A FAMILY AFFAIR: UP IN SMOKE

Parents May Think It's Safer For Their Kids To Smoke Weed With Them,
But It's Not Responsible Says Officials

B.C. is well known for its tolerant attitude towards pot, but many
Langara students and instructors take a conservative view when it
comes to parents smoking up with their kids.

Ken Francis, a lab demonstrator in Langara's photo imaging department
and a father of two, said it's irresponsible for parents to smoke pot
withtheir kids.

"It's encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't think it would make
kids any closer to you--it's almost like saying its OK," he said.

Adrian St. Louis, a Langara arts and film student, has never smoked
weed with his parents but has smoked occasionally with his friends'
parents when he was younger.

"At the time it seemed pretty cool," he said. "It made it seem a
little more respectable."

But, St. Louis said he no longer thinks highly of parents who smoke pot.

"If I found out my parents smoked, I'd lose respect for them," he said.

Not only is marijuana an illicit substance, it's also a mind-altering drug.

Also, marijuana has a profound effect on the way the brain works,
said Daniel Nykon, a Langara psychology instructor.

"Given the potency of marijuana now, [kids] might be put in a
situation they can't handle," Nykon said. "Giving your child
marijuana would be like saying 'Here are the keys to your
consciousness. Go play.'"

But, Corinne Logan, a youth alcohol and drug counselor at Vancouver
Coastal Health Addiction Services thinks it's better if kids smoke
dope with their parents rather than on the streets, even though she
isn't an advocate of parents getting high with their kids.

"At least children are at home where it's safe," she said.

Tasha Enns, a Langara human geography student, said it can be
acceptable for parents to toke with their kids, if the setting is right .

"It depends on the people and the environment they create," she said,
adding that just because she enjoys coffee, doesn't mean she will
share it with her kid. "It has to be about respect and consideration."

Even though Enns smokes marijuana, she would still be hesitant to
share a joint with her kids. A 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey found
almost 70 per cent of people between 18 and 24 have used marijuana at
least once. Almost 30 per cent of 15- to17- year-olds and nearly half
of 18- and 19- year-olds said they'd used marijuana in the past year.