Marijuana What's a Parent to Believe

by Timmen L. Cermak

As a parent, if you're not sure what to believe about marijuana, how will you handle the subject with your child? Maybe you smoked pot as a teen, or you use marijuana today. Maybe you never tried pot, or you don't even know what it looks like. Maybe you're simply confused over conflicting claims about the drug whether it's addictive, how harmful it is, why some think it should be legalized. The best way for you to help your teen make healthy choices is to be informed. This much-needed book about America's most widely used illegal drug helps parents sort through the latest facts, the known risks, and the divergent perspectives on pot. The basic message? For teens, marijuana use equals risk. Your basic message? That's up to you.

264 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2003

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is concisely & logically laid out. The author offers very helpful suggestions on how to approach this issue & speaks from personal experience which adds to the books authenticity. The explanation of how the drugs work was helpful also.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wine coolers placed next to the soda. "Training drinks" is what experts in the environmental prevention call these wine coolers, 35% of which are consumed by underage drinkers.

Since 1970s, incarceration has been our primary drug prevention strategy. Nixon's Presidential Commission came to the conclusion in 1972 that the harm of an arrest was significantly greater than the harm from using marijuana.

The medical use of cannabinoids originally derived from the cannabis plant is very likely to occur.

People intoxicated with alcohol, tend to overestimate their skill & actually speed up, a dangerous combination for drivers. Test of driving skills reveal that people on cannabis try to compensate for their motor impairments by slowing down & being more careful.

Studies show once an individual has tried alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis, they will try the other two within a year. The earlier one starts the more likelihood of addiction. 10% who wait till 18 to try cannabis will be dependent @ some time in their lives, roughly the same for alcohol. A much higher % of people who try nicotine, opiates, or stimulants such as cocaine & amphetamines eventually become dependent. Alcohol, heroin, & cocaine withdrawal is dramatic & virtually impossible to hide.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was pretty good. Lots of solid, research-based information, written in plain English by an addictionologist. The only irritating factors were the cow-eyed insistence on the importance of the Twelve Steps and the disease model, in the teeth of the very evidence presented by the author, and the unremittingly clumsy grammar.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written and informative.