Professor Bobby Smyth

By 17, 18, I would say most teenagers have been in a situation whereby they've had the option of using cannabis.

Lots will have decided not to.

But most will have been in a situation where they could have used.

So all the more reason then at the age of 14, 15, ideally it needs to be parts of conversations.

There's no simple, really simple answer, but obviously the ones who are more inclined to rush in and give it a go are the ones who are a bit more impulsive, a bit more blind to risk, as teenagers tend to be on average relative to us as adults, and that's partly brain development as well.

Other teenagers, though, are more instinctively cautious.

They're more inclined to just stick with the rules if the rule has been provided.

Yeah, potentially, particularly if they know that maybe their parents are sort of, they see their parents as open minded and tolerant about a little bit of risk taking based on past experience.

Yeah, certainly on average, it's kids where they grow up in homes where there's less rules, there's less structure, they're more likely to make the unhealthy choices.

I suppose that's an extra reason to begin having conversations about what's happening out and about.

And I think it may be hard to ask a kid, do you take drugs or have you used drugs?

But ask them, do they ever see people who are using drugs?

Do any of their mates ever talk about drugs or vapes?

To be curious and to try and have conversations and see where that conversation goes.

And I suppose to try to stay calm in that conversation, that if they sort of say, oh, yeah, if they mention someone who vapes or does something that you're worried about, don't leap in and sort of say, I don't want you ever doing that.

To try to have a conversation to help them think through the pros and cons of that and maybe remind them why.

why you've given past advice that you think this is a bad idea and your hope that they continue to make wise choices.

The moment you become, if anger's taken over you, then you've sort of lost the conversation, I suppose.

They're gone.

Your challenge is to try to be calm.