I just wish Rev would JoJo to pull his pants up. I figure it would be a little different than most teen,having such a strict father and all.

Mike Cann, while I agree with much of what you say regarding telling kids to say no to weed, how does your message change once it is re-legalized?

I tell parents not to rely on the "Don't do it cuz you'll get arrested" line. Yes, do explain that the harshest consequence of marijuana is an arrest, just don't use it as the support of the argument, because it undercuts our goal of re-legalization by giving parents a reason to oppose ending prohibition ("What'll I tell my kids when it's legal?")

There is plenty of reliable data showing frequent cannabis use to be detrimental to adolescent brain development. Dr. Mitch Earleywine has some good stuff on this in his "Parents Guide" book. You can make a rational scientific case for why people under age 18 shouldn't use cannabis on a medical basis.

Another way to explain it is from a mental health angle: "You have to have mastered reality before you should go about altering it. As a kid, you're not fully real yet. You haven't fallen in love or had your heart broken. You haven't gotten a job or been fired from one. You haven't felt the freedom of living independently of the burden of responsibility that comes with it. All these experiences trigger emotions, good and bad, and you need to learn how they feel and how to deal with them in the real world. Plus at your age, you're already high on adolescent hormones; your brain is a chemical party right now. When you're fully developed and fully in charge and responsible for your own life, when you're fully equipped to deal with reality, then you can make decisions about using cannabis."

Full disclosure: I am childless, so what do I know?

Dave, it's not that people can't change. It's the change that is BS that is getting called out.

Just a few months back at the Rock & Roll induction ceremony for RUN DMC, they credited marijuana for giving them the inspiration to come up with their name. Which got a big laugh from all and some publicity.

Now the boy gets busted and they trot out reefer madness? Many of us don't want to see kids smoking. And especially if you are a parent and your kid gets arrested. I think better advice is to tell the truth. The advice I give younger family members generally goes something like this. "Smoking anything isn't good for you. But pot is certainly less harmful than booze, cigs, heroin, crack. But the biggest risk and why you shouldn't even pick it up is because you can be arrested and it's expensive and not a habit you can afford. Once you start, if you like it, you'll only want to do it more. Smoking/rolling in a car, shows you don't get it. Smoking pot really is not for kids and something that should only be for folks who have earned their spot and can pay the consequences for using it. You get a house, apartment, job and can pay for your own arrest, lawyer, then come talk to me. To make your parents pay for this arrest, through the grief, worry and then the money, that's what childist, selfish people do. You are better than that. Don't do it."

But to go on and repeat complete BS that the kid is likely to figure out. Wha exactly does that accomplish? What good does that do? Perhaps when he picks up coke and they tell the truth, he won't believe them and then it's to late?

Moral of the story, don't lie to your kids about pot.

If you guys werent morons you would realize that maybe what you call being a "hypocrite" may actually be maturity. Judging someone by what they did 20 years ago is ludicrous. God forbid anyone changes from the time they were 20 till they are 40-Let me guess, you guys were douchebags 20 years ago...oh wait...