addiction

Could Simply Talking To Your Teen About Marijuana Lead To Less Drug Use: According to a new study taken by the University of Washington, it certainly couldn’t hurt to talk to your teen about marijuana.

Marijuana is a highly known and popular drug. It is considered one of the most popular drugs because most teens truly believe that is not as dangerous or as addictive as other drugs. Therefore, by simply smoking marijuana, they clearly aren’t doing anything wrong. In fact, nearly 1/3 of high school teenagers in the United States alone, smoke marijuana.

When approached, their reason for doing so is because it isn’t as addictive; it takes the pressures of teenage life off and of course because everyone else is doing it. Most popularly, teens begin to do something, harmful or not, because so many other teens are doing it as well. While most teenagers do not see any issue with smoking marijuana, many adults including the co-director of the University of Washington’s Innovative Programs Research Group, Denise Walker disagree.

“It’s not a risk-free drug. Lots of people who use it do so without problems. But there are others who use it regularly — almost daily — and want to stop but aren’t sure how.” Walker said.

Walker suggests that one way to help your teen when it comes to marijuana use. Just talk to them. This might seem like a no-brainer, but we all know there is talking to your teen and there is truly talking to your teen. When your teen either feels threatened or feels as though they are being blamed for something, the shut down and chances are, they don’t hear exactly what you are saying. There is another approach to take. It’s a two session talk that is considered a “non-finger wagging approach” it’s referred to as the Teen Marijuana Check-Up.

The two session talk includes a motivational interviewing process that includes a discussion about how marijuana is affecting different aspects of life such as life goals or personal values. The second part of the talk includes an educational approach which uses a PowerPoint presentation which describes the psychological and health effects of marijuana use.

During the study, there was a 20 percent decrease in marijuana use for teenagers who receive the Teen Marijuana Check-Up.

According to Walker, teens face greater dangers using marijuana than adults do. “Adolescence is a big developmental period for learning adult roles. Smoking marijuana regularly can impede development and school performance, and it sets kids up for other risky behaviors.”

Walker insists. “The majority of people who need help aren’t getting it and they don’t think they need it,” Walker said. “However, many teens also have concerns about their use, even if they’re not sharing them with family or friends.”

If you believe your teen is using marijuana, sign them up for the talk, it could really help them see things in a different light.