Marijuana has changed. In the 60s and 70s marijuana had THC levels of about 1% to 3%. Today it's fairly easy for teenagers to get a hold of concentrates like oils or waxes that have THC levels as high as 60% to 90%. Even the smokable marijuana flower or bud can have THC levels of 30% to 40%. It's a massive increase in potency and it makes getting high nowadays a different animal. Because of this drastic increase in strength getting high now is a much more intense experience that comes with a higher risk of side effects. It's more common these days for teenagers who get high on THC to experience panic attacks, anxiety, paranoia, dependency issues, and withdrawal symptoms. The experience can be so strong that they're totally incapacitated for a while or so intense that it can resemble a psychedelic trip, especially when it comes to edibles. Many teenagers begin with curiosity and end up using marijuana as a way to self-medicate. They may develop a daily need to get high so they can sleep or as a way to numb out unpleasant feelings so they don't have to learn ways to deal with them. This kind of daily self-medicating use stunts a teenager's emotional development and maturity. In the most severe cases using THC daily can turn into an identity that comes with a lifestyle that can last for years. This limits a teenager's potential in many ways. 

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In psychotherapy, the work centers around an honest accounting of the benefits and pitfalls of getting high on THC. When teenagers aren't put on the defensive about their smoking or vaping it's much easier for them to talk about the good and the bad. Naturally, they begin to make judgments and refine their understanding of their use. This helps them avoid the worst effects of getting high on THC like dependency and using it to self-medicate. They also come to acknowledge that using marijuana really does affect your memory, makes you slower and less energetic, has significant social effects, and merely postpones the real need to address the psychological issues that are being avoided by getting high. Many eventually decide it's not worth the downsides and stop completely. 

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When it comes to parenting a teenager who's been smoking weed it's important to avoid certain pitfalls. The first is making sure that whatever happens the relationship teenagers have with their parents is never sacrificed as part of a plan to snuff out use immediately and permanently. This has a low chance of success and can make the life of a teenager more stressful at a moment when they need a good relationship with their parents the most, putting them at higher risk of self-medicating with marijuana and contributing to a vicious cycle of conflict, stress, and self-medication. Family conflict doesn't help improve teenage marijuana use. The second is to be wary of frequently putting teenagers in a position to defend their marijuana use as normal or harmless. The more time they spend defending marijuana use the higher the likelihood that they identify with this position and begin to see using marijuana as part of who they are. For parents and teenagers, this is one of the most destructive outcomes possible. This also makes it more difficult for teenagers to admit that marijuana use has negative effects on them because admitting that would undermine their arguments. Identifying themselves as a marijuana user, being an apologist or defender has a narrowing effect on their ability to honestly and wholly judge their use or abuse. Well-intentioned parents can unwittingly push teenagers in this direction by responding inappropriately to their marijuana use. 

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​Below is a list of typical signs that your teenager may have a problem with marijuana use and could benefit from psychotherapy to address it.