Stacey and Jessica recently talked to Dr. Cameron Caswell, host of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, about cannabis use among teens, cannabis edibles packaging, and tips for talking to teens about cannabis.
A few key takeaways included:
- It’s important to start the conversation about cannabis early, both in discussions with teens and also in normalizing discussions about cannabis in the home with other parents to avoid accidental use by kids who might be away from direct parent supervision.
- Talking about cannabis with teens can be daunting, but the possible ramifications of not talking outweigh the awkwardness.
- One way to bring up tough conversations is to use media—find a show or clip they may have seen that relates, then use that as a prompt to discuss. What do they think of the media clip? Let that transition into discussions of their own attitudes, opinions, and feelings.
- Do your best to be informed. Teens can push back if they feel you are just “telling” them information. Instead, know what you can, have a conversation with them about it, and be open to learning more if there are things you don’t know and/or haven’t heard of. A lot is constantly changing in the legal adult-use cannabis landscape.