5.2   Lesson 2: The Precarious Situation of Parents

Parents were consistently described by youth and by themselves as a weak link in the effort to educate children about the dangers of drugs. Parents freely admitted their children know more than they do about the signs of drug use, what drugs look like, and the effects of using drugs. Youth commented on the fact that many parents are poor role models because they use drugs themselves or, in some cases, because they look the other way while their children use them. Future Media Campaign efforts should identify ways to address the following suggestions offered by parents, youth, and community representatives:

• Parents often are in denial about the extent and severity of youth drug problems. Parents need to understand that their own children experience the same pressures as their children's peers.
• Parents urgently need to know more about drugs, their risks, what they look like, and how youth gain access to them.
• Parents often lack credibility with youth, especially if the parents are present or former drug users. Parents need to know how to capture the trust of their children.
• Many "baby boom" parents tend to view marijuana (and often alcohol) use by adolescents as a rite of passage that need not be taken too seriously. Parents need to know about the dangers and risks of using the marijuana currently available (which may be far more potent than the marijuana available 20 to 30 years ago).

Parents often described the anti-drug ads they had seen as tools that helped them to communicate with their children about drugs.