USA TODAY: …National surveys show that teens who believe their parents would strongly disapprove of them using substances were less likely to try them than their peers were, says Peter Delany, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at the SAMHSA.
“Any time is a good time to talk to your kids when you have a chance,” Delany says. “But if you haven’t started talking to your kids, before school gets out is an especially good time…
“Parents need to initiate age-appropriate conversations about these issues with their children at all stages of their development in order to help ensure that their children make the right decisions,” SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde says… (more)
EDITOR: Tell them facts, not myths. Any drug, legal or illegal, is detrimental for the phyical and mental growth of children and adolesents. (It even bothers us to see young children drinking coffee or soda with caffeine.) Youngsters respect truth and the facts become available to them. If told myths and scare tactics, they will soon disregard the advice and become contemptuous of their elders. That can lead to big problems. When it comes to illegal drugs, a good reference is www.DrugWar Facts.org , published by a sister organization to NewsLanc .
