent

Substance Abuse Program which

provides a continuum of programs

from youth substance abuse

prevention to out-patient treatment.

http://depts.washington.edu/uwleah/

Dr. Kevin Haggerty

Associate Director

Social Development Research Group

University of Washington

The Social Development Research

Group (SDRG) at the University of

Washington is known internationally

for research on the prevention of

substance abuse and other harmful

behaviors. SDRG developed

evidence-based programs that lead

to reductions in substance abuse

and a variety of other problems

among youth. Dr. Haggerty directed

research studies that evaluated

parenting programs including

Guiding Good Choices, Staying

Connected with Your Teen,

Common Sense Parenting,

Safe Drivers Wanted and

Raising Healthy Children.

www.SDRG.org

Authors

PARENT GUIDE

Seattle Children’s Hospital

4800 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98105

TEL 206-987-2000