As we learn to live with legal marijuana in Canada, the opportunity to have a different conversation with our children opens up immediately.
Dan Reest is Director of Knowledge Exchange with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.
He says it's important to normalize the conversation. What is it that drives people to think it's a good idea to use? What are the perceptions? Do they stack up? Are there real benefits to using marijuana?
Reest says we have to reverse the conversation. It's no longer about crime and possession, it's about moderation and benefits before the issues abusing pot could cause. He says if we drive impaired or play games like hockey and football outside the rules, we're likely to cause problems. He says we must teach our children about marijuana just like we teach the ever changing rules of contact sports. Safety must be in the forefront.
Reest says one thing won't change. We must build relationships with our children so that we can have open and honest conversations with them. As with other life lessons he says, that will protect them from whatever they face in life, not just filling their heads with facts.