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She says habitual mari- juana use prior to 25 can affect that development, possibly making it harder for youth to learn, make decisions and remember things. Lindsay said marijua- na use can also cause changes to a young per- son's brain structure that may not be fully revers- ible. She noted that canna- bis use can stunt the de- velopment of the emotion- al coping process if teens decide to deal with nega- tive situations by getting high. While this knowledge is important Lindsay cau- tioned parents against bombarding youth with every conceivable tragedy that could arise. Scare tactics, she said, may only work in the short term (and often don't work at all). Ultimately, children will listen if the parent has a positive relationship with them. "That's doesn't mean being their best friend. That's not what we're talk- ing about," said Lindsay. "There are different components of it. It's ex- pressing that you care. It's providing support, shar- ing power and really try- ing to inspire them in the end." She said a parent's con- nection with their chil- dren is another important part of building a positive relationship. This can be achieved by having casual talks with them and using family dinners to discuss topics like cannabis. Lindsay said being in- volved in your child's life is another part of building a positive relationship. This could involve knowing who your child's friends are, and sharing mutual interests with your kids. When the time actually comes to talk about can- nabis, Lindsay offered nu- merous guidelines. "If you come to the con- versation with a teen and you are closed-minded, ruling with a hard thumb, being a dictator, what kind of a response do you think you are going to get? The complete opposite of what you want. They are not listening," said Lind- say. "You need to come to the table with an open mind. Does that mean you have to change your val- ues? Absolutely not. It just means you want to have an open conversa- tion. You want to try and remember when you were a teen and how hard and difficult it was for you. You want to be clear about your goals. Whatever per- spective you have on can- nabis, we know we want to keep it out of the hands of our youth. We want to be calm and relaxed. If there is shouting, nobody is lis- tening. Be positive and don't lecture." Lindsay also went over some possible cannabis chat scenarios, and ques- tions a teen may ask their parents. What should parents do if teens ask: "Marijua- na is a plant. It's natural. How harmful could it be?" Lindsay said one re- sponse could be "Not all plants are necessarily healthy or good for you - think about cocaine or heroin or even poison ivy." She said this answer helps the teen rethink their point. Another response could be, "I understand that, and I am not suggest- ing that you're going to spin out of control, or that your life as you know it is going to be over. I would just like to redirect you to the idea that when a per- son is high, her judgment is not what it ordinarily is and that can be harmful." Lindsay said this state- ment shows you are not using scare tactics and re- directs the teen back to- ward the goal of helping them understand the po- tentially harmful effects of cannabis. When it comes to par- ents who use cannabis, Lindsay said these par- ents need to be responsi- ble and talk to their chil- dren about why it is OK for an adult to smoke it, but not a young person. Lindsay said the an- swer is similar to how par- ents might explain why adults can drink alcohol, but youths can't. She said the comparison is appro- priate because alcohol can also negatively impact the developing brain. "I would be enjoying my red wine at Christmas dinner or something and I had that conversation with my kids that the rea- son why I can enjoy my red wine is because my brain is fully developed. Tomorrow morning I will wake up and there won't be any permanent dam- age," said Lindsay. "I remember a couple years ago I heard my daughter, who was 13 at the time, telling one of her friends that she wasn't go- ing to drink because her brain develops until she is 24 ... You play an impor- tant part in influencing your children's behaviour and role modelling." Lindsay said ultimate- ly a teen's mind will prob- ably not be changed about marijuana in just one con- versation. She suggests that parents keep on top of these discussions. She also said other good conversations to have with teens about can- nabis include what-if sce- narios, like what would you do if you went to a par- ty and the friend who gave you a ride there smoked cannabis and now wants to give you a ride home? "These are good dinner conversations to brain- storm, especially when they start going to their first parties because it will be there. They will en- counter this," said Lind- say. "They haven't thought of these things. They real- ly haven't. They don't think anything bad will happen to them. They think they're invincible. So you need to be that ra- tional brain and this is a really good way to do that." Lindsay also provided some of warning signs parents can watch for that could indicate regular cannabis or other drug use. These include: • Declining school work and grades •Abrupt changes in friends • Deteriorating rela- tionships with family (be- yond typical teenage moodiness) • Less openness and honesty • Abnormal health is- sues or sleeping habits For more information visit https://www.drug- freekidscanada.org/wp- content/uploads/pdf/ Cannabis-Talk- Kit_EN.pdf and download the Cannabis Talk Kit: Know How to Talk with Your Teen. STORY BEHIND THE STORY The recent legalization of cannabis affects not only current users, but future users as well. At some point, parents need to have a discussion with their kids on the subject. GROWING PAINS? Continued from page 1 TEEN'S MIND MIGHT NOT BE CHANGED IN ONE CONVERSATION THE ISSUE: PARENTS MUST DEAL WITH KIDS IN AGE OF LEGALIZED CANNABIS LOCAL IMPACT: KIDS NEED TO KNOW IMPACT OF CANNABIS, ESPECIALLY ON UNDER-25 BRAINS Local journalism makes a difference. Support us by registering at theifp.ca SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA