Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jul 2006
Source: Pique Newsmagazine (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Pique Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2356
Author: Ralph Forsyth
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

ROLE MODELS

The Result Of This Laissez-Faire Attitude Towards Drugs And A 
Narcissistic Idea That Parents Should Be "Cool" And Not Worry About 
Abdicating Their Responsibility As Parents Has Coincided With An 
Increase In Binge Drinking And Marijuana Use By B.C. Students.

In a November, 2005 Maclean's Magazine article titled "Pass the Weed, 
Dad" writer Marni Jackson spoke with several families where parents 
and children smoke or used to smoke pot together. While startling, 
this revelation should not surprise the millennium generation, (as 
they prefer to be called) raised on tales of Woodstock and the good 
times had back in Mommy & Daddy's day.

The result of this laissez-faire attitude towards drugs and a 
narcissistic idea that parents should be "cool" and not worry about 
abdicating their responsibility as parents has coincided with an 
increase in binge drinking and marijuana use by B.C. students.

According to The McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization 
concerned with the health of young people in British Columbia, the 
percentage of students in B.C. that smoke weed has risen from 25 per 
cent to 37 per cent since 1992. The report also highlights that binge 
drinking is also on the rise as 21 per cent of males and 18 per cent 
of females admit to binging, up from 16 per cent and 12 per cent 
respectively since 1992. Alarmingly, kids are also drinking and using 
at a much younger age, with a full third of B.C. 13 year olds 
claiming to use alcohol. Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental 
Health (CAMH) reports that five per cent of school kids have tried 
pot before the end of Grade 6.

Drug and alcohol use is entrenched in popular culture and while most 
parents aren't waiting to hit the bong once junior gets home from 
school, it's apparent that families simply aren't adequately equipped 
to deal with the issue of kids, drugs, and healthy choices.

Locally, there is an organization that is helping Whistler's parents 
and youth deal with the issues of drug and alcohol use and abuse. 
Launched in February of 2003, Whistler for Youth's vision is "to 
promote a safe community where residents and guests of all ages are 
comfortable and secure." Whistler for Youth concerns itself with 
prevention, and its efforts address the needs of children, families 
and two youth groups: Whistler's own youth and the young adults who 
are part of the permanent and temporary work force in the community. 
Whistler for Youth is an active coalition of organizations and 
individuals in the Whistler area. Representatives include parent 
organizations, community services, communities of faith, Vancouver 
Coastal Health, service organizations, schools and the RCMP.

The group has identified three risk factors on which to focus current 
efforts: Community standards that favour drug use; parental attitudes 
and role modeling; and a party atmosphere with expectations to use 
illicit substances frequently and at high levels.

Children see children do

Cannabis remains the No. 1 illegal (contrary to what many seem to 
believe, pot is still illegal) drug in North America. If the common 
occurrences of smelling weed burning in the village or at Rainbow 
Park on a sunny day are not enough evidence that marijuana is part of 
our culture, take the more universal messages, from magazines like 
High Times to the Showcase TV series, . It's difficult to decipher 
what standards Whistler has, if any, when it comes to drug and 
alcohol, but the media messages are clear: the familiar refrain is 
"Where the world comes to party" "What you do up here, stays up 
here." The constant doling out of these slogans makes healthy choices 
less clear for young adults and has an impact on local families 
trying to raise healthy kids.

One of the parents involved in WFY is Deanne Zeidler, the co-chair of 
Whistler for Youth. Her involvement stems from a concern about the 
messages Whistler kids get, but also what they see.

"There are really several things that got me involved with WFY four 
years ago," says Zeidler. "The first was a growing realization that 
there was something wrong with the picture of life here in Whistler. 
More and more, I was aware of people smoking pot and drinking alcohol 
openly -- at Rainbow Beach, in front of Meadow Park, in the village, 
just about anywhere really. I was concerned that not only was this 
illegal, it was also a very poor model of 'normal' and 'healthy' for 
my own kids and their friends. I wondered what it was about Whistler 
that made people think that it was okay to do this here when they 
likely wouldn't do this in their home town."

Some of the strategies WFY has adopted to deal with this issue are 
the Stay on Track & Stay in Tracks social marketing programs. These 
programs offer parents, youth and the young adults of Whistler ways 
to educate themselves and support them when they have social choices 
to make. Stay on Track attempts to correct common misconceptions 
about alcohol and drug use and promote healthier attitudes and 
choices through various media. The campaign is directed at families 
of school-aged youth. A parallel educational campaign called Stay in 
Tracks was developed for 18-26 year olds.

Whistler For Youth also funded the expansion of the Peer Educator 
Program offered by Whistler Community Services Society to include 
service to Whistler-Blackcomb staff housing. As part of this 
initiative an additional peer educator was trained and in the fall, 
seven volunteer youth from "House" were trained under the Peer 
Educator program. After six weeks of intensive training, these youth 
are able to provide information and support services to their peers, 
either at work or at play.

Getting high ain't what it used to be

Some might argue that if it's part of our culture and (almost) 
everybody's doing it, so what's the harm. Well

According to TheAntiDrug.com, a drug prevention information centre 
that works with leading experts in the fields of parenting and 
substance abuse prevention and designed to serve parents wanting to 
raise drug-free kids, new research provides better insight into the 
serious consequences of teen marijuana use, especially how it may 
impact mental health. Here are some facts according to 
TheAntiDrug.com: "The short-term effects of marijuana use include 
problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty 
in thinking and problem-solving; loss of coordination; and increased 
heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. Young people who use 
marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life. 
Teens aged 12-17 who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more 
likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. There is evidence of 
increased risk for schizophrenia in later years in some teens who 
smoke marijuana."

Once considered safer than tobacco, it's now apparent that pot can 
have a dramatic effect on the lungs. "Someone who smokes marijuana 
regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco 
smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, 
symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. 
Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of 
lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke."

Research has dispelled many of the quaint notions of the harmlessness 
of pot, but what is also clear is that its increasing potency is also 
cause for alarm. The pot smoked 20 or 30 years ago would be 
considered "extra mild" by current standards. The sophisticated 
cannabis cultivation of today produces much higher levels of THC (the 
main active chemical in marijuana also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

THC content of marijuana averaged less than 1 per cent in 1974 and 
rose to an average 4 per cent by 1994. THC content of the more potent 
varieties averages 7.5 per cent and ranges as high as 24 per cent.

It's parenting not pestering

One of the problems influencing the issue of drug and alcohol use 
with today's kids is the role today's parents play. Children whose 
parents use, or used in the past, often have a more accepting 
attitude toward allowing these substances into their lives. It's 
crucial for parents to understand that marijuana is stronger than it 
used to be in the '70s and '80s and that it's okay to talk to your 
kids about drugs -- even if you use or used to use.

In February 2006 a study titled: Summit County Youth; Excellence on 
the Horizon, was released. The study was commissioned by the Town of 
Breckenridge, Colorado to look into the issues effecting youth in 
Summit County. The 31-page study reveals many parallels to Whistler; 
from its history -- nontraditional lifestyles enjoyed by people who 
moved to the mountains -- to the immediate issues that would seem 
familiar to many Whistler residents. According to the study, "the 
substances of choice for youth appear to be alcohol and marijuana."

In her report to the Breckenridge council, the report's author, Lynn 
A. Johnson, highlighted the impact of "immediate-gratification 
cultures," and a lack of positive role models among the 20somethings. 
She also noted: "many parents, but not all, have removed themselves 
from the universal tasks of parenting that is guiding and shaping the young."

One of the community services members of Whistler for Youth is Greg 
McDonnell. Greg is the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) 
Youth Outreach Supervisor. Few people in town would have a better 
finger on the pulse of Whistler's young people. When asked what the 
best route would be to get involved if parents were concerned about 
their kids using drugs and alcohol, his reply was straightforward. 
"No matter what, talk to your kids. Do whatever is necessary to 
re-establish that bond between you and your kids. Experimentation is 
normal but it will be tempered for a young person by increased 
dialogue. Know the risks of drug and alcohol use and communicate 
those with your kids. Make sure they understand that no matter what 
is going on, they can talk to you about it."

Another local parent involved in WFY since its inception is Cathy 
Jewett. Cathy has been involved in the community for many years, most 
notably as Chair of the Myrtle Philip Elementary School Parent 
Advisory Committee (PAC). Recently she has assumed the role of Chair 
of the District PAC. Her advice to parents is similar: "Sometimes 
parents worry that they don't want to interfere in their kid's life 
too much, but you still need to provide them with a really strong 
base that will give them the security to go out into that world and 
be able to come back to a safe place. Gordon Neufeld said it best in 
Hold on to your Kids when he said that if you let their peers become 
that base of support you're dealing with a group that really haven't 
been able to form their own values yet, so it's important to instill 
a strong set of values in your children and not let their peers do 
that for you."

Greg offers a similar perspective as a professional in the field. "As 
kids get older, the risk is that they get attached to their peer 
group. The peer group in effect replaces their parents since there is 
such pressure today to be accepted. I'm not saying prevent your kids 
from hanging out with their peers but rather ensure your child is 
attached to you at a young age such that whatever type of 
experimentation or peer pressure occurs, they will return to you to 
seek care and mentorship."

If peer groups make the rules without any parental supervision the 
cultural outcome might resemble something like Lord of the Flies.

But Whistler's parents aren't left in a lurch when it comes to 
dealing with helping their kids make healthy choices. Whistler for 
Youth also produces Parenting Program. This program is delivered in 
six interactive sessions for families and is designed to fit with 
existing Second Step programs for children who are being exposed to 
this program in schools in the Sea to Sky corridor. The program 
integrates accurate information about alcohol and drug abuse with 
skills development in responding to difficult situations, acting as 
positive role models and ways to work with teens, other parents and 
the community to make alcohol and drug use "uncool".

Talk to your kids

One thing is for sure, drug and alcohol use is not about to be weeded 
out of our culture anytime soon. According to the Canadian Addiction 
Survey, 70 per cent of Canadians will have smoked a joint at some 
point in their teens. Despite the alarming statistics, the good news 
is that simple actions go a long way to ensure that kids are 
outfitted to make good choices. Tara Hill is a Whistler mom who 
suggests that knowledge is key. "Like anything we want to do, we must 
be educated about it. If I want to be involved in my child's teenage 
years I need to be in the know."

Deanne Ziedler also provides meaningful insight into influence that 
parents have. "I encourage parents to get informed. A recent poll by 
Health Canada showed that 87 per cent of young people said they would 
trust their parents for information on marijuana -- so get the facts."

Parental involvement is another fundamental when dealing with kids 
and simply spending time together can have a huge impact on a kid. 
Cathy Jewett explains how parent involvement changes as kids get older.

"You're going to see physical and mental changes, they are gaining a 
lot more independence, and hopefully you've equipped them to deal 
with that, maintain the lines of communication. Something that is 
really important is eating meals together, especially dinner, and 
practising the fine art of conversation. How often do we sit down 
with our kids and ask what happened at school today and get the 
reply, 'nothing.' You have to get beyond nothing; that's when things 
start to come out."

Cathy, Greg, Tara and Deanne all mentioned getting involved at the 
school level as a way to help children and the community at large. 
Cathy suggests that it can have a healthy effect on school life. "Get 
involved in your PAC, be seen in your children's school; that's an 
important thing. It's important to normalize the atmosphere in high 
school by being seen there."

Tara echoed a similar sentiment that could only be articulated by a 
mom. "Kids are kids and their job is to discover life and we are here 
to support them and guide them. I feel that staying involved in the 
school and close to the issues without being in my child's face all 
the time is an approach that our family can work with."

Hillary Rodham Clinton used an old African proverb in naming her 
book, "It takes a village to raise a child". She suggested it offered 
a timeless reminder that children will thrive only if their families 
thrive and if the whole of society cares enough to provide for them.

A much earlier pioneer of feminism, women's suffrage and an advocate 
for women's economic independence, Charlotte Perkins Gilman had this 
to say about youth: "It is the duty of youth to bring its fresh 
powers to bear on social progress. Each generation of young people 
should be to the world like a vast reserve force to a tired army. 
They should lift the world forward. That is what they are for."

Both of these women (both mothers) offer wisdom on rearing children, 
and Perkins Gillman's quote is as relevant today as it was when she 
said it almost 100 years ago. But today's influences and pressures 
will now more than ever require the efforts of everyone to ensure 
that our youth are supported and prepared to fulfill their duties.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman