Perhaps you are a veteran cannabis user. Or maybe you donât know the difference between a bong and a blunt. Either way, itâs time to start talking to your kids about marijuana.
Whether you like it or not, cannabis is legal now across Canada and experts say parents must make sure their kids understand whatâs happening and how it affects them.
Parenting expert Doone Estey says parents shouldnât wait for questions from their kids to start the conversation.
âI think parents should bring it up first. Itâs in the news and the way you bring up anything thatâs in the news, itâs important to initiate the discussion with the children,â she told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel Wednesday.
But be sure not to entirely focus on the negatives or the risk of cannabis, she says.
âIf they just talk about how bad it is, the kids will stop listening to them. So itâs important to explain why kids are taking marijuana and theyâre self-medicating, basically, the same way you talk to your kids about taking alcohol. So talk about the good and the bad and encourage the children to find out as much as they can.â
has prepared a , a guide for parents to talk to their teens.
And donât kid yourself, Canadian youth ages 15 to 24 already rank second in cannabis consumption rates in the developed world, according to a World Health Organization study.
According to the National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 90 per cent of addiction begins in adolescence.
âStudies show that a parent may be able to reduce their childâs risk of drug use by up to 50 per cent, just by talking to them,â says the DFK Canada website. âIn fact, one of the main reasons kids will avoid taking drugs is because they donât want to disappoint their parents.â
DFK Canadaâs aim is to raise public awareness and to educate families âusing evidence-based information so parents and caregivers can engage their kids in a trusting, respectful dialogue about drugs. We want families to talk openly about delaying early experimentation with cannabis and support their kids to make healthy choices,â said Marc Paris, executive director of Drug Free Kids Canada, in a recent press release about an education partnership with Aphria Inc., one of Canadaâs largest cannabis companies.
Estey says itâs important to stress that just like alcohol, cannabis use is illegal for children (the legal age is 19 in much of Canada, except for Quebec and Alberta where itâs 18) and has a negative effect on a developing brain, an effect made worse the earlier consumption begins. A link has also been made between cannabis use and the appearance of psychosis in youth.
Parents need to discuss with their kids the dangers of driving while high, or consuming edibles when they donât know how much cannabis they contain or what the strain is, or how harmful smoking of any kind is to their lungs, says Estey.
Teachers should also be open to addressing questions as best they can and to seeking out information when they donât have an answer, so that students can make informed decisions, she says.
âI think that the teachers also should say, âIf you are going to try it, these are the ways to make sure that you keep yourself safe: by staying with a group; looking out for your buddies; making sure youâre not driving; donât get in a car; all the harm reduction measures you take if youâre drinking alcohol or using any other drug.â
Parents may find their kids think marijuana is harmless, but it poses serious risks to developing bodies and brains, says the . Regular use can actually damage the brain and it impairs judgement and coordination, distorts perception and can induce paranoia or anxiety.
Some doctors are expressing concern about legalization of recreational cannabis. Toronto emergency doctor Jennifer Boyd tweeted Wednesday: âIâm worried about children and accidental ingestions. They Colorado experience suggests I have reason to beâŚâ She posted a ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ story in which highlights an increase in cannabis-related ER visits since the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2014.
Those visits include children, many of whom have consumed cannabis edibles, such as cookies and candies. The federal government has indicated it intends to legalize edibles but has not set a date yet.
A social media awareness campaign began Wednesday aimed at preventing inadvertent cannabis exposure for children. , a partnership of injury prevention non-profit Parachute and poison centres across Canada, uses hashtag #PotCanPoisonKids.
Among other measures, it urges adults to store all cannabis products like medications and toxic products, by locking them up in child-resistant containers and out of reach of kids.
A study by poison centres in Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut found that from 2013 to 2017 there was a 50 per cent increase in calls concerning cannabis exposure for those under 18.
The onus is on adults to protect children in their homes if adults choose to use cannabis, says Steve Podborski, president and CEO of Parachute. âRight now, there are no regulations for safe storage of cannabis products, such as child-resistant packages or warning labels. Thatâs why itâs crucial to store all cannabis products in a locked space out of the reach of kids.â
I'm worried about children and accidental ingestions. The Colorado experience suggests I have reason to be...
â Dr Jennifer Boyd (@drjennboyd)
Who's up for some war-on-cannabis movie listings? Let's start with "Tell Your Children" -- it played in Toronto just as World War II began.
â Mitch Potter (@MPwrites)
Because their bodies and brains are still developing, can be harmful to children and youth â particularly to their mental health. We have a handout for parents who have questions and concerns.
â CdnPaediatricSociety (@CanPaedSociety)
Profits out of the hands of criminals. Protection for our kids. Today is legalized and regulated across Canada.
â Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
If you plan on buying and keeping it at home, make sure you store it safely away from kids â it is dangerous for them to consume it.
â GovCanHealth (@GovCanHealth)
Is it OK to ever use cannabis in front of kids? How do you talk to your kids about ?
â The Social (@TheSocialCTV)