Parents smoking weed at a children's party

[CandODad]

So, I hire out a piece of party equipment to children's parties and since it's worth a considerable amount of money intend not to leave the place it's beong used at. I don't need to be with it so I tend to just sit in the van where I know I can see should it "need moving"

The window is open slightly so the van doesn't steam up. Am I the only one shocked by the fact there are at least eight parents at this party that seem to openly smoking weed out in the car park while a seven year olds birthday party goes on inside (one parent of which is the dad of the party child) and children are popping out now and again to talk to parents etc?

sounds like my kind of party

Yup. That's the kind of drugs attitude you want around your kids.

Bogey there are many many things that drink, alcohol, processed foods and many more have all been proven to cause. Cannabis has a different set of issues that comes with it but it doesn't mean everything it's legal to do is harmless.

Given that cannabis has been proven to cause mental health issues, not least schizophrenia, plus has been proven to be a "gateway" drug to harder drugs then YANBU

Sorry but this has not been proven - schizophrenia rates have not risen in line with the rise if cannabis smoking, and cigarettes and alcohol are your gateway drugs.

I think the legality is very relevant. As parents we should be teaching children to respect the law of the land.

If you disagree with a law, we are very fortunate to live in a society where free speech is permitted and one can campaign for a change. Braking the law is not acceptable.

I disagree. As parents I think it's our responsibility to instill a moral compass and teach our children how to think for themselves.

Not to become sheep who do what they're told even if it's wrong

Jolleigh but why is that not compatible with following the laws of the land?

Because thinking for themselves may well mean questioning laws they don't agree with. If nobody questions laws, they don't get changed.

I think teaching children to blindly do what they're told even if they don't agree is a convenient thing to teach them for the parent. But when they're older, thinking for themselves and behaving how they feel is right will put them in better stead.

Skunk isn't actually all that common, but it's true that the available cannabis these days is much more likely to be "green" (buds direct from the plant) than "brown" resin, as it was In My Day. There are thousands of strains of cannabis plants, skunk is one, AK47 is another popular one, White Widow another, Northern Lights, a million and one crossbreeds... They all have slightly differing effects on the consumer, but they are much less likely to be contaminated the way that resin could be, with boot black and (not infrequently) diesel, so a "healthier" high, iyswim.

The question of who is doing the growing is an ethical one along the lines of cocaine, since most large cannabis farms in the UK are run by Chinese Triads using (trafficked/slave/illegal immigrant) Korean workers.

Allowing a certain amount of homegrowing for personal use would be one way to deal with this, but there's no strong appetite amongst politicians for this.

Jolleigh you have completely misinterpeted my post.

If one disagrees with the laws of the land, one can either campaign for a change, or move to a country with different laws. Braking the law is not acceptable.

"Dont act within the law if you feel that it doesnt apply to you" is not a lesson I want to teach my children.

If you dont agree with certain laws then campaign against them. If you break them then you will end up with a record. Fact. But if you are happy for your kids to end up with no career prospects because they think that the rules dont apply to them then knock yourself out. I am sure you will be so proud on visiting day.

What Bogeyface said. Disagreeing with a law because it is "wrong" (in your opinion) does not give you the right to break it.

YANBU OP

Wind your neck in bogeyface, my daughter isn't going to prison for being taught that some laws are outdated.

I saw this thread yesterday and I didn't want to be the first to answer...I did wonder how it would go....I did wander if OP would get loads of 'how awful' and I did wonder how many people would admit to it....Interesting..

YANBU! Positive role model?

It may be illegal but I smell it everywhere now and I think police turn a blind eye. They have better things to do.

Maybe it depends on your experiences with drugs as to how you think about this? My experiences lead me to agree that it can make people paranoid and lead to a long drop dropping out of society and mental health issues. That's from my experiences within a large group of us, all using various drugs at one time or another. So I now totally disapprove of drug use and would leave the party.

"It is quite normal tbh and has been for many years."

Not in my circle. Very few of my friends smoke legal substances let alone illegal ones.

"I don't think smoking in general is nice around children, but if they were outside - why is it different to them having a couple of beers?"

Erm, it's illegal

"Just because the law says something is illegal it doesn't make it wrong."

I just don't know what to say to this.

Where do you all live where smoking dope is so prevalent? I never smell it round here, or see anyone smoking it.

DD's school has a zero tolerance policy regarding illegal drugs and some students were expelled last year for bringing them into school.

Given the venue had a carpark, it does seem likely that at least some of the smokers were planning to drive home and that isn't safe - not for the driver, not for the passengers and not for other road users.

The government's position is that nobody should be taking illegal substances. That makes it hard to get across important public health/safety messages like 'Don't drive when you're under the influence of drugs' or 'Smoking is bad for your lungs regardless of what it is you're smoking'.

Speaking as someone who has only ever used moderate quantities of caffeine, alcohol and theobromine (which I think is the active ingredient in chocolate), my view is that virtually all mind- or mood-altering substances should be legal, but production and sale should be highly controlled, with sales taxes used to fund treatment programmes for addicts and providing good public health information, so people can make informed choices about what to take.

Our current drug legislation is nonsensical. We should start again from a clean sheet, but that won't happen in my lifetime.

Bunbaker I'm in Manchester and have lived all over the city. I've not lived anywhere yet where I've not encountered someone who smokes weed regularly.

Regardless of the legalities, a recent review of all cannabis research undertaken over the last 20 years shows that drivers who smoke cannabis are twice as likely to crash, users are twice asikely to suffer psychotic episodes, and they may also have an increased risk of heart disease. That's after examining 20 years of data on cannabis use.
m.livescience.com/48171-marijuana-research-health-effects-review.html

I'm not sure how that makes it harmless or a suitable example to set to children.

I live in rural South Yorkshire. The only person I know who smokes it regularly is my cousin (who lives elsewhere). I don't even smell it if I am in the middle of Sheffield or Barnsley. I see plenty of drunks, but not weed smokers.

^Regardless of the legalities, a recent review of all cannabis research undertaken over the last 20 years shows that drivers who smoke cannabis are twice as likely to crash, users are twice asikely to suffer psychotic episodes, and they may also have an increased risk of heart disease. That's after examining 20 years of data on cannabis use.
m.livescience.com/48171-marijuana-research-health-effects-review.html

I'm not sure how that makes it harmless or a suitable example to set to children.^

This ^ is why drink AND drug driving is illegal. It impairs judgement, and is why police in our area frequently stop drivers to check for both.

The day that someone posted a AIBU thread about watching illegally downloaded films, there must have been a completely different MN crowd in to usual! The consensus was "come on, don't be naive, EVERYONE does it...", whereas on threads about smoking weed, the majority view is that it's illegal = end of story.

I'm not a big fan of either activity, but would certainly not subscribe to the view that illegal is the definition of wrong. Does that mean that if you holidayed in a country where homosexuality is outlawed that you adopt those views for the duration of your stay? Really odd.

Cannabis use is completely normalised insome sections of society it really does depend on the area, the social group and what is accepted. Straying across boundaries can be uncomfortable. E.g. some parents will drink, some will smoke weed, some will swear, some might sneak off and do lines of coke (have heard of this at a christening!) . Some behaviours may be seen as inappropriate/anti social, some are clearly illegal and it is up toparents to decide what is acceptable. As children grow they are exposed to different values of different parents and it can be very awkward. In my social circle no body smokes cannabis and only a minority smoke. Most of us will drink at family events such as halloween/bonfire/xmas and we deem that ok. I would let ny DC go to a party at someones house if I knew they smoked cannabis but probably not a sleepover. Any harder drugs and I would not socialise wituhthem at all. Ever.