A 60 Second Conversation Starter

Continuing the Conversation with an Older Teen

While most DHS & HPHS students perceive that their parents think it’s wrong for them to smoke marijuana, a lower percentage of parents are talking to their teens about staying drug-free.

• 85% of 9th-12th graders think their parents believe it is wrong for them to smoke marijuana, but only 65% of those students said their parents have talked to them about it in the last year (2018 Illinois Youth Survey)

• 98% of freshmen/sophomore parents feel it is wrong for their kids to use marijuana as compared to 86% of senior parents (2018 parent survey)

Even when your child is a high school junior or senior, it’s important for parents/guardians to continue the conversation about making healthy choices and staying drug free. Talk to them about how marijuana use impacts their brain development — which isn’t complete until their mid-twenties. Remind them of their future goals and how drug use can affect whether or not they reach them. 

When your teen says: “Marijuana is a plant and it’s natural. How harmful could it be?” You can respond with: “Not all plants are necessarily healthy for you (like cocaine or heroin) so I’d much rather you find healthier ways to cope with difficult or uncomfortable feelings than using marijuana. Can we brainstorm some ideas?”

It’s not one 60-minute conversation. 
It’s 60 one-minute conversations.