Marijuana use

[user1476222934]

My 16 year old is very open with me and laughs about his friends "smoking weed".... a lot of his friends are still only 15 and they're all due to take their GCSEs this summer.
I have some friends whose children do this, I cannot tell them or I will break my sons confidence.
Am I being an old fashioned Mum because I think this is unacceptable? Would anyone out there tell other parents? Should I just leave it alone which sadly I do feel I'm inclined to do.
My son says he's not interested which I believe, but I do feel it's so commonplace amongst teens now that he will probably partake soon. Everyone knows marijuana is so bad for young brains yet it's becoming socially more acceptable and I do know one or two parents that turn a blind eye.
Any thoughts from other worried parents??

im sure a lot of it is all bravado.

Tell your son that he needs to stop telling you stuff like this as it puts you in an awkward position with his friends parents

It is extremely common amongst young people and it's certainly possible that your DS with try it at some point. You're in a strong position though, in that he's happy to talk to you about it. This means it will be possible to start conversations about the down sides (legal, medical, psychological and social) so that he can make an informed choice.
Regarding the other boys, I'd probably stay out of it unless you felt one of them was struggling and parental input might help. They might already know and be turning a blind eye themselves (or smoking themselves and think it's fine)

Laughing is the correct reaction, as is ' get a life, druggie saddos'. Encourage that.

I agree OP it is very commonplace and worrying especially if it leads to experimenting with other things. I don’t know if some parents are oblivious to it all or just not bothered. All you can do is keep talking to your DS about the the dangers and not downsides of these substances and hope that he is strong minded enough to make the right choices.

I was a teenager more than 30 years ago and weed was a thing then, as it was for my parents 20years before that. My parents did the "oh we did that shit, do you remember when Fred got his eyebrows shaved off " thing. And when George died of an overdose at a party? Uppers and downers were a huge thing. Magic mushrooms!!! They were totally honest about it all. I never touched drugs as a teen.

Thanks for the advice everyone

It is good to talk about the matter jokingly on one hand, but underneath it should be taken seriously as it is still illegal drug use and definately an awful thing for mental health and motivation.
Smoking weed casually leads to even more addictive drugs being treated less seriously and before you know it out comes the cocaine.

I would definitely not tell the other parents. It's great that he tells you stuff and I would never consider breaking his trust. It is so important he feels he can talk to you about it.

I had the same with my ds at 14-15. I know he smoked it (even found some in his room!!) but he would always tell me and kind of joke about it. He's now nearly 17 and hasn't smoked it for ages. He tells me stuff about other kids because he knows I will keep quiet.

Thanks again - excellent advice

Perhaps the other parents do know, but realistically what can they do about it? Other than talk to their teens about the dangers. You can't lock them up!

When DS tells me these things I see it as an opportunity to talk with him. It's reassuring that he tells me, and for me to share how I feel about it. Just make sure you have your head and facts straight so you can do it without going off the deep end.

EDUCATE! That is the best form of prevention. No one stopped smoking till we actually realised what it did to us! Discuss, debate and open talk about it.