A. January and February
B. April and May
C. June and July
D. September and October

The answer is C—June and July. There is a 40 percent increase in the number of youth who try marijuana for the first time during these 2 months compared to the rest of the year.¹ Each day in June and July, an average of 6,300 youth try marijuana for the first time.² Think of it like this—that’s 700 baseball teams.

National Alcohol Screening Day 2005
These statistics are being used in outreach for National Alcohol Screening Day.

Mom, My Friend Is Using Pot
"Since my best friend started hanging out with Jamie and his friends, she never has time for me. When we finally got together last weekend, she told me she smokes pot with Jamie and other kids from school. She says she has it under control, but I'm really worried. I don't want to be too critical of her or she'll quit talking to me. What can I do?"

Who's Using Marijuana?
Marijuana has long been the most frequently used illegal drug. But what about today’s youths—how many of them are using marijuana? How young are they when they start using the drug? Are some youths more likely than others to use marijuana? Is marijuana use among young people increasing? The latest national survey results provide answers to help parents and caregivers keep a finger on the ever-changing pulse of teen drug use.

I Tried Marijuana. What Do I Tell My Teen?
"Dad, did you ever smoke marijuana?" Many people tried marijuana when they were younger. If you were one of them, what do you tell your teen about your past drug use? If you smoked marijuana in your younger years, you might face some conflicting feelings when it comes to answering your teen’s questions. After all, you don’t want to lie. But you also don’t want your teen to think that it’s okay for him to smoke marijuana because you smoked it when you were younger.

Ads Linked to Unhealthy Habits in Kids
Usually, you can’t watch TV, go shopping, or surf the Internet without being flooded with advertisements. But you aren’t the only one who is exposed to ads. Your child sees them, too—in movies, music, and magazines and on the Internet and TV.

High School Success Helps Keep Teens Drug Free
High school can be an ongoing lesson in time management as students try new activities and meet new people. They often juggle busy schedules and may want to push schoolwork aside to do other things. But teens who get good grades are more likely to choose to stay away from drugs.¹ Monitor your child’s activities—and how he schedules them—to help him achieve school success.

Summer Activities
The lazy days of summer are here! What is your teen up to this summer? Is he lying around the house? Is he spending all his days watching TV? Research shows that teens who often are bored may be at a higher risk of using alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. The lazy days of summer are here! What is your teen up to this summer? Is he lying around the house? Is he spending all his days watching TV? Research shows that teens who often are bored may be at a higher risk of using alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.¹ The fact is that there are many positive activities they can get involved in over summer break.

Survey Shows Parents Need Facts About Ecstasy
A harmless feel-good drug—that’s the mistake too many young people make about ecstasy. Known as a “club drug” because it often is used in dance clubs and all-night dance parties called raves, ecstasy burst onto the social scene in the 1990s. By 2003, 1 in 12 eighth-graders said they had used the drug.

Know What Your Child Is Doing on the Internet
The Internet is a great resource for all of us and useful for learning or play. It is now a main source of information for what’s “cool” and current in the world. From music, fashion, entertainment, sports, homework, and instant communication with friends (Instant Messaging or IM), the Internet is the most popular way among youth to “get connected.” Unfortunately, the Internet also can be a threat.

Caffeine and Teens’ Sleep: An Eye-Opening Study
You may have spotted your teen staying up later than he used to. Activities that could be filling his late hours might include computer games, TV shows, phone calls, or music. Have you ever thought about caffeine intake as one of the reasons your teen is a night owl?

National School Breakfast Week Is March 8–12, 2004
Eating a good breakfast is good for everyone, especially children. Many people know that kids who eat breakfast have better math grades and reading scores. What people usually don’t know is that eating breakfast also improves their mental health. Children who eat breakfast show fewer signs of depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, and other behavioral problems. They are more able to pay attention in class and they miss less school than children who skip breakfast.

Ecstasy May Be the Drug of Choice for Lonely Teens
Over the past decade, ecstasy has become a drug of choice among teens and young adults. It is one of several club drugs, so called because they were once used mostly at dance clubs, bars, and all-night dance parties known as raves. But now, some young people and adults have begun using the drug at home and in other settings.

Teen Dieting and Risky Behavior
TV, movies, and magazines are full of images of bodies that are too perfect to be real. Children and teens see these images all the time, and they may wish they could look like the ultra-thin models they see. What they may not know is that almost every picture in a fashion magazine has been “touched up” in some way to make the models look better. Teens often try to look like these unreal pictures by going on extreme diets.

More To Do Means More Stress To Manage
Most students’ goals for the new school year include making friends, getting better grades, studying more, participating in a club or group activity, and getting a job. The majority of 13- to 18-year-olds also reported that they want to get more sleep at night and “make time for the things I want to do.” Children and teens today are under more stress than ever. By burning the candle at both ends, these kids are burning out.

Know What Your Child Watches and Listens To
Music often is described as “the universal language.” Music can affect our emotions. Sometimes musical pieces remind us of events in our lives and can cause us to feel joy or sadness, even years after the event. The impact of music on the mind is said to be so great that listening to music that constantly repeats violent words and phrases etches those ideas in the mind. For this reason, adults should carefully monitor the music their children listen to for violent and other negative messages.

Know What Your Child Is Reading
Reading is important to every child’s development. We take time to read to our children when they are little, but we often pay less attention to our children’s reading as they grow older. If you are aware of your child’s reading choices; you can reinforce the values you prefer, and help her make wise reading choices at every age.

Do You Know Where Your Child Is?
It's 4 p.m. on a school day. Do you know where your child is? If she's a teenager, you may not. As your child gets older and makes more and more of her own decisions, don't assume that you can let go of your responsibility to monitor her activities. Your role becomes even more important at this stage of her life. Don't be afraid to set rules for your child; this is a time when he needs you to be a parent, not a buddy.

Know What Your Child Plays
Today's children live in a computerized world that includes most of their play and entertainment preferences. Interactive entertainment-video and computer games—is very popular with children of both sexes. Many of these games are very entertaining and sometimes an educational way for your child to spend time with friends, but there are some that you may not want your child to play.

Get Your Child Involved in After-School Activities
If you're not home when your child's school bell rings, you probably hope that he will stay out of trouble until you get home. It's during these after school hours that children are more likely to get involved in alcohol or illegal drug use, gangs or violence, and sexual activity.

Who's Using Marijuana?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health (NSDUH) is administered to youths as young as age 12. Here are some important numbers from the 2003 survey and what they mean regarding marijuana use among youths

* We refer to a child as "him" in some places and "her" in others. We do this for easier reading. All information applies to both boys and girls unless otherwise specified.