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Working with parents of Cannabis users on the helpline

This research article explores the importance of working with parents of cannabis users, providing insights on the similarities and differences between alcohol and cannabis parenting issues. It highlights the significance of talking, forbidding, and negotiating with children, while emphasizing the potential negative effects of both substances on brain development and peer relationships. The article also discusses age considerations, the influence of parents, and the need for further research in this area.

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Working with parents of Cannabis users on the helpline

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  1. Working with parents of Cannabis users on the helpline Nathalie Dekker Drugs Infolijn The Netherlands 1 october 2007

  2. New research on alcohol and parenting • A lot of Dutch parents introduce their children to alcohol: • This is not a good strategy • Talking a lot about alcohol is not always effective • Drinking young = drinking more + increased risk of addiction • Forbidding children to drink before 16 is good strategy • Parent is role model

  3. Differences with our cannabis advice: • importance of talking • negative effect of forbidding • limited influence of parents • importance of negociating

  4. alcohol - cannabis • Similar: • -both parenting issues (like school, relationships, house rules) • -both negative effects on brain development • -both connected with issues like experimenting, peer pressure • -both can be noticed

  5. Alcohol-cannabis • Different: • -cannabis is illegal/less normalized • -children may be more secretive about cannabis use • -alcohol use is more common (80-90% versus 15-30%) • -cannabis is often an experiment that will not leed to a habit • -cannabis use is more often connected with e.g.problems at school/home/law: needs other strategies?

  6. What do we need to know? • -Do you have to forbid drugs, like you should forbid alcohol? • Do parents have the influence make this possible? • -Untill which age? 16? • -Should you be careful about talking too much? • -What if they are already experimenting? • - …

  7. Forbidding? • The scientist Rutger Engels says: • Yes. probably an effective strategy. • No negociating. • But similar to alcohol, you’ll have to explain why. • More research is needed • But what do we do in the meantime?

  8. Age? • -16? 18? 21? • -First use of cannabis is later than first use alcohol. • -Brain development doesn’t stop at 16 or 18.

  9. talking • Research says: • not too early, but before child gets in touch with substance • (with cannabis later than with alcohol) • not too often • in a proper way: must be clear that children are not allowed to use it because it’s bad for their health.

  10. What if they are already using cannabis? • -Too late to forbid? When is it (not) too late? • -What if it’s too late to forbid? • Alcohol research: • Talking about risks • Negociating • Teaching them to say no • Teaching them to reduce their use • Stay in touch (why is he/she drinking?) • -

  11. in short: • child younger than 16- not using : forbid • child younger than 16/ using : negociate • child older than 16 : negociate • Do we agree?

  12. The end

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