Marijuana Use & Parent Suppliers

It’s Not Broccoli…

Some parents choose to mitigate their child’s drug use by becoming their kid’s own supplier. They think that procuring their kids’ marijuana is safer because it keeps them from doing drug deals and hopefully steers them away from “harder” drugs. But while marijuana might not be as destructive as say, heroin, it’s not broccoli either!

The effects of weed smoking on the developing teenage brain are more impactful and long lasting than some parents know. While it might take an adult a few hours to recover from getting high, a developing teenage brain can be impaired for several days. Extended Marijuana use in the teen years stunts emotional growth, impacts a child’s memory and ability to learn, and can even lead to schizophrenia as an adult.

Parental Alignment

If you and your spouse are not on the same page about this topic, it’s important to get there quickly. You can only begin to address your kid’s marijuana use if you and your spouse have an understanding. If you find yourself in this situation then couples counseling is the place to start.

It’s a tough issue, but it’s a lot more common than you might think, and we talk about it in this Tips on Teens:

“My sixteen year old son smokes marijuana. My husband supplies it to him because he would rather my son get it from a safe source rather than on the street. The problem is he’s smoking all the time. My husband smokes too. I feel it’s getting out of hand. How should I address this?”