Are You Open With Your Children About Your Use of Cannabis?

[Mr. Ected]

Or do you ensure that they are not aware of what you're doing behind closed doors?

Would you discourage your teen-ager from smoking marijuana if you do it yourself?

I'm very curious how others handle these type of situations.

[960]

1. I don't smoke and never have.

But if you're smoking, I think it is dishonest to "hide it" from your teen and discourage them.

[Bandit]

94. Do you think it is dishonest to discourage your teenager from other adult activites as well?

How about alchohol? You would never discourage your teenager from drinking right, as that would be dishonest..Sex, you want your teen engaging in sex?

[rucky]

2. She's 4, but when the time comes...

I'll tell her to make sure she's in a safe & discreet environment when she tries it (like I do).

[cbc5g]

3. You don't want your kid going to D.A.R.E class and telling them Daddy says marijuana is OK

[krabigirl]

104. I think the DARE classes should be taken out of the schools.

[HamdenRice]

4. I told him it makes you stupid which is why I don't do it.

So if you consider "non-use" to be a measure of "use" I would say I was honest.

[cbc5g]

8. It really does make you stupid..

That's why I smoke every day to control the pain of Crohn's Disease and I'm on the Dean's list at school...

Because it made me stupid.

[Mr. Ected]

9. I Spoke To A Colleague Whom I've Known For A Long Long Time

She also has Crohn's disease and told me that she smokes marijuana to help with the pain.

To say she's sharp as a tack would be an understatement.

[HamdenRice]

12. I have no problem with medical marijuana. I think it saved my cousin-in-law's life

Actually my ex-wife's cousin who had chemo in the early 80s and couldn't tolerate it until we got him weed. He went into remission and is fine.

That said, I think it makes you stupid. However bright you might be -- as a chronic user, you would be brighter without it.

There's no control in any anecdote about a bright person who manages to be bright while smoking.

Every ex-chronic I know says they were smarter when they stopped.

[navarth]

20. Perhaps it did make you stupid.

You think that every 'ex-chronic' user you know is a good enough sampling to stereotype everyone who enjoys the ganja.

Sounds pretty stupid to me. Chronic use of ANYTHING would not be wise.

That being said, you have every right, of course, to raise your children how you wish.

[HamdenRice]

25. When people self-report feeling much, much smarter, that's evidence

Also, I guess you are not familiar with New York slang. "Chronic" is just NYC slang for regular pot smokers or very high quality weed, not a clinical description.

People I know who were chronics who stopped say they realized they had been made dumb by it.

Whatever dude.

That's what they say.

[cbc5g]

27. Well if you are under the influence all day

You aren't using your brain efficiently. Duh, try talking to anyone who drinks alcohol all day. Moderation is the key. I smoke when all my shit is done and I'm smarter now than I used to be before I got the disease and started smoking.

[Donnachaidh]

44. and your studies have nothing to do with you getting smarter?

Yah -- it's the pot. :eyes:

[HamdenRice]

63. The thing is, if you're a weed enthusiast, it can do anything!

Make you smarter. Cure cancer. Whatever.

There was a thread a week or so ago expressing outrage because Obama laughed at a question, that basically suggested that legalizing pot would solve our entire economic crisis.

Now it might be a good thing to legalize pot. But anyone who thinks that legalizing pot will solve all our economic problems has been hitting the bong pretty hard, and deserves to be laughed at.

But here we are: some people think pot, not studies, makes you smarter in college, and that pot, not Keynesian economic policy, will solve the economic crisis, and woe be unto you of you question those premises.

[Threedifferentones]

78. Why must you come to threads just to bash people and put words in their mouths?

No one said smoking pot makes you smarter, just that enjoying it need not interfere with work or school. If you really do not care whether people smoke, why post over and over criticizing it? Whatever, indeed. Are you for prohibition or against it? From a public policy standpoint, the issue is not whether pot is good for you, but whether prohibition and prison are helping us live better.

Legalizing weed would obviously be good for the economy. Taking billions of dollars being wasted on arresting and jailing smokers would obviously free up those funds for sensible uses, and cops for real crimes. Taxes and jobs from the weed would be a secondary benefit.

Of course, when people point this out, there is always some asshole like you to come along and say "all those stupid stoners are making a fuss over nothing again."

[HamdenRice]

88. The OP is about what we tell our children. I explained what I told my son.

That made people unhappy. I've explained why I told my son, "pot makes you stupid." Should I have not told the truth about what I told my son? Or my opinion of pot's effect? Is the poutrage in this thread from DU's pot smokers a result of me not giving the "politically correct" answer to my son?

I grew up during the golden age of pot when it was plentiful and cheap, socially acceptable and for practical purposes not criminalized. (If a cop saw you smoking openly in Central Park, he would just say, "please move along with that.") Almost everyone I knew smoked pot.

Now we're all grown up and almost no one smokes. All of us self-report that in retrospect, smoking made us lethargic, forgetful, goofy, unmotivated -- over all, in colloquial terms, dumber. No one I know who used to smoke and stopped thinks it was beneficial mentally.

Just look at the "defenses" of pot smoking in this very thread. They all acknowledge memory loss, inability to think linearly, tolerance for boring activity like video games, etc. One poster argued that it enhances creativity, but during my college days, a jazz musician friend of mine who smoked and quit said he realized after he quit that it was "false euphoria." He realized his solos had been crappy and he had only thought they had been inspired. I'll never forget his telling me that.

On the other hand, when we were smokers we were very enthusiastic about it. It's an issue of cognitive psychology. When you are using pot, it seems beneficial. When you stop using pot, in retrospect it doesn't. Pot smokers and ex pot smokers are going to have radically different views of it, just like cigarette smokers and ex cigarette smokers. Why the pot smokers think that this point of view is impossible is beyond me.

That's my opinion based on the experience of my generation.

Does that mean I'm in favor of criminalization or opposed to medical marijuana?

Of course not.

Does that mean I'm going to be honest with my son about my experience?

Of course.

Sorry if that offends you.

[Threedifferentones]

110. Honest about your experience, right

The cigarette smokers I know wish they were not addicted. They admit that they want to stop, but that in the short run it is just too painful. The cigarette smokers I know have admonished me never to pick up the habit. Everyone is glad they got off cigs, alot of people say they wish they could still toke up occasionally, but drug tests and the need for a job prevent them.

Your experience has led you to believe that, as you stated elsewhere in this thread, the average pot head thinks the drug cures cancer and could single handedly save the American economy. What a crock of shit, I should not even have to bother shooting this down.

You are not lying to your kid, because you really believe this shit. That does not mean you are not telling your kid bullshit.

If pot makes us so dumb, why are we talking logical circles around you? Weed is not addictive like tobacco or heroine. Doctors accept this as fact, so you can argue otherwise, but, unless you have conducted some groundbreaking study, your assertion is worthless. Those substances are physically addicting, weed is not. Weed is addicting like sex, video games, television, even novels. Those give us instant gratification, so we can develop psychological dependencies on them and the release they give us from our troubles. Of course lots of people tend to overindulge. Should we tell our kids those things are always bad? Should we legally prohibit them?

No one on this thread thinks pot is some sort of aphrodisiac, yet you insist that is a pot smokers mentality. All we think is that we should be able to smoke a bowl at night with out some self-righteous punk telling us we are immature and stupid. If am wrong about this, PLEASE point to the post in which someone actually claims pot makes them smarter or healthier. Saying "I got good grades while smoking alot" is not saying weed makes you smart. The pot heads on this thread seem to have realized this instantly, yet all the way down the thread you are claiming otherwise.

What do you tell your kid about alcohol? That if he has a drink he will be a an overly sappy or aggressive fool his whole life? That everyone who has a beer later regrets it? I notice you keep repeating your beliefs about weed, but you will not answer questions about how it compares to other vices. Do you really never do anything which is obviously a "waste" of time, just to relax?

You can tell your kid whatever you want, but if you come on to DU and talk shit you will get flamed. I smoked weed last night, yet I still understand this. Why can't your perfectly clear head do the same? Perhaps I should go slow my brain down with a bunch of weed, then maybe we could have a less one-sided conversation.

For now, though, it has taken this regular indulger about 9 minutes to tear apart your "experience" and lack of logic, and somehow I doubt that even the fattest joint in the world would change things much for us here. A few shots of bourbon, on the other hand, and you could probably convince me the global warming is caused by THC. Until the next time I get drunk, however, it is quite clear to me that you are a jackass, and that your kid will be shocked when he discovers life just ain't as his folks described.

[cbc5g]

69. Try again

I didn't say pot made me smarter in terms of intelligence, I said I'm smarter now than I was before I started smoking. Smoking had no effect on my studies.

[navarth]

30. Yes....interesting...

It seems like you're just a bit guilty of what you're describing. Feeling much smarter, etc. And 'chronic' isn't just NY slang. It's everywhere, and it's no more than a colorful reference to marijuana. Not a clinical description, correct. You got that part right. People you know who were 'chronics' who stopped say they 'realized' they had been made dumb by it. Again: the presumption that one could draw a conclusion about ALL marijuana use from your little sample.

My advice: enjoy your right to have an opinion, but try to have a more informed opinion. Take it or leave it.

Have you ever smoked? Did you feel it made you smarter? More stupid? I'm just asking.

[cbc5g]

36. I take both sides here personally

He's right in that if you abuse marijuana you will be slow, lethargic, not thinking straight and wanting to get high all day. It happens. It won't kill you like alcohol does, but it happens. However, I also believe in self control and it's very easy to control cannabis usage.

In terms of benefits from cannabis usage, I not only have a medicine but something that I use to make sense of the world with, to understand concepts that normally would go passed me, to analyze things more than I would. In that sense, I do think smoking has made me smarter. But you won't find me taking a test after taking a bong hit.

[HamdenRice]

38. I did smoke in college. What a nightmare!

That's why I don't smoke. It made me stupid, paranoid and unmotivated. I also found it addictive.

I find that lots of people who say it's not addictive are kind of repeating the old joke, "heroin ain't addictive! I been shootin' up 20 years and I can quit any time, see?" At minimum, any ex-smoker will tell you it's at least habit forming, and in a way that rivals cigarettes.

From my own experience and my friends who have quit, I don't think you can really understand it's effect on your cognitive abilities until you've stopped for a few months.

[cbc5g]

40. Heh try and quit the internet or t.v. for two weeks

I been using the internet for years and I can quit any time, see?

[HamdenRice]

42. ROFL! The internet is more like cocaine! nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

51. Yes, I just love the internet.

I read such interesting things.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=8331976#8332000

[HamdenRice]

54. A joke about beer from the Lounge -- yeah that really settles it!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

56. Looks like it settles it to me.

Looks like total pwnage, actually.

[HamdenRice]

59. Yes, it settles that you either don't know what your're talking about

Or have a total lack of sense of humor.

Other recommendations from that thread:

"Coke. of the Cola sort.
Aerobic Exercise
Sleep. A lot.
Chocolate.
Hang out at a coffee shop with a good book.
Put on a record like this one
Listen to music or play computer games or both
I stop reading GD
Play the guitar or banjo.
Drink. Beer, Wine, Cocktails- it all works.
Talk to my fiancee
etc., etc., etc.,
Eat healthy foods.
Get enough sleep.
Gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate, and a game of Scrabble "

And this proves pot doesn't make you stupid, how?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

60. It doesn't prove pot doesn't make you stupid.

Peer-reviewed science proves that.

All the link does is prove you're a silly hypocrite.

[HamdenRice]

61. Uh, no, hypocrisy would be if I posted that I smoked weed and it made me smarter

Perhaps a dictionary would help you out here?

:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

62. You consume a drug that actually does make people stupid.

:shrug:

[HamdenRice]

64. Uh, a beer every couple of weeks makes you stupid?

compared to chronic?

Are you kidding?

:silly: :crazy: :silly:

Dude, like what have you been smoking today?

:rofl:

That's your "gotcha"?

[cbc5g]

70. Don't lie

you know you drink more than that and you are just trying to lie to make yourself look better.

[navarth]

46. pfft

So how it affects you is how it affects everybody....riiiight.

Stupid? Paranoid? Unmotivated? Addictive??? You should stay away from it, that's obvious. I hope, for your own good, you're not going anywhere near alchohol, television or chocolate either.

I regularly have periods where I don't smoke for months at a time. There is no difference. I enjoy it immensely when I'm using it, and I'm fine when I don't. Your whole point about being away from it for a few months is...utter bullshit.

I really like creative activities when I'm pleasantly stoned. Movies are more enjoyable. Sorry your mind didn't react that way. It's regrettable, it really is. I feel bad for you on that. But the fact that you're willing to judge everybody else by what your response was is, perhaps, revealing.

"At minimum, any ex-smoker will tell you......" Jesus Christ. You know EVERY ex-smoker in the world eh? And to top that, you compare it with heroin. ehh...

I believe there's nothing more I can do with you. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

[HamdenRice]

53. "the fact that you're willing to judge everybody else" -- uh no ...

The fact that I taught my son not to smoke is what this sub-thread is about.

He has observed a few of his friends become potheads, and although my teachings planted the seed in his mind, the ubiquitous empirical observation of my son and most normal people of the effect pot has on many people -- ie, making them dumber and more lethargic under-achievers than they would have been -- was really enough to warn my son, like most young people, away from it.

[navarth]

55. I think my point has been made, and

there's no point in being mean to you. Best of luck.

[EOTE]

28. Carl Sagan would have disagreed with you.

But what would that pot head have known?

[krabigirl]

98. Lol, then how did I get a 4.0 in high school, 3.8 in college? (only thing I got a B in was math)

I am not a chronic user now, but I sure was then. Always at the top of my class and in my profession. Go take your brainwashed propoganda somewhere else.

[timtom]

15. I made an A on a Latin midterm at Merritt College

While peaking on acid and having smoked some pot.

[HamdenRice]

18. And, like, dude, Cheech and what's his name made some righteously funny uh entertainments while

totally, like buzzed, and I heard they like made shitloads of benjamins, so like I guess that proves it man, that like weed so totally doesn't make you like dumb or anything.

[navarth]

33. Perhaps NOT smoking makes you an arrogant, sanctimonious ass?

Food for thought.

[leftchick]

37. lol

well said

:rofl:

[Forkboy]

86. +1

:rofl:

[krabigirl]

99. seriously.

[krabigirl]

100. huh?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

89. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to make some people stupid

[cpompilo]

91. I don't have enough posts to send you a message,

so I'll post this publicly...I too have Crohn's (for 21 years now).Check out www.BreakingTheViciousCycle.info and put yourself on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The diet eliminates anything that breaks down into a disaccharide or polysaccharide. People who have Crohn's or other bowel diseases don't have the enzymes necessary to break down these sugar molecules, so they stay in the gut and wreak havoc. After 3 years of conventional medical treatment (which did not work for me) I found the SCD and it has saved my life.

Then you can smoke to help your appetite. Works for me.

[nashville_brook]

31. actually this is not correct. it inhibits some cognitive functions and enhances others.

short term memory and left-brain, language/reading comprehension, sequential work is not recommended on pot. so, you don't want to balance your checkbook after a giant bong hit.

right-brain, global, affective, synergetic thinking is heightened. problem solving that requires innovation is enhanced, so you might actually want to paint, write, play music or design a garden with a little buzz on.

there's always going to be an impulse not to include creative thinking when discussing intelligence, but it's a critical part of how smart you are, no?

[HamdenRice]

39. "left-brain, language/reading comprehension, sequential work is not recommended on pot"

OK, well that's basically my whole professional life. Not recommended on pot.

[Threedifferentones]

81. Fortunately pot is not physically addictive,

So, you could be on of the millions of responsible American adults who works during the day, and smokes when the work is done. Like millions more do with alcohol.

I think watching television makes people stupid. Should we ban vapid programming? Should I tell my kids, if you watch Spongebob and Lost you will never amount to anything?

Judging from this thread, you think anything that could possibly interfere with people's work should be avoided all the time.

[krabigirl]

106. Well, mine is the other, so there you have it.

[nashville_brook]

111. i kinda figured that -- it's really common for perception to work that way.

but, i think it would not be untrue that as a left-brain/sequential type thinker, that you have to spend time in the "incubation" phase of problem solving. that's where the benefit is for left-brain cognition; to think outside the box once in a while.

[HamdenRice]

47. Just an addition because I was a bit curt

Right now, I'm focused on writing. It's true that mind altering substances can help you be creative. For me, it's nothing more exotic than a beer.

But after you've had your creative release, it's time to make it intelligible to others. Creating fictional stories is a right brain activity; but making them accessible to others through grammar and diction is a left brain activity.

Painting (my sister's avocation) is incredibly technically complex -- from mixing paints to figuring out how to layer them.

To paraphrase Thomas Edison, you might get your 1% of inspiration with the help of mind altering substances, but ultimately creating requires 99% perspiration and left brain activity which pot suppresses.

[Twinguard]

34. To say it makes you stupid is quite stupid, imo.

It doesn't make you stupid. There are quite a few smart people that I know that smoke it. There are also plenty of stupid people who smoke it, but to say it makes you stupid is just silly. Sure, in the short term it hinders short term memory, but that is temporary and it certainly doesn't make you stupid.

One effect it has is to make people under the influence feel OK with being bored. I can't tell you how many times my friends and I played video games or watched mindless tv while high. I'm not saying that everyone does boring stuff while high, but surely some people do. It can lead to stupid actions, but I wholly disagree that it makes you stupid.


To answer the OP, I haven't smoked since my kids were born 2 years ago. When it comes time for the drug talk, I plan on being completely open and honest with them. I don't want to demonize the weed, but I do want them to be aware that it can cause trouble. It can get the law involved, it can lead to poor performance in school or extra-curricular activities, the munchies can lead to eating unhealthy foods, and socially it can attract dangerous people into their lives... Not that smoking it WILL do these things, but it CAN do these things. I want my boys to be educated about cannibas so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not to use.

[HamdenRice]

41. "in the short term it hinders short term memory"

I'll let the rest of your very honest post speak for itself as well.

[Joe Fields]

58. It doesn't make you stupid.

Only a lack of thirst for knowledge will do that.

[Romulox]

68. When your child grows up and finds you were lying to him, it will hurt your credibility

in all other areas, too. :hi:

[JTFrog]

95. Bingo. n/t

[cbc5g]

73. Don't take it out on the rest of us because you couldn't control your usage

It's easy to blame your own poor decisions on a substance, especially with the government propaganda out there. Just be glad you made poor decisions with a harmless drug and learned your lesson before you got killed with alcohol or hard drug abuse.

[HamdenRice]

112. Pot, like crack, smack, coke and liquor, tends to make you project your situation onto others nt

[EFerrari]

5. We stopped smoking when the kids were little.

But, both of us have been open with them and at one point, I gifted my adult son when a seed took its course in nature. Iirc, we told the boys they shouldn't smoke until they were old enough to raise their own bail.

[Mr. Ected]

7. "Don't Smoke Until You're Old Enough To Raise Your Own Bail"

That's a keeper!

[librechik]

6. Never hid it. Often shared.

Now neither one of them smoke it.

Success!

(Discalimer:-Marijuana is a harmless and often beneficial natural herb, unfairly demonized, and I wouldn't ever object to anyone using it in moderation)

[cali]

10. I was always open with my kid

I was never a big pot smoker, but I got together regularly with a group of friends for dinner every week or so for years, and almost invariably passed around a joint or two. The kids were usually present or running in and out. And yeah, later i smoked with him.

[Turbineguy]

11. There's also

a difference between the cannabis available in the 60's and 70's and now.

Also more is known about the effects.

[AngryAmish]

13. You know, kid, it is like a majical herb, man.

You know, there is nothing wrong with smoking a few doobies, man....like, you know, everyone has a choice weather or not to pull a few bongs, man, like...ow, man, you got some Doritos, man...like, you see thing, really, like SEE things, like, man...you have to decide, like, man...

[timtom]

14. I haven't smoked since before my kids were born.

But, yes, they know about my past indiscretions. (Acid, psilocybin, marijuana)

[T Wolf]

23. How about alcohol? Are those also included in your list of evils/indiscretions?

[timtom]

84. I'm sorry, but, yes. I quit drinking after a dwi in Austin 1980.

And I quit smoking tobacco on New Year's Eve going into 1981. My wife and I quit pot smoking in 1985 when she discovered she was pregnant.

And we have hidden nothing from our children.

Will I take a drink now? Once or twice a year I may have one or two drinks. But I really don't like alcohol.

If I am ever diagnosed terminal, I may revisit marijuana and psilocybin.

[RT Atlanta]

16. they help me hold the bong...

kidding...

just a little afternoon humor b/c I'm delirious at work.

[maxsolomon]

17. we weren't open about it until they were in college.

but we were open about how not to get arrested for posession or, more importantly, drunk driving.

now everyone is relieved. and relaxed.

to all the quitters: would you have quit if you didn't have kids?

[Warpy]

19. It's not wise to do anything illegal around kids

because you never know who they'll spill the beans to.

Most of my friends who continued to smoke did it outdoors, whether tobacco or pot, both for discretion and because smoking up your kids is never a nice thing to do to them.

They usually clued the kids in by the final couple years of high school.

[Mr. Ected]

75. In the End, the Illegality of Pot in America Kills the Buzz

Having lived in Holland with my kids for 5 years, and having returned in 2005, I guess my approach to this issue would've been different had we stayed in the Netherlands.

[T Wolf]

21. I have alwyas been open with our daughters. I was the one who smoked with the older one her

first time.

Just like glasses of wine.

[navarth]

22. I doubt that anybody talks about sex with their kids, or drinks with their kids, until a certain age

Seems like that would work for enjoying the ganja.

[Marrah_G]

24. I talk honestly with my boys

I tell them that they HAVE to stay away from it right now because it could seriously fuck up their chances of reaching their goals in regards to college.

My oldest son is trying for an ROTC scholarship at WPI. His chances of being accepted by either would be greatly diminished.

He has explained this to his friends and since they are good friends no one does it around him.

He is very career motivated and doesn't want to fuck things up.

I am far less confident that my younger one will stay away from it.

Being that he is not quite as mentally fast as others I could easily see a trip or two to the police station in his future. At least MA has lessened the penalty for it now.

[HamdenRice]

32. Serious question

You wrote, "it could seriously fuck up their chances of reaching their goals"

Upthread, there is a subthread in which I said that smoking makes you stupid, based on ex smokers who have told me that.

Several smokers say it doesn't make you stupid.

My question is, as a smoker why do you think that young people smoking would "seriously fuck up their chances of reaching their goals"?

Are you acknowledging a motivational or cognitive deficit that comes from smoking?

Or are you just worried that drug tests would affect them.

Be honest.

[cbc5g]

43. Uh no probably the possible felony charges that make employers not want to hire you

[HamdenRice]

45. I think she can answer for herself. nt

[Marrah_G]

93. Or keep you from getting into college, student loans, grants, etc

[Marrah_G]

92. Because they could get arrested and have a record.

which would affect them getting into college, loans, grants, scholarships.


My son wants to be an aerospace engineer and eventually work at NASA.

An arrest for pot would greatly diminish his chances of obtaining those goals.

[krabigirl]

101. In CA, mere possession is a misdemeanor, that goes off automatically after 2 yrs.

Soon I imagine it will be just like a traffic infraction, no record at all.

[HamdenRice]

113. That's generally what it is in NYC nt

[snort]

109. Yah OK.

It makes teh stupid. Should take you well beyond mere hypothesis. Like some of the posters above, my kids show little interest in it even though I have always smoked in their presence. Who knew?

[madmom]

26. I also don't partake any more, but was very open with my kids when they were old enough to

understand the consequences and that the stuff we did in the 70's is VERY different than the stuff going around today. Neither of my kids (youngest is 25) partake.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. Yes, completely open

I don't use it.

I think it should be legal

Until it is, don't use it.

[opihimoimoi]

35. Autophagy is a good thing...it kills cancer cells...maybe, its the best of things...

Smokers/tokers of pot have more phages than non smokers...

Recent studies showing the good side of the equation are being made available .....

Horror of all horrors: who woulda thought.....long term use of cannabis prevents cancer from growing.....

I can see big Pharma going into the farming bidness

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

48. Sure, they're my best suppliers.

:shrug:

[Carni]

49. I don't partake BUT

I have been very honest in my comments to my child...I have said I would approve of adults using it IF it were legal.

I have expressed my honest opinion which is: it should be legalized, taxed, regulated and used in moderation by responsible adults and that the money saved should be spent tracking the drugs that are actually dangerous and highly addictive.

I have also stated very honestly that I don't use marijuana because it is illegal and I have no desire to land in court, or jail (which is the truth)

If the school/ system wants to make a deal out of my sentiments then they can have at it because that is my opinion!

I don't think talking up how horrible marijuana is to kids is wise because it takes the air out of the arguments against other substances that IMO are truly dangerous. JMO

[jillan]

50. Yes and no.

I told my daughter that I tried it, and didn't like how it made me feel.

1/2 true :)

[AtomicKitten]

52. Medicinal marijuana is nothing to hide or be ashamed of; it's legal here in SF.

And my 22-year-old son is fine with it. ;)

[Blue_In_AK]

57. I was and am always open with my kids about my cannabis smoking,

and I made darn sure they knew the difference between marijuana and cocaine, say, or any of the other drugs out there. I had my experiences with the other stuff, and if they could learn anything from my past, all the better. They each smoked some pot and took some psychedelics as teenagers, I knew it, but none of them got in any major trouble, and now as adults two of them don't smoke at all and the other one does once in a while, but she's very responsible.

My philosophy on child-rearing is to always be honest with your kids.

ed. Alaska doesn't have the legal issues with marijuana that some other states do because it has been decriminalized here since 1975 and only major growers and dealers are prosecuted.

[marketcrazy1]

65. this is a hard question

I have no children but I do believe in being honest with children as a rule. however as far as pot goes I would be inclined to hold off on telling children until they were old enough to understand what pot is about. having said that I think that if i HAD children i would not smoke at all until they were grown and out of the house. the ( sad ) fact is that pot is illegal and using it or possessing it is a crime. I would consider well the impact to my children should i ever be "caught" and arrested. were i to be caught "using" in front of them it is possible that i could lose them temporarily to CPS or maybe even permanently through divorce or loss of custody , I could end up in jail, I could incur high legal costs to avoid jail, (depriving my family). I could cause my children emotional distress seeing their father carted off to jail. for me it would be to dangerous and the risk to great. if it were legal then it would be different, more like alcohol and easier to deal with but that is not the case........ unfortunately. so should you tell your children? - yes, but at the proper time. ( hopefully that "proper time" will not be after the bail hearing )

[Blue_In_AK]

67. If I lived somewhere with Draconian marijuana laws

I would agree with you. As I said, Alaska law doesn't look at pot-smoking in this way, and our police don't seem at all inclined to go after ordinary pot smokers unless they want them for some other broken law, so I didn't face these same sorts of dilemmas. We are allowed to possess up to an ounce for personal consumption.

[marketcrazy1]

72. I understand your situation

being in Alaska has some perks!. this is an issue that can be addressed with children in an intelligent way when they are mature enough to understand all the implications of smoking, toking or drinking. I have no moral objection to weed ( I was myself a regular user in my teens and twenties ) but most states in the "lower 48" are fairly harsh on the subject and get downright "nasty" when children are placed "at risk" by parents who "use" in their presence. ( it is not my intention to "lecture" parents who "partake" just giving my opinion on the matter, no offense intended )

[Blue_In_AK]

77. Oh, I wasn't offended at all.

I definitely understand about the legal differences from state to state. Alaska has a very strong privacy clause written into its constitution which is what allowed our Supreme Court in 1975 to rule that possession of small quantities in one's home is not something the state should be involved with. Ravin v. State, 537 P.2d 494 (Alaska 1975) http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/ravin.html

[krabigirl]

103. Using it medically won't get you arrested in my state. also (ro)

I don't think it's a good idea to use it in front of kids. When they are asleep, go in the garage, wait until they are at a grandparents', etc. Honestly, for medical use, I think it's best to injest it with kids in the house, because smoke is smell and not good.

[Midlodemocrat]

66. Don't partake, so it's not an issue.

[Echo In Light]

71. Not yet - she's too young to understand. Later on I most definitely will, though

[yowzayowzayowza]

74. I taught my youngen how to partake in ...

all manner of indulgences. Shez had no issues with abuse of any substances what-so-ever. Completely open with full expectations of responsible utilization. "Just say 'NO"!" is great for kidz, but so is the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Teenagers need to learn how to control themselves, which meant complete honesty in my household. Did have a problem pre-adolescence when she brought home the DARE crap. Feedin that ignorant, self-righteous koolaid to kidz is wrong.

[LanternWaste]

76. I imagine that should I ever have children...

I imagine that should I ever have children, I'll have the drug talk with them when I feel they're mature enough to see more than only two or three perspectives, explain honestly about my own past use, and tell them how I believe it impacted my life.

I have friends who quit for for no other reason than having children themselves.

[nonconformist]

79. No, I'm not honest about it... yet.

When they're grown, I'll probably tell them, but I won't ever smoke it in front of them. That would make me, and I think them, extremely uncomfortable.

As for what I've told them... I've kept my comments about marijuana strictly about the legality. I've explained to them the dangers of other drugs, but my only negative comments about weed have been about how it's an illegal substance, and haven't told them any positive comments about it. I don't think that at their age (11 and 13) it would be wise to do so. Plus, they have a tendency to tell whomever (grandparents, teachers, friend's parents, etc) our views on things (like politics), so I have to be careful.

[LeftyMom]

80. Not much to be open about, I can't even breathe around it.

:shrug:

[Control-Z]

82. I don't smoke pot

mostly because I have a terrible reaction to it. It triggers a killer migraine every time. I was pressured to give it another try a couple of times some 20 years ago. Still made me sick.

But I have told them that it makes me sick and that I don't want them using it, at least not until they are adults, when they can make a more informed decision. I was kind of pressured to reveal as much when my future ex smoked it in the house. He made no attempt to hide it. The kids hated it and would steel his pipes and throw them in the trash.

He no longer lives with us.

[Xithras]

83. Lol, yeah. Just talked to my 15 year old about it last week again.

My position: There's nothing wrong with pot, but we live in a draconian culture that will throw you in jail for using it. I'd partake if it were legal, but only an idiot risks jailtime for a recreational high. There are plenty of other legal ways to have fun.

Beyond that, my kids know there are a list of things I'm not bailing them out of jail over. Drug arrests, DUI, crimes involving force, etc. If they're dumb enough to get arrested for doing any of those things, I'm going to let them suffer the consequences. I'm sort of the "anti-helicopter parent". I expect my kids to be responsible for their own decisions and for them to accept the consequences of those decisions.

Would I get pissed if I found out my 15 year old sparked one up? No. Would I help her out if she were nailed for possession? No. They know that.

[krabigirl]

97. Wow, sorry disagree there. I would most certainly bail them out for a drug crime.

[old mark]

85. No kids, no drug or alcohol use, no tobbacco...nt

[Forkboy]

87. Of course. Cleaning my bong is one of their chores each week.

Hell, my oldest rolls blunts like you wouldn't believe, thanks to my fine tutelage. Oh sure, he may not be able to name all the State's capitals, but he has discovered at least 6 different shades of orange on Cheetos.

And my youngest HAD to learn to smoke, as it was the only way to keep him from chewing on the electrical cords coming from my grow room. He doesn't get out much, and his one good eye keeps getting stuck open, but he's a happy boy and we love him.

[retread]

90. Huhh? What was the question? n/t

[krabigirl]

96. I don't smoke around them, but when they get older, yes (pls read)

I am working on saving the money to get my doctor's note for medical marijuana, since it helps me for my stomach illness and my extreme anxiety (works much better than Xanax/Klonopin and doesn't get me insanely addicted and seriosuly loopy. One hit of decent mj makes me functional, not high. The benzos make me unable to do much. Anti-depressants make me seriously worse actually.)

What I worry about is all of the DARE bullshit. If medical marijuana is legal, why can't that be put into the education about "drugs"?

The only thing I will tell them is about the illegality of using it recreationally. I'll tell them though if they do want to try, to be careful and that I'd prefer them to be home and not out driving. Also, to wait until they are 18 (yeah, right). And if I am still needing it medically, I will teach them about that as well.

I don't like the BS about how kids can tattle about you and get you in trouble. If you are using it medically, no trouble should occur and if it does, I will sue.

But I don't see a reason to smoke it around kids anyway. I'd prefer not to smoke it at all and just injest it in a brownie or something.

[L. Coyote]

102. Better questions. How about your employer, doctor, auto passengers, .... ?

Kids know what is going on even when parents delude themselves into believing they don't!!

[krabigirl]

105. not if it is not done around them.

[FedUpWithIt All]

107. I have only smoked a couple times in my life. Don't like it. I have told my kids i used it.

I answer their questions about it and tell them my feelings about the practice in general.

We are a pretty open group. We talk about a wide variety of issues. I think it is extremely important to be genuine (age appropriate of course) with kids.

[lies and propaganda]

108. Im open with my mom about it ;0

Have been since i was 15, turning 29 in May

[southernyankeebelle]

114. I HAVE NEVER USED ANY ILLEGAL DRUGS, BUT

MAJRIJUANA FOR A PERSON WHO IS REALLY ILL WITH SOME DEATHLY ILLNESS THAN I SAY LET THEM USE WHATEVER WILL HELP THEM MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY.