About

Cartoon

Parents Opposed to Pot came together in 2014 to counter the marijuana hype and present a more realistic message exposing the dangers of this drug.  Thousands of youths and families have been harmed by the misguided policy of marijuana legalization.  Parents Opposed to Pot exposes what the Press doesn’t report: marijuana legalization is a catastrophic policy failure.

In addition to “Bursting the Bubble of the Marijuana Hype,” we’ve added a new message, “If you permit it, you promote it.” Since marijuana masquerades as popular children’s treats and candies, every week we hear of new incidences of children ending up the ER.  The idea that legalizing weed would make regulation possible is one of the many fallacies of the legalization movement. 

In 2022, we came under the banner of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and, specifically, its Parent Action Network (PAN).  You can still see our posts on Twitter, on Facebook and on Facebook groups for specific states.  Volunteers manage these pages and groups.  Our main messages are that parents must unite to prevent kids from using pot, and that marijuana legalization doesn’t work.

We’ll continue to publish testimonies, but we’ll leave the policy content to SAM and much of the networking PAN.  We still have lots of social media links and pertinent information, but many other groups and non-profits can help you.

Parents Opposed to Pot talking points:

1) The turbo-charged pot of today and its derivatives – wax, shatter, butane honey oil and edibles –make cannabis far more dangerous than it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

2) Health education should include information on how marijuana works against mental health. Marijuana is a component cause for long-term mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and can be a trigger for anxiety, depression and suicide. Teens who regularly use marijuana are 7x more likely to attempt suicide. There are widely accepted treatments for trauma, PTSD and pain, which don’t necessarily required “medication.”  Marijuana should not be promoted as treatment for these conditions.

3) Any marijuana use compromises judgment, interferes with teen brain development and makes it more difficult for proper maturity into adulthood.  Depression, anxiety, social pressure and boredom are likely to worsen if your child uses marijuana.

4) Marijuana a foundation drug for other drug use. Studies show that 70% of those addicted to opiates or heroin began drug use with marijuana.

5) Zero tolerance for driving under the influence of marijuana should be a community standard. We want parents to warn their children not to ride in cars of those who have used marijuana, and make warning as vigorous as the message is against drunk driving.

6) We endorse that testing of cannabinoids through FDA approval process, to insure knowledge about side effects, toxicity and dosage.

7) We point out political hypocrisy and problems associated with legalized marijuana — advertising violations, environmental hazards, explosions, and the failure to solve social justice issues.  Marijuana is the substance of abuse most commonly connected to child abuse deaths.

Bursting the Bubble of Marijuana Hype