What to Do If Your Teen Is Vaping or Smoking Weed

Found out your teen is smoking or vaping weed, or worried they might be? Before you react, here's something most parents don't know: peer pressure usually isn't the main reason.

👉 Want your teen to talk to you honestly about weed? Inside Parenting Teens Academy, parents learn to have hard conversations without lectures, stay calm when they find something worrying, and build the trust that keeps teens safer. Try it free for 7 days

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jessica Willoughby and Dr. Stacey Hust from Washington State University's Media Adolescent Cannabis (MAC) Lab. Drawing on their research, they explain how marketing, social media, and misleading packaging, not just friends, shape how teens think about cannabis.

If you've ever felt unsure how to talk to your teen about weed, you're not alone. This episode gives you the insight and language to have honest conversations without losing the connection.

If you're worried about your teen's substance use, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential, and open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why peer pressure isn't the main reason teens use weed today
• How marketing, packaging, and what teens think "everyone" is doing shape their choices
• What THC gummies, vapes, and "natural" branding do to how teens see weed
• How cannabis affects the developing teen brain
• Harm reduction strategies that help when prevention isn't enough

EPISODE CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Why teens are using cannabis
• 03:06 How cannabis affects the teen brain
• 07:30 How to talk to your teen about weed
• 12:15 Harm reduction strategies for parents
• 19:53 How marketing drives teen cannabis use
• 25:17 The problem with edibles
• 30:29 Tough calls for parents
• 32:28 Starting the conversation early

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• WSU Media Adolescent Cannabis (MAC) Lab
• SAMHSA National Helpline
• NIDA: Cannabis
• CDC: Cannabis and Teens
• Teens, Sex and Media Effects by Stacey Hust, Jessica Fitts Willoughby, and Rebecca Ortiz

CONNECT WITH DR. STACEY HUST

• LinkedIn: Stacey Hust
• Bluesky: @staceyhust.bsky.social

CONNECT WITH DR. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY

• LinkedIn: Jessica Fitts Willoughby
• Bluesky: @jwilloughby.bsky.social

CONNECT WITH DR. CAM CASWELL

• Website: AskDrCam.com
• Instagram: @DrCamCaswell
• Parenting Teens Academy

ABOUT THE SHOW

Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam is hosted by Dr. Cam Caswell, an adolescent psychologist and certified parenting coach. Each episode gives you practical strategies, expert advice, and real-world insight to build a stronger relationship with your teen.

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