Culture

According to study results recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), teens are more likely to try marijuana or tobacco for the first time in the months of June and July.

"More free time and less adult supervision can make the summertime an exciting time for many young people, but it can also increase the likelihood of exposure to the dangers of substance abuse," SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde said in the press release. "That is why it is critically important to take every opportunity we can throughout the year to talk to our young people about the real risks of substance abuse and effective measures for avoiding it, so they will be informed and capable of making the right decisions on their own."

“Talk to our young people about the real risks of substance abuse?” Does she mean the truth, or more propaganda? If she means truth, here it is: if your kids are going to try either marijuana or tobacco this summer, you want them to try marijuana. It’s no contest. While it’s impossible to overdose on marijuana and studies show smoking cannabis doesn’t cause impaired lung function, tobacco use kills hundreds of thousands of people every year in this country alone and can lead to emphysema, heart disease and more.

First-time alcohol use increased as well, to more than 11,000 adolescents a day in June and July - with similar levels in December. The number is sometimes twice as much as the 5,000 to 8,000 teens who start drinking on any average day in the year.

Alcohol kills 25,000 people every year just in accidents, not to mention how much damage it does to your liver and brain cells.

Don’t lie to your kids about marijuana. It will just make them think things like tobacco and alcohol are less dangerous, when they are much more deadly than marijuana could ever be.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com