My son has been smoking cannabis

The reason cannabis first became illegal was that hemp was in competition with the new synthetic monofilaments in 1930s America. Also, the African Americans used to enjoy it. So it was criminalised to protect the emerging industry, and upsetting the blacks was an added bonus in those deeply racist times.

The stuff available in the 1960s was less harmful than alcohol, but times have changed and I wouldn't want anyone in my family to use the strong stuff of today.

However, we mustn't forget that alcohol is nearly as bad - or worse in some cases.

Cannabis or Marijuana were more readily available in the state in Australia where I live so it was much cheaper to buy. When they were younger my eldest two smoked it sometimes but not regularly. My youngest tried it once and was depressed for three months and never smoked it again. I also know other people who became paranoid from smoking it.

I have since been told that cannabis grown through hydroponics is likely to make you paranoid and cause problems because of the chemicals. The chemicals in the hydroponics can also cause headaches. I think this is what is causing drug induced schizophrenia and maybe the use of chemicals now is the reason that it didn't happen years ago.

When my daughter was living in Sydney she said hard drugs were much more widely used than cannabis as it was expensive and not as readily available in Sydney. She was suprised at the amount of drugs people she knew were using!!

Too true grannyactivist.......and very xx

sussexpoet right about skunk. This stuff is very much stronger than the stuff that was around 20 or more years ago. Very concentrated. Makes cannabis smoking more worrying.

I think all would-be cannabis users would benefit from spending a bit of time visiting the local psychiatric hospital. It's heartbreaking to hear story after story from parents and relatives of otherwise happy, bright young people whose lives have been turned upside down through the use of what used to be thought of as 'soft' drugs use. Some people are extremely lucky and get away with no ill effects, others have short-term paranoia and altered mind states - and there are those who go on to develop long term mental illness and whose lives are shot to pieces permanently.

Our eldest daughter smoked cannabis with old school friends when they all came home from university for the holidays. We were really shocked when we found out (she started spending a lot of money, didn't take care of herself or her flat at Uni and she changed completely)

Years down the line ( she is now 39) ...our daughter and 2 of her close friends(all smoking cannabis at the same time) ...have all been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and all 3 have had severe mental health problems. They were very normal, clever hard working school pupils.

She is a delightful girl but needs a lot of support.

Very true Acheron.

No he's not - he's 19 now...but he was 16 and at school when he first tried it. And it is only very occasional use. We have to distinguish between occasional and it becoming a serious problem and moving on to harder stuff. It's worrying as a parent to see your child start smoking cannabis or drinking or anything really. For me the important thing is communication with your child. You need to keep him/her talking to you.

But is he only sixteen Acheron?

I know my son smokes cannabis when he has nights out with friends. On an infrequent basis. He tells me so I know all about it. I think it's best to have it out in the open where you know he's doing it and how often. I don't think having a battle with him over it would have the right effect. A lot of teenagers go through that "phase" and most of them come out the other end with no ill effects and without moving on to harder stuff. You just have to be alert for the warning signs.

I was a child of the 60s too and my son knows it - unfortunately.

NewGranLin; I'm SO pleased that your son is ok. I really can't believe that I'm so against it now, because I was a child of the sixties and lived in a haze of smoke through student years. But what I'm seeing now is frightening and life changing. It's apity because, back then, it was just a bit of a giggle [literally].

And then I would try to put in some much better parenting so that he didn't feel the need to copy his friends whenever they did something stupid.

It is stupid.

We came home from a weekend away to find the living room stinking of wet bonfires and DD1 admitted that she and a few friends had been smoking cannabis. I went off the deep end about the horrible smell (I can't stand tobacco smoke, let alone grass) and made her hoover exhaustively and wash the suite until I could no longer smell it. I also told her a few opinions about people who could not face the world unless they were anaesthetised by drugs or alcohol, or had their brains chemically altered, being wimps, and got in some facts about what was actually happening to their brain cells. I suspect she tried it a few more times, but she never got onto any stronger drugs.
She is now a solid sober citizen, with a preference for expensive wines - quality over quantity.

And then I would keep sniffing him.

My daughter says she often smells cannabis smoke around her (very middle class) secondary school. I think it is quite common.

Me, I'd tell him that if I smelt it on him once more he would be grounded for at least month. (I would, convincingly) pretend I could smell it.

I agree with Lynette talk talk and more talk. Get him to watch Jeremy Kyle and witness the paranoia that can result from smoking cannabis. It would certainly scare me......

I agree with Crimson. Cannabis is not safe. Unknown to me my son had been smoking cannabis for some time as well as cigarettes. With hindsight I should have noticed - his behaviour changed and he became quite paranoid about 'people always watching and laughing at him. One night he had severe palpitations and I had to rush him to hospital. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage and the next day he apologised over and over and threw all his cigarettes in the bin. He hasn't smoked anything since(about 8 years) and has returned to his normal self. It could have been very different.

Can only agree with what monkeebeat has said; whether it is the type of cannabis or the effect it has on some individuals[or the amount that they take], I'm not sure, but it can have a devastating affect on some people. Having said that, it's something that most kids will dabble with at some point in their life, so I agree with keeping communication going with them about it.

Both my sons now 30 and 28 smoked pot, did I like it, NO, and had long chats about my feelings that it was not something I wanted them to be doing,fearing that they would go on to something worse.I would not allow them to smoke in or near our home,and would be up waiting for them if they were very late home,even when they were over 20,still living at home.I made it very plain to them both that I hated the thought of them smoking pot, and asked them both to think it through from my point of view,maybe I was just very lucky,they soon stopped smoking and hanging out with the friends that did,I dont believe either of them smoke it now,and Im truly thankfor for that.

Talk talk talk...keep all lines of communication open.

A few years ago a friend of mine found her son smoking canabis in her kitchen with some friends. She worked on the theory that canabis was 'soft' and that smoking under her roof meant she had a degree of control and could may be prevent escalation into heavier stuff.
He became an unhappy young adult needing much help from psychiatric services.He was not able to hold down a job, prone to depressions and thought disorders.
Some people use canabis without apparant effect. Others using it just a few times are permenantly altered by it.

I think almost everybody tries cannabis at one time or another: not everybody continues to use it. (or to progress to other drugs) I came to it late (in my 30s) when we smoked hash (resin) which is much milder than weed which is today's version. The one to avoid is skunk, which will blow your head off, and has nasty effects. I still enjoy the occasional drag on a spliff, but gave up smoking tobacco 30 years ago! The worst addictive drug of the lot is alcohol and I have never understood why it remains socially acceptable.

Yup we all lied to our parents or concealed things from them did we not?
I remember when i was 14 or 15 hitchhiking to other towns without my mother's knowledge (with a friend - but still!).

PS
Of course you should talk to your son - but accept you'll probably be lied to.

My two sons joined the Australian Army Reserve when they were at university - the money helped, as Austudy (our student grant) was not very much. Being in the army meant that they got regular blood tests, so that was the ONLY reason they never bothered with pot.

My husband did a degree late in life, and one day he was sitting on a bench in the university grounds, reading and smoking his pipe, when a young student sat beside him and asked if he minded him smoking the stuff. Husband said OK, fine, then the lad offered him a pipeful. Well, he accepted and smoked it, never realising that today's stuff is a bit more powerful than the 60s stuff.

He sailed through the afternoon's tutorial, and aced an essay he wrote that evening. But his head and stomach suffered the next day, and said never again!

I agree the strong GM stuff is a danger.