?There?s that skunk smell again,? said nine-year-old Jane as she walked to dance class with her dad through their Toronto neighbourhood. Since cannabis was legalized in Canada last fall, the unmistakable scent has been much more noticeable when they?re out and about, says Jane?s dad, Hugh Scholey. ?I said, ?Well, that?s not actually skunk,? which led to the logical questions of ?What is it, then"? and ?It smells terrible?why would someone want to do that"??
While school-aged kids definitely have a greater exposure to alcohol, they do tend to see a lot more cannabis now than just the odd rerun of That ?70s Show. With legalization, seeing a YouTube banner ad, a lineup at a newly opened cannabis store or a neighbour smoking a joint on their front steps is increasingly common. So should you hope they don?t notice (or ask), or should you proactively raise the topic with your kids" When to talk to kids about cannabis
?Parents absolutely should be talking to school-aged kids about cannabis,? says Ruth Cordukes, a public health nurse in Waterloo, Ont. ?This is an age when it?s so easy to have these conversations. They?re not actively using it, so they?re not feeling any judgment. It?s more about answering curiosity. It?s a great opportunity for parents to tell youth what they, as parents, think before the child is actually faced with choices.?
Cordukes recommends following your child?s lead (such as talking about the skunk smell) and using age-appropriate language, l...