Just a Thought

By Michelle Sanford Staff Reporter/Columnist
August 03, 2018

As recreational marijuana use in our communities is now more of a reality than ever, town officials are grappling with a rather large learning curve on the matter as the end of the year moratorium deadline is approaching in just a few short months.

Still, it's not only town officials who are dealing with these issues; it's parents too. As someone who grew up during the "Just Say No" to drugs era, I was taught that all drugs are dangerous and something to always steer clear of. I've had pretty open discussions with my kids about drug use, probably even a little more candid than my parents, but basically reiterated and educated them on the dangers of their use.

So now, it's somewhat hard to reconcile that time and time again I've told my kids to stay away from drugs, any drugs, yet now I have to backtrack and explain to them

in a few years, they'll legally be allowed

to use marijuana recreationally. I voted down Question 4 in November of 2016.

I did not want pot sold or grown in my community nor my kids so easily exposed to it. The thought of adding another layer to the term "impaired driver" or seeing

pot laced edibles in a storefront makes me cringe. And I'll be honest, I was somewhat surprised when voters passed it.

Still, I'm certainly not a naive parent and whether or not marijuana is legal, I know at some point in their life time, curiosity

is going to get the best of them and there's a good chance they're likely to try it.

Now, whether or not it's a lifestyle, that's

a decision they are going to have make.

But maybe if kids are receiving consistent messages from parents and schools about the realities and legalities of marijuana

use, then they'll be in a better position to hopefully make responsible choices. We can do all we can as parents, but at some point, the choice will be theirs.

So while my husband and I have had the "no to drugs" discussion with both our kids, we've never specifically talked about the use of marijuana and the affects it can have on them. I guess it's high time we did.