How Do We Handle Weed and Vaping While Raising Adopted, Foster, and Relative Kids?

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Are you educated and informed on the issues around weed and vaping, including THC, nicotine, and the signs of addiction? Listen to this interview with Dr. Krishna White. She is an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with board certifications in Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, and Addiction Medicine.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Can you explain why kids who’ve experienced trauma, prenatal substance exposure, or who are neurodivergent may be at greater risk for turning to substances like marijuana or vaping?
• How are kids typically using marijuana today? (edibles, vaping THC, traditional smoking, oils)
• Are kids generally aware of what they’re consuming, especially when it comes to the potency of today’s marijuana?
• What are some of the short-term effects of marijuana use in adolescents?
• What long-term impacts are you seeing in your clinical practice, especially for kids whose brains are still developing?
• Now let’s move to vaping – what it is, why it’s so popular, and what we need to know about how kids are using it.
• Can you break down what vaping is and what substances kids may be inhaling?
• Why is vaping so appealing to tweens and teens, even those who’ve never used another substance?
• What are some of the immediate health concerns tied to vaping in young people?
• And long-term—what are you most worried about when it comes to kids who are vaping regularly?
• What strategies can adoptive, foster, or kinship caregivers use to help buffer or “substance-proof” their kids?
• How early should conversations about marijuana and vaping begin?
• For kids who already have a higher vulnerability, what are some protective factors or environments that help reduce their risk?
• What are some signs that a child might be using marijuana or vaping—even if they’re trying to hide it?
• If a child has already started using, how can caregivers respond in a way that’s both firm and supportive?
• When does occasional experimentation cross the line into something that needs professional help?
• What are nicotine pouches – why are they appealing and what are the short or long term impacts we should know about?
• What would you say to a caregiver who’s feeling overwhelmed or ashamed that this is part of their child’s story?
• If you could offer just one piece of advice to a caregiver trying to navigate this with their teen, what would it be?

Resources:

• Prenatal Exposure, Part 2: Parenting Tweens and Teens
• Are Kids Exposed Prenatally More Likely to Abuse Alcohol & Drugs?
• Preventing Teen Substance Abuse - Center for Parent and Teen Communication

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