Parents find it very difficult to talk to their children about marijuana. In fact, many parents confronting the issue of teens and drugs are forced to contend with the fact that they themselves have experimented with marijuana in their youth. However, opponents of marijuana legalization argue that marijuana is not the same drug that it was back in the sixties and that now we know the true dangers of this widespread drug. It is therefore not hypocritical for parents to educate their children and warn them about the dangers of drug use. Marijuana is a large part of youth culture; its constant glamorization makes it seem cool and exciting. The drug has been further indoctrinated into our culture through hemp jewelry and clothes, concerts, movies, and rallies. The thin veneer of coolness attached to marijuana is especially pernicious because it blinds kids to the real dangers of the drug.

The reason that it is so difficult to have a discussion on the medical value of marijuana is that many opponents argue that the advocates are simply using the medical issue as a wedge to open up complete legalization of the drug. Consequently, parents are forced to appear unsympathetic to the plight of the terminally ill and to those suffering from chronic pain, when in fact they are concerned that legalization would make marijuana even more prevalent and readily available to their kids. Furthermore, many parents are unsatisfied that marijuana is really a "miracle drug," pointing to scientific studies that doubt the efficacy of using marijuana as a treatment. In fact, marijuana use, even for medicinal purposes, is not without negative side effects. It is possible that marijuana causes cancer because it contains some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke, and people who smoke marijuana also often develop the same kinds of breathing problems, such as coughing and wheezing, that some cigarette smokers have. Some people have even pointed to the possibility that marijuana causes damage to the brain.

Many parents feel that there are good kids who in fact stay away from marijuana because it is illegal, and therefore, it would become a losing battle to encourage abstinence in the face of legalization. If marijuana were legalized, even for limited medical uses, our children might get the message that pot is not really dangerous. Furthermore, if complete legalization were to take place, even age restrictions would do little to curb teenage marijuana use. Marijuana would become like alcohol or tobacco, and we already know about the problems inherent with those drugs. If marijuana use is permitted by society and by the police, then we are left only with the parents' initiative in teaching our youth what is really wrong with marijuana: their message is likely to be lost in the face of this drug's glamorization and prevalence.

Many parents fear that marijuana use will also lead to abuse of "harder" drugs, such as cocaine, LSD, and heroin. Because marijuana is seen as a "gateway" drug, parents feel that it is especially important to make sure that our kids do not get the message that there is nothing wrong with marijuana use. Long-term studies of high school students have shown that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. In fact, using marijuana puts children in contact with the very people that are the users and sellers of other drugs, and they are therefore likely to be exposed to and urged to try more drugs.

Many opponents of marijuana legalization point to the amotivational response and to the disengagement from their parents and schoolwork that develop in children who use the drug. Some of the effects of being high are dizziness and difficulty walking, very red and bloodshot eyes, and difficulty remembering things that just happened. Some studies have shown that smoking large amounts of marijuana for years can cause more permanent damage to mental functions because it affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention, and learning. Furthermore, while marijuana may not be "physically" addicting, it is clear that many people are addicted to the drug. When a user begins to seek out and take marijuana compulsively, that person is said to be dependent on or addicted to the drug. In 1995, 165,000 people who were entering drug treatment programs reported that they primarily used marijuana and that they needed help to stop using the drug.