Dear Alex,

A great place to start is by having an open, honest discussion with your parents about marijuana use. The best time to have a discussion like this is when everyone is in a fairly good mood, not during a time of conflict.

It is important that you know some of the facts, so you can make intelligent, healthy choices for yourself. For many, marijuana use does lead to abuse of harder drugs. There is also evidence that using marijuana negatively affects memory and learning. In addition, marijuana is the second-most frequently found drug (after alcohol) involved in automobile accidents. It is important to know that many people use drugs and alcohol to “self-medicate” for things like depression and anxiety. Using marijuana will not solve these challenges and usually leads to other problems. Finally, it is illegal to use marijuana and can result in criminal charges.

Drug treatment professionals can assess how serious the substance use is. Meet with a professional one time and have an honest discussion. In addition to potentially reassuring your parents, this will also give you an opportunity to get more information on the dangers of marijuana use and on how to make healthy choices for yourself in the future.