Teenagers/Young Adults Smoking Weed

[BoyzIIMen]

Mu friend's teenager smokes a joint now and again (not in the home).

He is quite open and honest about this.

He told her recently that it's now rife amongst teens (probably age 15+) and young adults. He said most kids from his old school and his college smoke weed periodically.

Is this really the case? I regularly smell it on people when out shopping in the city centre.

AIBU to worry my kids will start doing the same when they get older as it's still illegal?

I think it probably is the case. Like you, I regularly smell it on people and not just in the city centre. I don't think it's anything new though. Smoking weed was common among my peers when I was that age. I'm 44 now.

Yes it’s common. What is it in particular you’re worried about?

It been common for decades

When I was at college people smoked it but it was the minority.

My friend's lad said it's now the majority, or in fact EVERYONE!

I worry it could lead to other things and County Lines.

So the police just let it go now?

Lol yes the police don't care one jot. And yes it's very very very common. A lot of teachers and other professionals even do it!

Yes it's common for younger teens to smoke weed, by 15 most use it occasionally (a few times a month) even if they are not frequent users. I think it's because alcohol has fallen out of favour with younger people. They are bombarded with messages that it is bad for you, they see their parents drunk and think it isn't cool, even advertising is heavily restricted to prevent it being seen as attractive to children.

More importantly, it's much harder for underage people to obtain alcohol these days. Thirty years ago it was easy enough to find a 15 year old who looked close enough to 18 to fool the bloke in the corner shop. These days it's all "Challenge 25" and few under-18s convincingly look that old. Weed (and other drugs) don't face this obstruction, it's already illegal and dealers usually don't require ID, just the cash.

It's a kind of "unintended consequences" thing. The idea of reducing underage drinking was logical, but it should have been foreseen that children would find other substances to use instead. Ban one thing, or make it harder to obtain it, people will find an alternative.

Banning things without removing the desire or incentive to use them always results in unintended consequences that are often just as bad or worse. It's the same with weapons - post-WWII young people could get hold of handguns quite easily. There was a clampdown on this so they moved to flick-knives. These got banned so they started carrying kitchen knives. Penalties for carrying bladed weapons got made more severe so they started carrying corrosive substances to throw at people.

My two (24 and 16) do not. We brought ours up to know that drugs are exploitative and a mug’s game. No one knows how drugs will affect them until they do it. They might be ok. or they might not. Too many very talented people end up in a state or dead because they did drugs. So you need to have these conversations and hope they use their critical faculties and stay well away.

When I visit my friend in her nice area of North London I see people smoking it openly and the smell is everywhere. I didn’t used to notice it as much where I live, but I would say in the last couple of years I notice it a lot more here too. And it’s everywhere. Not just in the town centre.

I loathe the smell which is unfortunate for me. I actually prefer the smell of cigarettes.

All the teachers and social workers I know take drugs. Must be to cope with such difficult jobs.

It was the norm for teenagers and students to smoke weed when I was that age (90s). Probably still is.

The worrying aspects are the risk of psychosis and depression and also that it makes most people who use it lose motivation and energy. Occasionally use is probably not an issue, but regular use often has negative effects.

I wouldn't say MOST kids do it.
My 16 year old son has tried it a couple of times as his friends smoke weed. My daughter hasn't and her friends wouldn't I don't think. I think it's a mixed bag, as it was when I was a kid x

My almost 17 year old occasionally has. But he's very open with me about it, plus I can spot the signs a mile off 🤣 I did at his age so as long as it doesn't get frequent I'm ok with him doing it.

I have it for pain.
I'm 66.. l used to smoke it for recreation when l was younger and a biker.
My Grandsons smoke it now and again.
It's actually less harmful than alcohol and that's legal.
It will be like Canada here soon .
I vape it in a dry herb vape ( not like a cheap vape).

I’m not sure it’s a majority of teens. And definitely quite rare among teachers I’d have thought, I smoked at 6th form and university, but as a teacher I would lose my job if I was caught with illegal drugs I’d have thought, minor risk of actually being arrested but still quite a major consequence.

I wouldn’t worry about weed and county lines, I think weed is so prevalent that it’s unlikely to be linked to these big organised crime groups, more likely dealing in cocaine and heroin. You can buy weed online quite easily. They (county lines) target young looking vulnerable children, children in care and those with learning difficulties are particularly vulnerable. It’s an awful thing.

My dd17 doesn’t smoke but does drink a little. Ds15 says the local skate park older teens are always smoking weed. I teach at secondary school and we have discussed getting sniffer dogs in after smelling it on one day this year, I know a few local secondary schools do have them regularly.

Im told ketamin is rife among teens, thankfully not mine, but they both know kids who use it.

I work with looked after children (16+) and I'd say it's rare to find one that doesn't smoke weed. They say it helps with everything from trauma to nausea and don't see it as a big deal at all.

Yes but hadn't it always been so? I remember a friend asking my to go out to the sports field to smoke a joint (this would be 1970s). One uni professor reeked of it.

Maybe it just wasn't so blatant years ago and is therefore just seen as more acceptable now?

Just a note to say that it affects developing brains and should not under any circumstances be used by anyone young. Can make a long term impact on brain formation. I think people are too blase about the risks. (I have a family member who was affected by smoking from early teens and developed serious MH issues in later life we believe are caused by it from such a young age).

It is NOT less harmful than alcohol for young people. It damages their growing brains and predisposes them to MH issues.

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/effects-of-marijuana-on-teenage-brain

https://www.rehab4addiction.co.uk/blog/effects-of-cannabis-on-the-teenage-brain

I think it's the circles you mix in. I'm some circles, it's rife, in others, not at all. It's definitely not 'most teens or teachers' despite what some people would have just believe (easier for them if that's what's believed)

I agree, I’d be very upset if my dc did this. I’ve seen it ruin youngsters through my work, making them lazy and demotivated just at the time of life they should be brimming with energy and enthusiasm for planning their future.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cannabis-high-thc-teen-mental-health

This is a good article for anyone interested.

Yes. Most kids i teach snell of weed

It's consistently been around 30% of the population has tried it. Presumably most as teens.
It was rife when I was a teenager. We used to smoke joints at lunchtime.
I pretty certain 3 out of 4 of mine have had a smoke but none use it a lot.