Q: How can we educate young people to understand that even experimenting with pot can be a slippery slope, particularly when the family doctor has said it’s harmless if they only smoke pot occasionally?
Doctors are amazing people, and I have some great doctors now. I’ve also had some not-so-great doctors over the years as well. The truth is that doctors simply don’t know everything. For a doctor in today’s world to say that smoking pot – even occasionally – is fine, is just wrong. I used to smoke pot. That was one of the drugs that I loved when I was using. But that was many years ago and it was a lot cleaner then, with far fewer additives. Today it’s cut with so many horrible things, and fentanyl is one of them. I hate that this is being done, but I know it’s true and we all need to accept it.
So when a doctor or anybody else says, “Oh, it’s just pot. Don’t get too upset about pot,” remember this: If the pot that your child (or your adult loved one) is about to smoke is cut with fentanyl and they don’t know it, it might only take one toke, one breath in, and they’re gone. There’s no way that pot is safe anymore, really, because we don’t know what’s in it. Even if fentanyl isn’t in it, it will still have been cut with many other horrible substances, like cigarettes with arsenic. Do smokers realize that arsenic is one of the ingredients in cigarettes? Anytime we put that toxin into our lungs, into our brains, it can’t be a good thing.
What is most important for us today is to let kids – and adults alike – know as soon as possible that smoking a joint can be a life-or-death issue. I think kids really need to know that and I’m not sure they do yet. They’re thinking that it’s just fine for them to smoke a joint. Everybody’s doing it. Everybody’s smoking pot. Even the doctor says it’s okay! The problem is that a lot of people are dying from smoking weed because of things like fentanyl. I’ve been told also that the smoke from pot is way more toxic in the lungs than the smoke from cigarettes – and cigarette smoke is already quite damaging. It takes a long time for lungs to pink up again once we stop smoking, and it can cause a lot of lung issues for people, not the least of which is lung cancer. THC from pot is also stored in the fat cells – so it takes a long time to get it out of the body. It is NOT a harmless drug and I don’t care who’s saying that it’s okay if you smoke it once in a while. It simply isn’t.
Many families are grieving the loss of their loved ones because of drugs like fentanyl. I’m very passionate about this. It’s real, so we need to be talking about it – and thank you for asking that question.
If you need help, please reach out to us for a FREE 30-minute consultation with one of our staff. We have been successfully working with families and other loved ones for over 30 years and we know how to help you. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.
All my best,
Candace
