Now that our culture is finally confronting its irrational prohibition of cannabis, there remains the issue of "the kids". I've been a user for 50 years and I am quite certain that cannabis use is bad for young developing minds. There are probably cases where it would be very useful under the supervision of a professional, but not recreationally. It distorts the lessons a young mind must learn, it confuses rewards systems, etc. It's not good. Period. So, when we're talking to concerned parents, there's no point in extolling its virtues or trying to ignore its harms. It's so easy for those of us who are adult users to try to ease their fears, but their fears are real. Many a good child has lost his or her way using cannabis.
Instead, make them focus on the way things work under prohibition. For decades, marijuana has been available in the black market. We all know this, right? All moms know this. And all moms know that their kids can buy it in school, presumably from "bad kids". If you pin them down, they know that either their own child or a friend can approach one of these bad kids and make a deal. They also know where this pot comes from. It comes from criminals - older kids - and those kids get it from ... gangs. Right? Yes. They know this.
So the choice, the real choice, is whether parents want their kids buying weed from bad kids who are associated with criminal gangs, or some neighbor whose surplus might make its way to their kid. The local grower isn't involved with gangs and the other enterprises they indulge in, like prostitution and hard drugs, and none of the money he might earn by skirting the law goes to finance those activities. In fact, it's likely to be spent locally on groceries and rent.
Ask them what kid they think can't buy it now. Make them really ponder it. Make them describe this kid that can't buy pot. That's the stumbling block. They prefer to think that it's hard for their child to buy it now. But seriously, how is that possible? So yeah, maybe their kid could get it any day he wanted to. Make them own that knowledge.
Then ask them where they want it coming from, and what kind of person they want their kid interacting with. They're going to buy it if they want to. Do parents want it coming from a dispensary or a gang? Do they want it to be untested and unknown? Should it come from some friend's older brother who bought it legitimately, or ... from a bad kid with gang connections?
Middle school kids have some of the best connections in town. The idea that it would be easier for kids to get if it was legal for adults, isn't rational. It amounts to regulation. What parent wants it to remain unregulated? Keeping it illegal forces their kids to interact with the very people parents try to keep their children away from.
It's a no-brainer when you present it to them that way. It may take awhile to sink in, but they'll eventually get it.
And with the amount of autistic as well as epileptic children being treated, the evidence is showing there is no negative effects.
I would much rather cannabis save the life of young epileptic patient. Much rather than worry about some preconceived notion about harm happening to the child.
However that's a reason why we Advocate the Green Union stance on keeping the medicine in the hands of patients. However there definitely needs to be quality control so that safe medicine is available to all.
Ah, but see what you did? You brought up its benefits. That just closes their minds to you. It's the wrong argument to make. Unless they've been told that their child needs medically supervised cannabis treatment, they don't care what you say.
But if you make them understand that it's available now at the drop of a hat, that the only thing that legalization changes is the quality of the source and the product, they can grapple with a rational issue.
Shrug. OK I'll avoid you. Peace.
Namaste
I've smoked pot since I was sixteen. And I will continue to do so.
And you can tell moms, from personal experience, what kind of truly odd kid couldn't buy it at 16. Their kid can buy it any day he wants. Right?
It wasn't a good idea to smoke pot in high school, but it sure wasn't hard to find anyway. Being a good or bad idea has nothing to do with availability.
Really good points. Something I haven't thought about. I was lucky to have an older brother who probably got it from local growers, until he started growing his own out in the woods. But that was a small town with miles and miles of woods to grow things out of sight of the authorities. In the cities I can imagine it being much more like you describe which might include getting it from pushers ready to push them into narcotics or other dangerous drugs.
Now it's legalized in our state and you can get it from a government inspected dispensary. A bit safer I would hope.