Discussing substances with our families.
Have you played the game bean boozled? Or ordered shishito peppers from a Japanese restaurant? We find ourselves drawn to the thrill of uncertainty of whether we’re going get out “safe” or risk drawing the vomit-flavored jelly bean, or the extra spicy pepper..
It’s all pleasurable when we’re participating in low-risk contests, but this same scenario of Russian roulette is occurring in perilous ways in our world right now, evidenced in the fentanyl crisis. Accidental drug poisoning is on the rise, where people don’t know until it’s too late what they ingested.
It is imperative that we non-judgmentally and factually educate ourselves and our youth so we can make informed decisions. When we chose to put anything in our bodies, we need to be aware of potential risks (based on factual evidence) as well as have a basic understanding of how metabolism works.
People are using the same substances they did in the past but in different ways, and some are experimenting with drugs that are entirely new. There are compelling reasons for using things in pill or edible forms. It's discrete- lacking the odor of marijuana or alcohol, one can engage without potential detection and thus consequences of punishment. NIDA reports that in 2021 10.2% of 8th graders, 18.7% 10th graders, and 32% 12th graders used an illicit substance in the last 12 months. Also, it’s easy to minimize experimentation with some substances: opiates are prescribed by physicians, so they can’t be that dangerous. Marijuana is legal, so it’s not risky.
But these things CAN be risky, particularly when they are obtained or used without oversight. DEA inspection of counterfeit pills consistently detect variable quanities of contamination within the same batch of pills of “cheap” fentanyl from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose). Alarmingly, 42% of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. In Ventura county, a stones throw from Los Angeles, 268 people died of overdoses between July 2020 and June 2021, a 64% increase from the 163 fatal overdoses between the year prior.
With the legalization of marijuana, more people are keeping products in their homes with some leniency in how they store it. Edibles are food products infused with cannabis extract. And here is where understanding metabolism is essential: when we inhale pot, the psychoactive substances go directly to the brain, so the onset of feeling “high” is about 20minutes. However, when we eat something, our body goes thru several “checkpoints” of breakdown, and so drug effects are delayed for 60-120 minutes. Additionally, people metabolize at different rates depending on their body size, cytochrome system (the things that break down substances), and other variables. For this reason, one may end up consuming a greater than intended amount thinking it isn’t “working”, and end up in a terrible situation.
It’s important to know that, like the inconsistent qualities of fentanyl in pain pills, the amount of Δ9-THC in edibles can vary across a single product and across batches formulated at different times (even if it says it holds x amount of THC, studies have shown its not reliable). In the worst case scenarios, high quantities can produce transient psychotic symptoms. Biologically, experts agree that the adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex responsible for planning and impulsivity, doesn’t complete its development until the mid 20’s. Some studies show that cannabis has potentially detrimental effects on cognition, brain and educational outcomes that persist beyond acute intoxication (although there is some reassuring data that with abstinence, most brains can fully recover)
After considering the information, we are left with many options about how we individually decide to engage. A few considerations are listed below, but I encourage anyone to “take what you like, and leave the rest” of these.
Lock up things you don’t want your child using without your permission. Don’t just hide them in a closet thinking they won’t be discovered- kids are clever! Consider locking up edibles just like any other risky or abusable substance (like pain pills, stimulants, guns)
Educate your kids about how our bodies metabolize things, and the risks of anything edible.
Encourage kids to try to avoid substances until 25 years old when their brain is more fully mature/developed (and again: educate on the WHY)
Consider randomly drug testing your children. I’m not encouraging this as a means to trying to catch and punish, but instead using as a means to protect. These can be purchased cheaply and discretely online. The way we discuss this at my house is: “I’m willing to be used as your excuse if you are feeling pressured by your peers to try something”, tell them (truthfully) “my mom tests me, I’d be screwed".
Along those lines: talk with your kids about what YOU think is reasonable and acceptable experimentation, as well as what makes you scared and WHY
Consider keeping fentanyl test strips (small pieces of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in a batch of drugs) at schools or in clinics— they are an affordable and easy way to save lives (As you can test the product before you ingest it)
Consider keeping naloxone—a drug to reverse opioid overdoses in emergencies- in the home, and educate people how and when to use it.