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| Kids with “nothing to do” more likely to try marijuana You’ve heard the old saying about people who have too much time on their hands. Research shows that it’s very true when it comes to teens and first-time marijuana use.  According the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there is a 38 percent increase in the initiation of marijuana use among teens during the months of June, July and August compared to the rest of the year. The SAMHSA data comes from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (formerly called the National Household Survey).“It is true that more teens try marijuana for the first time during the summer months,” says Cathy Guzik, CADC, who provides drug counseling and education for adolescents in Grundy County. “That’s why it is extremely important for parents to be on the lookout to try to stop this behavior before it gets started.” Guzik, who serves as the Community Services Coordinator for Breaking Free warns parents that the unsupervised and unstructured time in the summertime or during school breaks can lead kids to experiment with marijuana. “Research tells us that teens who report that they are ‘often bored’ are 50 percent more likely to smoke, get drunk, and use illegal drugs than teens who report little or no boredom,” says Guzik. “We also know that teens who are working summer jobs are also at greater risk because of their increased disposable income and their contact with older co-workers.” |
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Why is it so important to prevent marijuana use among teens? Parents and other adults need to realize that marijuana use is especially harmful for teens because their bodies and brains are still growing and developing, says Guzik. Researchers have discovered that marijuana can be addictive and lead to a host of health, social, learning, and behavioral problems at a crucial time in young lives. These problems can include shortened attention spans, decreased energy and ambition, depression, suicidal thoughts, breathing problems, and exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in the smoke. In addition, the marijuana available to today’s teens has more than twice the concentration of THC, the chemical that affects the brain, than the marijuana of 20 years ago.
So what should parents do? Guzik recommends keeping close tabs on your teen’s activities. “Ask them where they are going, who they are spending time with, what they are doing, and when they’ll be home. Set age-appropriate rules such as curfews and enforce them,” she says. “Remember that it is your job as a parent to protect your child and be ‘the heavy’ sometimes.” |
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Parents can find a wealth of information on the Internet to help them be a more effective parent. Guzik recommends visiting www.theantidrug.com and reviewing the “School’s Out” checklist (summarized below):
Guzik also reminds parents that adolescent drug counseling, education, and treatment referral are available over the summer to students who attend Grundy County schools. The services are provided by Breaking Free of Aurora and funded by the Illinois Department of Health and Services (DHS) a Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. For more information, contact Cathy Guzik, Breaking Free Services Coordinator at (815) 260-7902, (815) 941-0724, or Fax: (815) 941-4934. |
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1320 Union Street • Morris, IL • 60450 • phone 815-941-3130 • fax 815 942-5384 • www.nttf.org
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