cannabisnews.com: Kids Can Understand Pot Abuse, Medical Use





Kids Can Understand Pot Abuse, Medical Use
Posted by CN Staff on September 29, 2002 at 08:22:45 PT
By Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff Writer
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel 
Santa Cruz County could put any parent in a cannabis conundrum. Voters have embraced medical marijuana. Kids are more likely to abuse pot. Does this cause a gray area for parents?Santa Cruz County voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana, with 74 percent voting to approve Proposition 215 in 1996.
That proposition was written in part by Mike and Valerie Corral, who find themselves at the center of the issue after a Sept. 5 raid by federal agents.Drug Enforcement Administration agents uprooted 167 marijuana plants belonging to the Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, which the Corrals co-founded.While medical marijuana generally has been well received in the county, there are concerns in some corners about teen marijuana use.More than half, 53 percent, of 11th graders in the county have tried pot compared with 48 percent nationally, according to a 2000 survey.Medical marijuana advocates say using pot should be discussed just as anything else a doctor recommends or prescribes. Some counselors agree that older kids understand the difference between recreational and medicinal marijuana. "Give kids the credit to being smart and being able to discriminate between medicinal uses and nonmedicinal abuses," said Bill Manoff, who heads the county’s alcohol and drug program. "They are two different things."So how does a parent talk to kids about marijuana use?Counselors say some of the best defense tips are basic parenting:Be honest.Be involved. Impart a sense of self worth to the kid. "A child’s relationship with drugs is not about drugs and alcohol," said Marty Fleischman, director of Camp Recovery Centers in Scotts Valley. "It’s about your child’s relationship with themselves."He recommended parents be honest about marijuana. "We have parents who make marijuana out to be the big boogie man — try it and the next thing you will be down at the (Beach) Flats, you’ll be killed," Fleischman said. "The kids knows friends using marijuana without those consequences."Instead, talk about the benefits and risks associated with using marijuana at a young age, Manoff said. "It’s really the subtle long-term effects that are more serious," Manoff said. A lack of motivation, memory loss and school performance are some of those effects. Also, counselors say the tried and true mantra of steering kids from recreationally using drugs is "to be involved."Know your child’s friends. Their names. Ask them to dinner or other family activities. That becomes more difficult as children become teens. When broaching the subject, Manoff said it’s more important to ask questions than to lecture. "Listen more than you talk," Manoff said. "Ask your kid how they feel about drugs. Have a conversation."Complete Title: Counselors: Kids Can Understand Pot Abuse, Medical UseSource: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)Author: Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: September 29, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Santa Cruz SentinelContact: editorial santa-cruz.comWebsite: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Site:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/The Thrashing of a Dying Dinosaur's Tail http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14202.shtmlWhy I'm Fighting Federal Drug Laws From City Hallhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14195.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by eco-man on September 29, 2002 at 09:19:13 PT
Santa Cruz cannabis. 100's of world media articles
Uh-oh, the kiddies are in danger. The Netherlands allows cannabis smoking in cafes at age 16. Cannabis is far less of a problem than alcohol. And most people don't have a problem with either of them. And there are no longterm problems. Studies galore to prove that. The only problem is people who live their life for one thing, be it sex, their job, or whatever. Santa Cruz cannabis. Hundreds of media articles worldwide. Shortcut link. Thank you Santa Cruz, California, for standing up! This is the only shortcut link I know of in the world that will pull up as many media articles about Santa Cruz cannabis, the DEA raid, the rally, the medical cannabis giveaway at City Hall, etc.. Just click the link below. It is updated as articles are added to the MAP-DrugNews archive.
http://www.mapinc.org/find?BK=cruzMore such shortcuts can be created by following the formula, or using the specially-adapted search forms (that show similar shortcut URLs) found here: 
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/search.htm#map --formula. 
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