High-Stakes Influence

Q: My 45-year-old ex-husband uses marijuana recreationally. I caught our almost 18-year-old daughter trying it. Her dad claims it is legal and she should choose for herself. She loves her dad and is strongly influenced by him. Is he correct? Isn’t smoking marijuana risky?

A: You’re right to be concerned about your daughter using marijuana, and we empathize with you. In your case, the risks may not be only health-related. Depending on your home state, recreational marijuana might be legal for adults, but in nearly all jurisdictions it’s illegal for minors, including “almost 18s.” Furthermore, encouraging or enabling a minor to use marijuana could have serious legal consequences for the adults involved, including potential criminal charges. Protecting your daughter is of high priority, so we strongly advise taking immediate steps to address this situation with tact but ensuring that she understands that this is serious. We realize that coparenting is complex and delicate, but in some way encourage your ex-husband to get the facts since he has the greater health risk and may also have legal liability.

Although a 2017 report showed that 6.5 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 were current marijuana users,1 it does not make its use by minors legal or harmless. With increasing legalization, there seems to be a lack of appreciation for marijuana risks. Teens especially don’t think of marijuana as a dangerous drug, and to some people, legalization gives the “appearance of being safe.” Marijuana use can interfere with the final stages of your daughter’s brain development, potentially leading to long-term cognitive impairment, issues with memory, attention, and decision-making. This may negatively affect her academically and even socially. 

Also, adolescents and young adults who use marijuana are at a higher risk of fatal car accidents2 and of developing mental health disorders, including schizophrenia. A Swedish study published in 1987 found that people who used marijuana more than 50 times by the age of 18 were three times more likely than others to have schizophrenia at age 45.3 Regardless of the state in which you live, marijuana use by a minor is most likely illegal, and that could lead to criminal charges and a permanent record.

Your ex-husband faces several potential risks from marijuana use too. It can elevate his blood pressure and heart rate, which could exacerbate any existing cardiovascular issues and can make him more prone to heart attack. Chronic use can lead to cognitive decline, memory impairment, slower mental processing speeds, anxiety, depression, and paranoia.

We strongly suggest you urgently have an open and honest conversation with your daughter about the risks of using marijuana. Focus on the potential impact on her brain development, mental health, daily risks, and future opportunities. Express your concerns out of love and care, sharing verifiable facts and research. Her earthly father may not be aware or maybe he doesn’t care, but her heavenly Father certainly knows, and HE definitely cares!

For more on medical marijuana and Seventh-day Adventists, click here. 

1 Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/product/results-2017-
national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-key-substance-use-and-mental-health.

2 Retrieved from https://www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/cannabis_
marijuana.

3 Sven Andréasson, Ann Engström, Peter Allebeck, Ulf Rydberg, “Cannabis and Schizophrenia: A Longitudinal Study of Swedish Conscripts,” The Lancet, Dec. 26, 1987, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-
6736(87)92620-1.