Why This Author Wrote A Book About Cannabis For Parents And Children

📷 LA Cannabis News // What's Growing in Grandma's Garden

Generally speaking, kids and cannabis aren’t a good combo (with medical exceptions). Though we don’t know nearly enough about the endocannabinoid system (ECS), we do know that it is a delicate system that requires balance, and that the brain is developing until one’s mid-twenties. However, there isn’t much being said about what to tell young people in an era where cannabis is suddenly appearing everywhere.

Susan Soares is a longtime cannabis advocate who was faced with a related question on The Woody Show, and she left feeling disappointed with her answer. Some may have shrugged it off, assuming that someone else would be the one to tackle the matter, but Soares instead chose to confront it directly.

It’s easier to hide it than explain it

She spent a year interviewing adults in regards to talking to their kids about cannabis, and found that less than 5% of parents she interviewed were informing their children about the subject—even if they worked in the industry. “Even if it was painfully obvious, they’re trying to hide it from their kids,” Soares said.

When adults hide something from children, it suggests that they’re doing something wrong, which feeds the stigma around cannabis—and they’ll become judgmental of it as well. So when the child grows curious, they’re likely to fear that judgement and it breaks down conversation. “When we judge people, they feel shame,” Soares said, “and then they don’t want to talk to us anymore. And that’s not what we want from our children. We want them to talk to us.”

Soares believes that informing young people on cannabis helps keep them safe. “Unless it’s being used for a medical purpose, it would really be better for them if they waited until their brains are fully grown,” she said. “They need to have the information.”

Her grandchildren, of course, are well informed on the matter. “My grandsons say, ‘I can’t have alcohol, or coffee, or cannabis,’ they say it all the time. They’re proud of it,” Soares said. “They get it.”

Source: Leafly