<p>First off, pot does not impair your hippocampus. Your hippocampus contains the most THC receptors, so it is the most affected region while you use marijuana, but there has never been conclusive evidence that this causes damage to this area of the brain (according to my AP Psych text book.i’ll get the citation if you want the full one)
Furthermore, THC does not affect dopamine at all. It simply mimics dopamine. The only drug to truly affect dopamine levels greatly is cocaine. I</p>
<p>second, let’s address how “addictive” and harmful marijuana is.
According to a study published in The Lancet, marijuana was found to be slightly more addcitive than caffeine, but less addictive than tobacco, alcohol, barbiturates and benziodiazpines. If those names don’t sound familar, let’s got with their more common names-like Xanax, Librium, and Valium. If you aren’t addicted to your Xanax, odds are you’re not going to end up addicted to pot
In the same study, marijuana was found to be the least harmful of all things studied, including the completely legal tobacco and alcohol
(<a href=“http://www.antiproibizionisti.it/public/docs/thelancet_20070323.pdf[/url]”>http://www.antiproibizionisti.it/public/docs/thelancet_20070323.pdf</a>)</p>
<p>The good that marijuana can do is astounding. Not only can it be used to treat glaucoma, it also can help those with AIDS or cancer get their appetite back. Furthermore, a UCLA study, the most comprehensive to date, found that even the heaviest marijuana users(those who had smoked up to 20,000 joints) had no increased risk for lung cancer or any other cancer for that matter. In fact, marijuana has been linked to a lessened risk for Alzheimers…</p>
<p>If you want more proof, look up Nixon’s Surgeon General’s inquiry on marijuana. He found NO harm and advocated it to become legalized… </p>
<p>And just so you know, It’s not just us crazy hippies. Our founding fathers enjoyed it too…THe very first law in the us regarding pot was passed in 1619 by the Virgina House of Burgesses. It REQUIRED every household to grow it…</p>
<p>^^ Yes, I do understand that. I am also saying that there is a huge difference between that generation and ours. I am saying that a lot parents assume that their children are growing up in the same environment that they did, and that is simply not the case.</p>
<p>Endicott–I agree with your stop the clock concept. I worked in drug rehab and many adults who had been using their whole lives had stopped their emotional growth in their teen years. they literally had to learn how to socialize with opposite sex, how to go for job interview, how to handle conflict, emotions like anger, sadness…</p>
<p>also there are plenty of kids not using drugs bc they have other things going on in their worlds–sports, love, travel, work…</p>
<p>romani-you sound quite mature and responsible for an 18 yr old…you have had your share of life experiences as a teenager, as you wrote that your two boyfriends battled addiction, one went to jail. you probably realize that is not typical of most kids’ lives~I’m sure you’ve learned a lot and I admire how you’ve remained clear about what’s right for you, I like what you’re doing with your community service. good luck in college, your maturity will be sought after…</p>
<p>^ Thank you for the compliment :). I do realize that I am not typical of our youth of today, but I do associate with them every day of my life, haha. </p>
<p>Again, I do not believe that everyone does drugs, not by a long shot. All I am pleading for is that parents keep the option open that if their children ARE going to do drugs, to at least try them somewhere safe, like in your house. The message, IMO, should not be “Don’t do drugs. End of story.” because that pushes kids to do them and hide them from their parents. The message should be “Don’t do drugs. But if you want to, talk to me about it. I would rather you do it here where you are safe than somewhere else where you could potentially be hurt.”</p>
<p>That is truly all I am asking. I am not an advocate for legalizing marijuana. I am not a fan of it. I am simply a realist who knows that kids will do drugs and there is no avoiding that. I would just rather they be safe at home.</p>
<p>Amen to that^^^. Most teenagers think they’re different from all that came before, but some things NEVER change, like rebelling and thinking adults don’t understand. </p>
<p>I always felt that my kids needed me to set boundaries and got the distinct impression that it was actually a relief for them. I’m not naive enought to think that teenagers will refrain from alcohol/drugs because Mom and Dad told them not to, but I think it helps to order their world. They need something to rebel against. One just hopes that there aren’t any irrevocable consequences.</p>
<p>romani-- just as you may know more about the world teens face daily than parents do, you may realize that we parents know more about the world parents face daily. and also more about the world teens will face in college, and beyond, in the work world…</p>
<p>There may be some life experiences and learnings we have had that teens have not yet had. These learnings have helped us to become the best parents we can, to know who each of our children are, and what they might need from us. </p>
<p>I agree that an ongoing and open conversation with our kids is ideal, and it should include honest talk about drugs, sex etc. but to assume that would include permission to use drugs at home is misguided. I like to entrust my kids with faith in their decisionmaking, they may have life experiences, some including experimentation with drugs and alcohol, and I hope as other parents have said that they will handle those choices well. there are lots of kids who can go to a party and opt to not drink or smoke pot. this may seem odd to you but everyone’s life experience is different.</p>
<p>mouse, I do not believe that we are that much different, but I do think we are more different than we seem. If you think we grew up in the same world then you are kidding yourself. Our environment influences us. No generation is the same as the one before. We have the same motivation, the same desire to rebel, the same thinking that adults don’t understand. </p>
<p>Tell me, do you honestly think that the world you grew up in is the same as the one your parents did? Tell me, did you grow up in an age of instant technology, instant communication, and a need for instant gratification?</p>
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<p>Never claimed to know about the world of adults. I have always explicitly said that I am giving the view of a teenager. </p>
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<p>I have also repeatedly stated that I don’t believe that everyone will try drugs and drinking and I do understand that everyone is different. I have always said that those who want to do these things will do them anyways. Just as those who do not want to will not do drugs. </p>
<p>I feel like I am repeating myself, so I am going to bed. There really is nothing left for me to say to express my view. I will leave by saying that, again, I am not trying to convince anyone. I am simply trying to give the POV of a teenager in today’s society, rather than what parents think is going on (which is obviously what one tends to get on a Parent’s forum). I did not intend to come on here to convince anyone, I just wanted to show a different viewpoint instead of having a homogeneous thread with almost all the same viewpoint - “The mother is wrong. End of story.”</p>
<p>romani–I think you guys have so much constant stimulation, and information/communication overload, I don’t know how I would have dealt with that as a teenager.</p>
<p>however imho, it is this level of stress and overstimulation that convinces and guides me to create supportive boundaries, rules as well as an open home environment where my kids can relax, talk, question and trust…and be trusted…</p>
<p>*I just don’t get what the big deal with pot is?
it’s not harmful
it’s not addictive
and, if removed from illicit channels, actually does more good than bad…</p>
<p>Oh, hum.
If I had a nickel for every time I heard pot was ok, </p>
<p>I have yet to meet a LONG time toker, long time meaning someone my age that has not had some dulling of the neurons.
Drugs in the 60,70s 80s had the same lure of illegality for us parents thinking our parents didn’t understand, life is different, it actually is not, that stuff is just background noise.</p>
<p>The life events that steer a kid to choose to do drugs are still the same:
Peer pressure
Social awkwardness
Boyfriend/girlfriend breakups issues
Parents annoying them
Escape</p>
<p>I don’t think kids should much spend their time on TV or videogames, either. I absolutely agree that young people (any people) can get just as addicted to videogames as they can to pot. The point is that the time of young people is very valuable. A lot of things that seem frivolous are worthwhile–chatting with friends, daydreaming, doing crafts or playing music or drawing, shopping, biking around aimlessly, taking walks, even sleeping. Because while all of these activities or non-activities are going on, young people’s minds are working. They’re working on negotiating social issues, developing their ideals, learning what their own authentic interests and passions are, understanding their feelings. I can even see the value of a LITTLE bit of social gaming, TV watching, etc., because it can provide a playful bond between people. But when people take drugs or drink, what they’re doing is checking out of full consciousness. Even if you can do some activities while taking drugs, you’re losing part of the value of that activity, some of the mindfulness, because you’re choosing to give part of your mind away to a chemical substance. Whatever it is that you could do on drugs, you could do better without them, and get more value from them. Everyone’s time is valuable, but just as teenagers’ muscles can grow more quickly than adults, their brains can grow and change more quickly than adults. Taking drugs dulls that incredible edge.</p>
<p>This is why you don’t do it. At work we also test everyone, including interns, for drugs prior to employment.</p>
<p>In my previous post of being called down to the police station, it was a wake up call for me. Even though I wasn’t doing anything illegal, but by association I had to prove I was innocent to the police. At that time I was already in college, beginning to have a better idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I realized I couldn’t afford to have any blemish on my record. </p>
<p>My parents were clueless as to what was going on with young people in the US. They weren’t able to give me any guidance. What I am trying to do to give my kids more information so they could make better decisions. It really doesn’t matter that pot is not that harmful to your body. What’s harmful is it could potentially take away your opportunity in going to school or getting a job. One could argue that prostitution should be legalized. It probably would be safer for everyone if it was, but it isn’t in this country. Would you tell your kids it’s ok because maybe you don’t feel it is morally wrong?</p>
<p>About the parent who lets her son smoke pot at home: Epic fail.</p>
<p>My kids asked me about a year ago what I would do if I found out they were smoking pot. I said, “Well, I have a friend who is a sergeant in the police department and a member of the narcotics squad. I would call Mike and have him come pick you up and take you to jail.”</p>
<p>Guess what? I know my kids don’t smoke pot. It’s definitely not a family value in my house.</p>
<p>“Again, I do not believe that everyone does drugs, not by a long shot. All I am pleading for is that parents keep the option open that if their children ARE going to do drugs, to at least try them somewhere safe, like in your house.”</p>
<p>That’s misguided thinking. If my kids or my friends for that matter insist on doing an illegal activity, there is no place that is safe to do such a thing.</p>
<p>I certainly wouldn’t want to risk my own safety by having them do illegal acts in my house. If drugs are in my house, I could be arrested.</p>
<p>My kids know that if they choose to do something illegal, they will be the ones facing the consequences. I’m certainly not going to act like I have a magic wand that can protect them.</p>
<p>Oh – and even when I was young, I knew a parent who smoked dope with her daughter, and friends of some of my college friends gave pot to their children.</p>
<p>Even back when I was the age of some youths posting on this board, I didn’t agree with what the parents did.</p>
<p>A few years ago there was a big news story about a community college president in Iowa who was arrested and charged with growing marijuana at his house and letting his high school-age son and the kid’s friends drink alcohol and smoke pot at the house. Needless to say, the individual lost his job. (If I remember correctly, when the cops came to the house with a search warrant, the dad – who had called in sick to work that day – was sitting at the kitchen table smoking a joint.)</p>
<p>At the time, I was stunned and angered that any parent (let alone a college administrator) would knowingly allow 16-year-old kids to use substances illegally while the adults were supposedly “supervising” the kids. I still am. A parent that does that deserves any negative consequences that occur.</p>
<p>this is the kind of thing I would be worried about given that her son is already failing his junior year in h.s. and the g.c. is involved etc. Her son could inadvertently inform school personnel about his drug use and her giving permission…in an assessment or meeting…I really feel for her as she has so much else going on but think if this were to go bad, she would have that much more to contend with. I think I’ll call her to talk and see how she responds to the links to the research that I forwarded to her.</p>
<p>I don’t understand the relevance of the argument that pot will be legal “someday.”</p>
<p>Yeah, maybe so. But someday’s not here yet. Today, here and now, the government enforces a lot of brutal laws. If pot is decriminalized in the future, I can guarantee you one thing: all the people who’ve been convicted of pot possession are not going to get out of jail or have their felony records wiped. That’s not how the criminal justice system works. They broke the law as it stood at the time of the offense, and the consequences will follow them for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>^^^actually under proposed CA laws to legalize marijuana, all prior convictions would be erased and all those in jail would be released…</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but i have never seen conclusive arguments that pot is bad. I’m a debater and have looked into the issue thoroughly and still come to the conclusion that there is not a single downside…</p>
<p>i see no issue with smoking it…i dont see it affecting my judgment, social life, or education</p>
<p>you may find info to support your view that pot is not harmful. and there are folks who do fine smoking throughout their lives. I know that when I was a teen, the group that smoked regularly, (as opposed to at an occasional party) defined themselves by the pot—they did became amotivated, they did not go to school, did not have jobs, and many stayed in that place thru their adult lives…seemed they were convinced they wouldn’t succeed so they kind of gave up on trying. I know many of us who occasionally inhaled and kept it in its place moved on undefined by this. just my own observation.</p>
<p>the issue here was more than just smoking pot, it is a parent letting a 16 yr old smoke pot in their home. again my concern is that this can lead to many issues–especially since the teen is already struggling emotionally, failing all classes. He may define himself as unable to succeed, and let the pot smoking become who he is, take up his time and identity. By a parent permitting this I think it reinforces this in the kid’s mind.</p>