How to talk to child who is smoking marijuana?

Answer 1

Assuming you're talking about a teenager, the first thing I'd ask myself is whether marijuana is actually interfering with the child's activies. Have his or her grades slipped? Are there signs that he's getting into trouble, e.g., using harder drugs? Having grown up in the sixties, I've known many people who used marijuana as teenagers and adults, and used it as a teen myself, without ill results.

Like any drug, pot has negative effects, but one mustn't allow oneself to be panicked by images of scrambled eggs. Marijuana is a milder drug than alcohol and a safer one than tobacco. To the extent it causes harm, it seems to be as a gateway drug. For that reason, I'd be very, very serious about warning my child of the dangers of hard drugs. He may not show it, but he will absorb your concern, if he thinks it's genuine rather than fearmongering.

Realize that a teen does not want to be told not to do something so do not tell the teen not to do it. Just express your concern and let it sink in a little. Raise a few questions that will cause the "child" to think about what they are involved in.