PARENTS ARE STILL THE BEST ANTIDRUG

At first glance, the newspaper ad featuring a ``#1 Hypocrite'' coffee cup
looks like a political attack ad for the March 9 primary. As it turns out,
the ad is targeting parents.

``So you smoked pot,'' it begins.

Does that make you a hypocrite if you tell your kids not to try it?

Parents who smoked pot should set aside anxieties and talk to their kids
about the dangers of drug use. Tell them that more is known today about the
health, social, learning and behavioral consequences of smoking marijuana.

``Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among youth today and is
more potent than ever,'' according to theantidrug.com.

``Getting high also impairs judgment, which can lead to risky decision
making on issues like sex, criminal activity or riding with someone who is
under the influence of drugs or alcohol,'' it says.

Parents should know that teens who use drugs are five times more likely to
have sex than teens who do not, according to the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Getting high also contributes to general apathy and irresponsible behavior.

As it was when nearly half of all adults in the United States smoked
cigarettes, children can be lectured on not repeating the mistakes made by
their mothers and fathers without the elders coming off as being
hypocritical.

Sure, some kids will accuse their parents of having a double standard, and
because of this, some experts have even advised parents to skirt the truth.

But most say that if your child presses you about past drug use, you should
take the opportunity to have a healthy discussion about the risks you took
and the lessons you learned.

Everyone agrees that the most powerful tool parents have is an ongoing
conversation with their kids about what they are seeing or hearing about
drugs among friends or classmates.

If you need help finding the words for this conversation, call
1-800-788-2800 or the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance at (813)
276-2548.