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Resources for Parents

As a parent, you may feel disconnected or powerless from influencing your teen.

But you are their #1 influence. The more you know, the better you can help your teen navigate these tough issues. Check out these great resources:

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Cannabis
MARIJUANA USE BY VERMONTERS AGES 12+ IS AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE UNITED STATES

Marijuana/THC products are more potent today than they were decades ago.

 

Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names (weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane) is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried flowers of Cannabis sativa, that is used primarily for medical and recreational purposes. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana that will make you feel “high.”

Like smoking cigarettes, vaping has been related to the recent spike of severe lung diseases. Vitamin E acetate, which is regularly added to THC for use in vaping devices, is particularly harmful when it’s inhaled.

GET THE CANNABIS FACTS
(From the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Center for Disease Control)

  • What is the main component of marijuana?  THC. The amount of THC determines the level of impact the chemicals have on your brain/body.
     

  • When is the brain fully developed? Research shows that the brain is not considered to be developed until a person is in their mid-20s.
     

  • Marijuana use before your brain is developed can lead to issues with:

    • Memory

    • Problem solving skills

    • Learning ability

    • Difficulty thinking

    • Perception and mood
       

  • Marijuana also contributes to: 

    • “Impaired coordination”

    • Lung issues

    • Increased risk for mental health issues, like anxiety and depression

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It is illegal for anyone under age 21 to consume or possess cannabis in Vermont.

VERMONT YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY 2019

Data collected from high schoolers, grades 9-12 in Vermont and Rutland County.

1

% of high school students who rode in a car or other vehicle with someone who had been using marijuana, past 30 days

Vermont

23%

Rutland County

25%

% of high school students who drove a car or other vehicle when they had been using marijuana, past 30 days

Vermont

15%

Rutland County

16%

% of high school students that have ever used marijuana in their lifetime

Vermont

40%

Rutland County

44%

% of high school students that have tried marijuana for the first time before age 13

Vermont

6%

Rutland County

7%

% of high school students that have used marijuana in past 30 days

Vermont

27%

Rutland County

27%

% of high school students that agree it would be “sort of easy” or “very easy” for them to get marijuana, if they wanted it

Vermont

62%

Rutland County

64%



1  https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/HSVR_YRBS_RUTLAND_2019.pdf
 

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