What you don't know about drugs can put your teen at risk. You may think you know about the drug culture because drugs were around when you grew up. Perhaps you even tried marijuana at one point. But the drug culture has changed. Kids know more, are exposed to a greater variety of harmful drugs, and deal with pressures to try them from a variety of sources, from friends to music to movies. Additionally, many of the popular "designer drugs" are cheaper than pot and alcohol, so kids can afford them more easily.

If you think experimentation with alcohol and pot is just a harmless part of growing up, think again. The danger goes beyond what drugs and alcohol can do to the body. Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person's development. Getting high also impairs judgment, which can wreak havoc on teens in high-pressure social situations, leading to risky decision making on issues like sex, criminal activity or riding with someone who is driving high.

Your kids deal with pressure to try drugs at a much earlier age than you did. Researchers say that from 1991 to 2001, the number of 8th graders who have used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five.

Experts report that parents are in the best position to steer kids away from drugs. Even if their kids have already tried drugs, informed parents can act to save their kids from drug abuse. But there is much to learn. Visit our drug information area to learn more about the specific dangers of drugs.

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