Driving High On Marijuana: Parents Need To Discuss Dangers With Teenage Kids, Young Adults

Legalized marijuana, whether for recreational or medical purposes, now covers many states in America. Parents with teenage children or young adults are facing a new reality that their kids could have easier access to pot.

Use of marijuana legally is applicable to individuals 21-years-old and above but it would be naive to believe that kids won't experiment or try marijuana with their friends for fun. The dangers of driving while high on marijuana are more real than even before. Thus, it is high time parents also initiate a talk with their children about the use of pot and driving.

According to Esquire, drunk driving is considered more dangerous than driving high on marijuana. THC in marijuana apparently has different effects in people, hence even cops can't specifically measure whether a person is stoned.

Marijuana sobriety tests are still ineffective especially since THC levels and effects differ. "You don't know if they smoked an hour ago or if they smoked a week before or two weeks before," neurobiology expert Margaret Haney said, via NPR.

Still, the dangers of driving high on marijuana remain because cannabis intoxication happens and parents must stress this on their kids. It can result in loss of concentration, reduced alertness and reaction time, and lack of coordination.

Airlines require strict compliance from its pilots when it comes to pot-smoking because of these reasons. Doctors who operate on people are also required to adhere to the similar strict standards.

Parents need to stress to their kids that when they are in charge of the wheel, then they are not only responsible for their lives but also their passenger's lives. Parents need to help their grown kids understand that while states have legalized marijuana, they still need to make safe choices if they are driving - and driving high is never a safe choice.

As with driving drunk, driving high can lead to life-altering consequences and parents can help their kids avoid its potential dangers if they are open to discussing the subject of pot smoking. Learn more about driving high on marijuana in this video below.