Finally, some good news in the fight for drug sanity: Earlier this month, Oklahoma voters resoundingly rejected a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use. With nearly all the precincts reporting, the vote was 62 percent opposed and 38 percent in favor of the measure.
Informed Families Blog
Bucking the Trend, Oklahoma Rejects Legalized Marijuana
Posted by Informed Families on March 19, 2023 at 3:55 PM
Topics: parenting, marijuana legalization, marijuana, teenagers, teens, cannabis
Today, widespread marijuana use has become an unfortunate fact of life. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized its use, and 20 others—including Florida—have approved it for medical use. Celebrities like Bill Maher, Willie Nelson, and Woody Harrelson brag about their constant use of the drug.
Topics: parenting, marijuana legalization, marijuana, teenagers, teens, cannabis
There are so many things we need to teach our kids to prepare them for a healthy, happy, productive life.
One philosopher thought endurance was the single most important life skill to teach our children:
“Endurance and to be able to endure is the first lesson a child should learn because it’s the one they will most need to know.”
—Jean Jacques Rousseau
Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, redribbonfridays
The Edible Marijuana Danger to Young Kids
Posted by Informed Families on February 19, 2023 at 9:23 PM
Here’s just one more reason why it’s such a bad idea to legalize marijuana: A recent report from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) found that calls to poison control centers about kids five and under accidentally consuming marijuana edibles rose from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021—a 1,375 percent increase. In 98 percent of these cases, the victims found the edibles either at home or at a friend’s house.
Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, redribbonfridays
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, one in every five students reports being bullied at school. It happens to all races, sexes, income levels, and grade levels, according to the center’s findings.
Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, bullies, cyberbully
Drum roll please... introducing the 2023 National Red Ribbon Week Theme: "Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug-Free."™
Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, redribbonfridays
Helping Our Kids Take Pride in Their Accomplishments
Posted by Informed Families on January 19, 2023 at 5:45 PM
So often it seems our interactions with our children consist mainly of telling them what not to do, and what they’re doing wrong. But sometimes we need to focus on what they’re doing right. Indeed, we need to encourage them more than just sometimes.
Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, accomplishments
Searching for Answers on the Fentanyl Crisis
Posted by Informed Families on January 15, 2023 at 1:53 PM
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported last month that federal authorities seized more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl last year, enough to kill every American.
Topics: parenting, drug, teenagers, drug abuse, study, teens, fentanyl
Study Finds Teens Missing the Message on Vaping, Tobacco
Posted by Informed Families on December 29, 2022 at 8:49 PM
In a sign that young people are not heeding the warnings about the dangers of smoking and vaping, a new study commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than three million U.S. middle and high school students used some form of tobacco product within the previous 30 days in 2022.
The Right Way To Involve Your Child in Sports
Posted by Informed Families on December 22, 2022 at 5:32 PM
When famed soccer reporter Grant Wahl died suddenly during the World Cup earlier this month, his wife, physician Céline Gounder, told CBS News, “I want people to remember him as this kind, generous person.”
Topics: parenting, teenagers, sports, teens, social media, Family Table Time