Tips For Parents to Prevent Underage Marijuana Use

Throughout the United States, more and more jurisdictions are legalizing marijuana use for adults. Of course, people have a lot of conflicting emotions over this. Liberals are in full support of this happening, but of course conservatives still have plenty of reservations about it. Either way, the one thing that all of us on the political spectrum can agree is that marijuana is reserved ONLY for adults. How does a parent stop underage marijuana use? Here are some steps to keep in mind to accomplish that goal:

Keep the child occupied.

If a parent believes that their child is likely to experiment with underage marijuana use, then the first step would be to simply keep them busy. For example, give them chores to do. Such things as taking out the trash, walking the dog, loading the dishwasher or doing dishes, putting away groceries, or vacuuming are all things that will possibly distract your child enough that they simply won't have the time. Ideally, a parent can reinforce these chores simply by leaving their child an organized list. Of course, a parent shouldn’t panic if they are running out of chores to give their child. Teaching them to do volunteer work would be a great way to not only remain productive, but to give back to the community in a respectable manner.

Keeping track of the child.

Another step that parents can take would be simply just keeping better track of the child. Of course, they need to start laying the groundwork for this step by having clear expectations of their child. Thus, they start by actively monitoring their child to see if they are following the other rules they have laid in place. Simply put, if the child is rebelling with other rules, then there is a small chance that they could be rebelling when it comes to underage marijuana use as well. It's not the end-all-be-all, but it can definitely be a red flag.

The next step would be for parents just to be as active as possible in their child's life. If they have friends that would appear to be a poor influence, then that would be another red flag as well. Of course, parents can also cooperate with other parents to see if drug use is occurring among their children.

Know the signs of marijuana addiction.

One of the most common misconceptions among teenagers would be that marijuana use will just help them. They fall into the trap of thinking that marijuana will cure them of ADHD, fatigue, and a variety of other obstacles. Unfortunately, it's very easy for a child to fall into marijuana dependency, and so it is up to their parents to fully understand the signs of marijuana addiction.

"Teens who are marijuana users are actually more likely to go through school issues, up to and including dropping out of school," a spokesperson with the AION Health group said. Thus, some of the signs of marijuana dependency that a parent should look for would include things such as them feeling dizzy or uncoordinated, looking like they are "under the influence" by giggling for no reason, using an excessive amount of cologne or perfume, or having what appears to be drug paraphernalia in their room.

It is up to parents everywhere to go the extra mile to help their children avoid marijuana addiction!