How is he 15 going into freshman year. My daughter is 15 and going to be a junior lol. She turns 16 in October.

I’m so tired of ChatGPT trolling.

I think you know this is wrong OP.

My son developed psychosis from weed use. It’s strong stuff these days. He was on medication for a year or so. Very stressful times.

Anonymous wrote:Title pretty much says it all. Our son will be starting his freshman year in August. He has received two tickets from the school, resource officer for possession of marijuana during his eighth grade year. He also got suspended for lighting a Post-it note on fire in the band room and has been caught with a vape more times than I can count.

Pretty much everyone in our family (parents, uncles, aunts, etc) partake’s of the substance, including myself. My husband‘s theory is that if we allow him to do it at home then hopefully when he’s offered it at school, he will have an easier time saying no because he understands that it will be waiting for him when he gets home.

I strongly disagree with this. I feel like it’s our duty as parents to help him make responsible decisions in life. Our son is very passionate about music, and has been featured in the “red carpet band” every year since fifth grade. Was first chair 2 consecutive years, just really gave it his all and has been very successful.

Now, he wants to give it up because he allegedly has heard from multiple sources that high school band students are subjected to drug tests and he would prefer to keep smoking.

I sincerely doubt that the school system administers UA’s to it students , but I don’t know for sure.

Am I crazy? Am I making too big of a deal out of this? I struggled with substance abuse for several decades, and I know from firsthand experience that self-medicating with substances only creates more problems. I don’t want him to go down the path that I did.

What sucks about this entire thing is that he is technically not my son. I am not his biological mother but I’ve been in his life since he was five. We have a common law marriage.

So, that makes me feel like ultimately it’s really not my decision to make. But, in the same breath, I’m the only mother that he’s ever known and I love him as if he were my own son.

Please, if you were in my situation, what would you do? How can I navigate this situation?

There's already some cognitive impairment on his part or your part.

Now, he wants to give it up because he allegedly has heard from multiple sources that high school band students are subjected to drug tests and he would prefer to keep smoking.

Yawn. Troll.

Actions speak louder than words. You need to quit smoking! All of you in the household have been a terrible influence and you want to start parenting NOW? What a mess.

Anonymous wrote:There are so many red flags here, I don't know where to start.

This poor kid.

Common law marriage? Everyone in your family smokes pot? Your 15 YO would already rather smoke pot than continue a hobby and skill that has brought him enjoyment his whole life?

God help him.

+1

Step One: Stop using yourself, OP.

Sounds like the stinkiest house ever!

First, you need to stop partaking, yourself. You will have zero credibility if you are telling him not to do what you are doing.

Secondly, you need to educate yourself, so you can educate him on all the dangers of marijuana. There is a widespread impression that because it is natural, it is safe, but in reality, it carries most of the same risks of cigarettes, plus additional risks to the brain, especially while they are developing (and at 15, his brain is still developing).

Here is a page that highlights many of the problems with marijuana usage. There are many other resources online if you want additional information.
https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/cannabis-marijuana#safe-and-effective-medicines

Finally, you should be aware that just as secondhand smoke is an issue with cigarettes, secondhand marijuana smoke can affect those around the smoker. Even if he stops using marijuana, the smoking of everyone else in the house might show up in his tests (see the above link).

Regardless of what anyone else does, you should stop smoking for your own sake. To whatever extent you can influence him to stop smoking, you should do so. If you can, you might consider an air filtering device for his room to reduce secondhand exposure.

As for the rest of the house, I know from personal experience trying to get my grandparents to stop smoking tobacco, that it is almost impossible to get an addict to stop smoking. I also know that the reality is so much worse than the dry health warnings convey. We learned the hard way that smoking poisons the air they breathe and consequently every cell in every part of the body. It caused macular degeneration which caused vision problems in some, and one grandmother had nerve damage from her smoking which made it feel like her foot was on fire. But when they started smoking as teens, it was seen as harmless. Moreover, marijuana is becoming big business, and just like with tobacco, corporate greed will always prioritize money over human cost. We know that marijuana is becoming stronger, but we don’t yet know what the long-term effects of that will be.

I hope that you are able to stop, for your own sake, and that you can influence your son and other household members to stop, as well.

The three of you should research addiction and the effect of weed on developing brains.
Good luck.

Yikes!
Your child needs rules and consequences for his actions?

To include no weed smoking in the family home.

Good luck though..

Anonymous wrote:Close family member of mine developed psychosis from smoking too much weed. Why in God’s name would you encourage a child to smoke? Apart from the psychiatric effects, it has also been shown to damage lungs and the cardiovascular system.

And here is an article from the medical journal JAMA discussing marijuana use and an increased risk of psychosis.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2832297#:~:text=Higher%20levels%20of%20cannabis%20use,relationship%20supports%20a%20causal%20influence.&text=Individuals%20with%20psychosis%20who%20use,with%20those%20who%20do%20not.

Anonymous wrote:Close family member of mine developed psychosis from smoking too much weed. Why in God’s name would you encourage a child to smoke? Apart from the psychiatric effects, it has also been shown to damage lungs and the cardiovascular system.

And here is a link from the CDC discussing marijuana use and its harmful effects on the lungs.

https://www.cdc.gov/cannabis/health-effects/lung-health.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Close family member of mine developed psychosis from smoking too much weed. Why in God’s name would you encourage a child to smoke? Apart from the psychiatric effects, it has also been shown to damage lungs and the cardiovascular system.

Here is an article from the American College of Cardiology discussing how marijuana use increases heart attack risk.

https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2025/03/17/15/35/Cannabis-Users-Face-Substantially-Higher-Risk

Another article from the American Heart Association showing link between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease.

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.030178