MARIJUANA FAR FROM HARMLESS

What do you know about delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol?

If you are the parent of a child who is 12 years old or older you
might want to get familiar with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; TCH for
short. TCH is the main active chemical in marijuana. As a parent
reading this you are probably thinking one of two things; "My kid
would never use marijuana," or "I know my kid is probably going to
try marijuana, but I did it as a kid and I turned out fine, so what's
the big deal?"

Weed, pot, reefer, cannabis, whatever you want to call it, the kids
tell me it's the only thing that makes them happy. It takes away all
their cares.

Well, they are right that pot takes away all their cares. If you ask
them about their parents getting divorced, they'll say, "I don't
care." Ask about their girlfriend breaking up with them, they'll say,
"I don't care."

Tell them they're failing school, they'll say, "I don't care." Ask
how they feel about quitting their sport and losing their old
friends, they'll say, "I don't care." Eventually, if they smoke
enough weed, they won't even care about living anymore.

But marijuana is all natural and harmless, isn't it?

Many people consider marijuana mild and comparable to alcohol.

One big difference is that students are not typically getting drunk
every day at school.

They are, however, getting high at break, at lunch, after school, on weekends.

If they are "burnouts," they also get high before bed and when they
wake up in the morning.

Another difference between alcohol and marijuana is that marijuana is
fat soluble, so the adverse impact on learning and memory can last
for days after the high wears off.

A student who smokes marijuana on the weekend will still be a little
dazed and confused on Monday and Tuesday.

A student who smokes every day is functioning at a suboptimal
intellectual level all of the time. Teens will argue that they are
actually more alert and perceptive when they smoke weed, but they
only think that because they're high.

It is similar to the drunk who thinks he's being hilarious, when
everyone else thinks he's being a fool.

You might be comfortable with your teen using marijuana, especially
if you also use, or used as a teen.

You may know that the amount of TCH is higher in today's marijuana,
but do you know that, because the adolescent brain is developing
rapidly, pot will interfere not just with learning, but also mood.

They experience problems with attitude, initiative, focus, and
commitment, otherwise known as depression.

It is difficult to say which came first, the weed or the depression,
but regardless, it is nearly impossible to help a teen with
depression if they are using drugs.

I don't need to remind you that teens are already risk takers and a
little bit dense because of the changes that are occurring in their brain.

When they impair their judgment even more with drugs, it leads to
really poor decision making that could involve sex, school failure, a
criminal record, getting into a car with someone also under the
influence of drugs, or suicide.

So what harm does a little pot do?

If a student gets high at lunch break, he will not learn anything
during his afternoon classes.

If he only blazes after school, he won't feel like doing his
homework, or might forget to pick up his little brother.

If he only smokes on weekends or at a party, he won't want to get up
for his soccer game, or he will call in sick to his part-time job.

I guess it depends on your definition of harm.

They might be so high that they don't care anymore, but you can care.

If you know someone who is affected by addictions you can call
Richmond Addiction Services at 604-278-4156 or check out their free
services at www.richmondaddictions.ca .