I just read an article on NIH News that marijuana use is increasing amongst teens. While that is bad enough, it is especially disheartening to hear that it is on a greater increase with 8th graders.
According to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), the percentage of 8th graders smoking pot is up to 16%, compared to 14.5% last year. In addition the survey indicated that in all grades the use of marijuana on a daily basis has also gone up.
It doesn’t help when we see the likes of Miley Cyrus, who was recently puffing away on a legal but similar to marijuana substance, salvia. This only causes teens to think that it must be okay.
The MTF survey also showed that the use of Ecstasy and prescription drugs is on the rise. Kids are getting their hands on prescription drugs pretty easily with so many Americans keeping a stash in their medicine cabinets.
Here’s the thing. Many teens believe that smoking marijuana is harmless. They fail to understand that their brains are still developing and that it will have an effect on their learning and judgment. There is also a greater chance that they will eventually turn to more potent drugs.
Children are getting into things younger and younger. When I was in middle school there might have been one or two kids in my entire school that had tried marijuana and I certainly don’t remember there being any pregnancies.
Kids in middle school are getting involved in some dangerous things. It is sometimes frightening to me the things that my middle school children know about. This information age has definitely pumped a whole lot of scary stuff into our children.
As parents we have to be on top of things. We can’t slack off in these preteen and teen years. We need to know what our children are up to, who their friends are, where they are and keep the lines of communication always open.
Our preteens may still seem like babies to us but they are exposed to more things than ever. Don’t assume innocence and ignorance. Preteens know a lot more than you may think.
Related Article:
Spice: A Legal Drug Teens Are Using
Miley Cyrus on Video Smoking Salvia
Talking to Your Teen About Sex