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Show Know enough basic facts about marihuana to talk no ill effects, but that they cannot be catalogued and to your son and daughter about it. predicted exactly. As a parent, you're concerned. You read that 4. Involvement with this drug during the years college, high school, even junior high students smoke while the young personality is finding and shaping marihuana. What about your own son or daughter? itself, and learning how to deal with life's problems, is Have they tried it? Would they tell you? Do you just an intangible danger to try to measure, but of deep keep quiet and hope-do you talk? importance. That's a hard fact for the young to Your youngsters may joke about grass, tea, joint, understand, roach, head-words that mean something different to 5. The possession of marihuana is illegal under you. They seem to know more about drugs than you 10Cal laws. Inmany states, it is a felony, equivalent to do-that's their side of the .generation gap. But not all the possession ofheroin. The laws provide severe their "facts" may be facts. penalties. Even being in the company of someone who Can you talk frankly to your child about pot? possesses marihuana may make your child liable for As frankly as about other important matters, with arrest, tact and mutual respect. It may be easier to start by Easy answers to hard questions discussing marihuana experiences he's heard of from There aterft Jf chil(J ask What his friends. You won t want to come across as accusing about ts ddnk; 3 d , M orangry-itsasnskytoassumehedoes turnotf'as answer is that yoar body and personality have to assume he doesnt. Keep it simple, direct. And make ml),,j rwn,r u j J I omr r i,- a u ,i . ! matured. Once anyone becomes dependent on any sure your concern for him, and what happens to him, :tj- i t 1 , . 3 ' diug, including alcohol and cigarettes, it can be SmlS' , , , , difficult to stop. Even if you're convinced they're Who uses pot, and why? harmful Moreboysthangirls.Girlsarelikeliertotryif ' "Why do adults say marihuana leads to stronger thcirboyriendssmokeit.Amajontyofyoungpeople drugs when that hasn't happened to my friends?" A have not tried it, and have enough self-assurance to wn',.v , , , a tt -f a u u teen-ager s experience is limited; it has happened. resist trying it. A number have tried it once or twice xk;u, -i ,r 1 . . j c t t ; u j a n cnw".e Whilemarihuanaitsefdoesnotlcadtoothcrdruguii, out of curiosity or boredom. A smaller number "turn ,;,; , .otl,, 1 A a 11 , association with' dealers and dru" users may be tne on" just on weekends. A small percentage become firctctf . j a ... a " i v a a ., nrst step to experimenting w th LSD, speed and even "heads"-their lives centered around marihuana or il j , ' f , , . , . neroin. And these drU"s are far more than a stronger other drugs, with very little interest in anything else. form of pot ulusareiaimoieinanaM 0 What proven facts about marihuana can you tell ,,, him? What about the people who say pot is OK? To 1. Individuals react very differently to this drug If hne SLCntistS StU1 don1 know everything about which is why you hear stories of extreme reactions ? I f marihuana-But certainl'' thev, and stories of no reactions. ' authorities your children quote, know even less. No 2. Reactionsvaryaccordingtosetting expectation CX'S san8 toJhat pot should be legal. patternofuse,andtlLtrength;fthemag;Jana ' tofertSt-"1"" (which varies greatly) . l take' Least of a11 somebody you care about. 3. Because of all these variables, little has been ml m tm$ about mariIw,ana proven conclusively about specific effects of marihuana l'lec"f;vnte for free booklets to: on the mind and body. This does not mean the " Box 10S0 W ' Washington, D.C. 2001 3 ' ' s -N x V - - -M |