Talk to Your Child About the Dangers of Marijuana
Marijuana goes by many names. Some call it Mary J; others call it chronic. Whatever the name it is still the same. It comes from the plant Cannabis. But what are the effects of marijuana? Marijuana will make you relaxed and sensitive to music. You will become talkative and colors will appear much brighter and prettier to you. Most users are found to be always laughing because everything will suddenly seem funny to you. It is considered widely by many to be one of the most popular social drugs in the party scene. 4 out of 10 teenagers has at least encountered or knows a stoner or a marijuana smoker. It is that common. It is also relatively cheap and inexpensive.
Marijuana can be ingested in a myriad of methods. People can smoke them in pipes, joints, gravity bongs, and even hookas. There is even a method that is rather uncommon but still effective called “knifing.” Users who “knife” super heat a knife to vaporize the marijuana to reduce danger of damage to their lungs from smoke. Vaporizors are also often easily made from light bulb glass.
So what are the dangers of smoking marijuana? If taken in large amounts marijuana can make you feel confused and really light-headed. You are also more suspectible to having unprotected sex. You will also get the “munchies” because marijuana smokers get hungry because marijuana lowers blood sugar levels. Contrary to popular belief, marijuana can be more dangerous and detremental to your respiratory system than tobacco smoke if inhaled deeply and held for long periods of time. In effects to the brain may also hinder the ability of retaining short term memory.
If you get really stoned you may have hallucinations and extreme paranoia. At this point its a good idea to sit down, rest, and cool off. Marijuana isn’t addictive but most users still rely on it because it helps them get through their days. Prolonged use has shown to lead to increased cases of schitzophrenia and bronchitis. Those are two big reasons why pot is dangerous and should be avoided.
It is best if you talk to your child before high school about peer pressure, drugs, etc in hopes to prevent problems such as dangerous drug abuse. Taking time to talk to your child before things like this happen would be a wise precautionary step to protecting your child’s health. If you discover that your child is taking marijuana you will need to talk to your child and explain to him or her the dangers of taking this drug. If he or she is resistant and refuses to listen to you, taking your child to a rehabilitation facility may be necessary. Alerting the local authorities may also help if your child is still resistant.
There are signs to look for if you suspect that your child is taking drugs or pot. The biggest sign is physical disorientation, strange behavior, and dialated pupils. If your child is under the influence of a stimulant his or her pulse rate will be increased as well and have a white flushed face accompanied by sweat. It is important to rememeber that your child will most likely not approach you about his drug problems by himself. That is why you must be on the look out and help him if you see any irregularities in his behavior or mood.
If you believe your child or teenager is under the influence of drugs it is ok to search his room. It is an invasion of privacy, but it is also your responsibility as a parent to protect your child’s health and wellbeing. Plus, taking drugs is also illegal anyways. When searching his or her room you must remember to be creative. Most likely you are not going to find drugs hidden under his or her sock drawer like back when your child was 10 years old. I have seen drugs hidden inside toilets, inside laptop computers, and inside books. You have to keep an open mind. In the event that you find nothing after the room search it is important to return everything to their original position. That way you will not have your child or teenager mad at you for the next week about not trusting him or her or invading his or her privacy.
