HIGHschool, A Parent Talks Pot

By Mila K. Marshall CNW Cannabis Corner Editor

Itwas an early afternoon when the phone call came in from an unknown number.

“Jane” wishes to remain anonymous to protect herself and her family. The voice on the other line was a school nurse who communicated some disturbing news about her teen.

“She was calling from her private number and communicated that my child was unresponsive, and I should get to the school immediately. I was in a panic because my kid is a healthy child,” said Jane recalling the conversation. It turned into a direction she wasn’t prepared for.

“I was in total shock. She said my kid wasn’t responding and she was throwing up and her eyes were rolling back. The lady whispered and told me she thought my daughter may be high on weed…I honestly couldn’t believe it,” said Jane.

Adolescent brains are still developing and there is much unknown about the impacts of cannabis consumption on teens. A researcher from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Professor Kuei Tseng is using rats that would be the equivalent in teenage years to a human, to study the long-term effects of THC consumption. Dr. Tseng is a biological psychiatrist and at the forefront of this area of this much-needed research. His work supports other neuroscientists in that during the brain development of teenagers weed use can impact intelligence for example.

Jane is all too aware of the many unknowns in the industry because she works in it. “On some level, I felt so guilty because this is what I do. I absolutely knew my child didn’t get into my weed so I knew they must have gotten it from somewhere else,” she said.

When Jane walked into the office her child was slumped into a chair, vomit all over them, and completely disoriented. Jane continued, “I couldn’t believe how out of it my kid was. This wasn’t a normal reaction to weed, and I knew it had to be an edible, but my child couldn’t communicate…that is when I decided to take them to the emergency room. I was so embarrassed. Here I am a ‘whole advocate,’ and my child is overdosing at school. But when I heard the nurse tell me this was the FIFTH child and she had to give some sternum rubs because their heart rate was low, I was speechless.”

Jane is concerned about outing the school, herself, and her child but she welcomes a community conversation with medical providers, school administrators and elected officials. ‘My kid was ultimately suspended for not telling who they got the edible from. They would rather be suspended than get anyone in trouble. I told my kid that they were poisoned, and it could have been worse,” said the concerned mom. The high school, which Jane also wants to keep anonymous, never sent out any literature or notification of edibles in the school despite the nurse communicating Jane’s child wasn’t the first and probably won’t be the last.

“My kids come home talking about how everyone is high during the day in school and some of the adults know but just let it slide, I don’t know how I feel about that. On the one hand here, we are trying to decriminalize it and turn it into a legitimate opportunity for our communities but how do we make sure these teens understand the risks of consuming cannabis?” Jane considers.

Ultimately, she wants ways in which teens can learn and teachers to be supported but Jane realizes more penalties and consequences that cause harm may not be the answer. “It seems to me some kids may be experimenting or self-medicating and thinking this doesn‘t harm them. I’m curious how parents of teens using medical cannabis can help us parents be better at understanding its benefits but most importantly I just want to know that the school is prepared to take action if another child needs to be sent to the emergency room, a batch of bad edibles floating around the school is not ok with me and I hope that child that made those edibles understands this is not a game,” Jane shared.