Teens and Marijuana Use – What Parents Should Do
Teens and marijuana use can be a slippery slope. Many teens believe that marijuana is safer than alcohol or other drugs. Many will say, “it is harmless because it is natural,” “it is not addictive,” or “it does not affect my thinking or my grades.” Some teens argue it’s safe because it can be prescribed in some states for children with a “qualifying medical condition.” (AACAP.org, Oct. 2019)
So what should parents do?
Understand Brain Development
It takes the human brain about two and one-half decades to develop. 2.5 decades! And yet we are born with approximately 100M brain cells, which is roughly the number we have as adults. This means the brain is “wiring” — brain cells [neurons] talking to one another in the brain and then to and from others via the nervous system — in utero through approximately age 25. This “talking” is done through what’s called an electro-chemical signaling process (aka neural networks, neural circuitry).
The developing brain is especially vulnerable to marijuana use or other drug use for that matter.
But this wiring doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s influenced by a whole host of “things.” These include genetics, social environment (home, community, peers), trauma, school, sports, music, nature, interactions with parents and other caregivers, friends….
Connections repeatedly made during brain development form embedded brain maps for the things we repeatedly think, feel, say and do. These become our habits. They are how we move through our days.
The child/adolescent brain is also going through key developmental processes starting around age 12. These include the onset of puberty, wiring in the cerebral cortex – especially the prefrontal cortex – and the pruning and strengthening process. And it is these processes that can have a significant impact on a teen using marijuana and what that can do to their brains.
For more on brain development, check out BrainFacts.org’s video, “The Workings of the Adolescent Brain,” on YouTube. You may also want to read a PDF of the “Basic Brain Facts ” chapter from my latest book.
Understand How Marijuana Affects the Developing Brain
This image with class pictures at various ages of brain maturity helps us see how much brain maturity occurs between ages 12 (2nd from left) and 20 (last one on the right).
The short video and basic brain facts chapter referenced above explain why the adolescent brain is so vulnerable to marijuana (or alcohol or other drug use, for that matter). But it’s not just “marijuana” — it’s the THC in marijuana.
THC is a chemical and it’s that chemical that changes how brain cells “talk” to one another. It changes the electro-chemical signaling process explained above.
This article, “It’s Just Marijuana or Is It?” gives an overview of what the chemicals in and drugs and alcohol do in brain’s electro-chemical signaling processes.
This next resource can help you understand how marijuana works in the adolescent brain, as well as answer other questions. It’s published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as part of the teens / drug facts series. This one covers Marijuana.
This next video may also help. It’s titled “Today’s Marijuana: What You and Your Teen Need to Know,” and features Dr. Jennifer Golick, Former Clinical Director of Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services.
Teens and Marijuana – So What Can Parents Do?
If you are concerned about the teen in your life’s marijuana use take action early. As you’ve gathered reading the resources linked in this article, adolescence is an especially vulnerable time for developing a marijuana use disorder because of the brain developmental processes underway. [The same is true of alcohol or other drug use during adolescence.]
It’s important not to panic and start “the talk” immediately, however. It’s best to get solid in your understanding of marijuana use and the teen brain and then reach out to specialists who can help you move forward. If you’d like help identifying some, send me an email to lisaf@BreakingTheCycles.com
Lisa Frederiksen
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