Is he smoking at home and school or just at home? I dont think its the end of the world, perhaps he can join a sport and get an activity or a job. If he has a job and his friends that also work there smoke pot, it makes it harder. I smoked and can tell you that
a. it seems cool at the time
b. its pretty harmless, unless he is driving or having sex.
c. boredom. Thats the biggest reason to smoke pot. you have nothing to do and sit back and think about stresses in life and wallah, they are gone.

Have you smoked?

My son smokes outside of school only, so far as I know. He is not old enough to obtain employment, and is not interested in sports or joining a club. He is only interested in hanging out with his friends and getting high.
Since he doesn't have job, and since most of his friends don't have jobs, I don't know where the money to buy pot comes from. I have all but cut him off, and if he says he needs something, I take him to the store myself. I no longer give him the money to do with what he wants.
He knows a lot of the local dealers, and pretty much only hangs out with other kids that smoke pot.
His marks in school are passable, not great, but he is passing. He does not participate in family things any more, and is seldom home, but follows curfew.
Some say it is a phase and will pass. Is there any guarantee of that?

i think a couple diff. outcomes could happen. I know relatives of mine went on to steal and lie to buy pot and moved on to heavy drugs. For me, i dated a guy that sold so i got mine for free. i never went on to harder drugs, and never felt the urge to. even at 15-18 when i smoked i knew many ppl that did coke too but i had zero interest.
most likely it is a phase until someone he knows pays the price (gets caught, gets locked up, gets expelled, or ?) I dont know. Does he realize that you know he smokes?

As far as the money part, he could be selling CDs or playing cards or trading lunch for pot, you name it. If one person has cigarettes, the other has pot, they trade a little of each, etc.

sorry to hear of your struggles. i have a 15 yr old son and a 13 yr old son...life is really difficult for them...and they are bombarded with so much craziness at school and in our neighborhoods.....and on the bus....best wishes!

My son smoked pot. He did it a lot apparently, but I hadn't a clue. I smelled it on him one night and asked him about it. He said he had been doing it for three years. I asked him where he got it, and he said he NEVER buys it. He just hangs out with people who share. When I asked him why he does it, he told me it helps him relax. He has ADHD. I talked to his doc about it, and he told me it was very common in ADHD kids to self-medicate. His doc said he would rather him smoke pot, in all honesty, than drink. He said watch him, and keep the lines of communication open. You need to watch for signs or evidence of harder drugs. It may be just a phase. My doc admitted that it was for him, and now he's a doctor! He was right, my son got tired of working low paying jobs that didn't drug test. He has a great job now. He realized he liked having cash, instead of smoking. Just keep an eye on him. Good luck, you are not alone in this.

My son smoke pot; got caught and drug tested. Bottom line, he was using to self medicate for depression. Psychiatrist has a medication that has made pot unnecessary and he feels like he can really be himself (smoke free). Do not overlook the mental health issues -- it is hard to know what is an illness or addiction and what is being a teenager. A place to start would be a surprise drug test to check use levels (low, med, heavy) and go from there. We used our pediatrician - you can also home test. Good Luck!

Didn't know my son ever tried it until he got arrested. Him and 2 other boys broke into a vacant home. Pot had nothing to do with that. It came out when we had to fill out forms for the Probation Officer.
He says he only tried it twice, and that was all since school started this year.
I smoked when I was a teenager and up into my 20's. Which of course I DID NOT tell him. IMO... I wish they would make drinking illegal and pot legal. No I don't smoke anymore. I have 2 kids now and it's illegal - would not be worth loosing my kids over for sure.
I was shocked when he told me - why?? Not sure.
Don't know exactly what advice to give you on this one. I know you love your son very much and don't want to see him go down a bad road.
I would not tell him it's okay. Right now I am trying to get mine into as many positive activities as possible. If they are busy doing other things then they don't have time to get into trouble. It's hard though if yours doesn't want to get involved with anything.
Does he like animals? Is there a shelter nearby that he could volunteer at? Just a thought.

I think you've hit a very familiar chord with all parents of teenagers. Smoking pot is very, very common these. However, since your son is only 15 years old, I would let him know that it is absolutely not acceptable to smoke AT home. It's hard to control what your son does outside of your home... but do not let him smoke in your home. I think that sends a bad message.

Also, I agree with the others, if your son is smoking on a regular basis (and not just socially) he probably is "self-medicating" and you might want to have him evaluated by a therapist. There may be underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Also, if you want him off the pot completely, there are home drug-tests that you can have him do.

Best of luck to you!

what about a counselor some one to talk to that may get to the bottom or why he is smoking pot and maybe get him on the road to recovery...how ever he won't get off of it til he is ready to.
I wish you and ur family lots of luck.
Morgaine

Pot is no good it slows you down. It has less problems than alcohol but thats not saying much. It is called a gateway drug meaning it leads to other drugs. I would forbid it and test for it. It is not acceptable for many jobs any more. It is hard to coverup in a drug test and stays with you a long time. It will ruin future oppertunities. Hopefully he will quit.

If I were you, I would run - not walk - to the nearest drug treatment center for an assessment. There they would be able to determine whether your son is addicted or not and at what level. I can't believe how people minimize pot usage. Sure there are those who have used it and don't get addicted, just as there are those who drink but don't become alcoholics. Last year, at around this time, I discovered that my son was using pot. He was 15. Unfortunately, as time went on ...he started in on other drugs and everything went down hill from there. My once happy-go-lucky son who was very respectful has turned into someone I don't know.......He's now addicted.... Just be careful............

15 is old enough to work. He just has to get a permit, and find somewhere that will hire him.

As far as the "self medicating" theory... And the other parents here saying it's alright or whatever, it's NOT alright. It's against the law, and if he gets caught the "self medicating" excuse will NOT work. it will NOT keep him out of trouble. Is it a phase? Could be, guarantee? No. I grew up around kids that smoked pot friends with most of them, and what do they do today? Hmmm.. One is 45 lives at home with mom because he won't work and is on harder drugs. Another? hmmm. She's moved around so much living off the state has had too many kids to name, all in states custody because she moved on to harder drugs. Another friend, still smoking pot, doesn't work, lives off the state, has one child, no car nothing to her name. I can't think of ONE single person that i've known to smoke pot on a regular basis that has made something of themselves. It doesn't happen often. Pot is a drug. There are reasons that it's not legal. Mainly for the affects it has on brain cells. In severe cases it's prescribed as a medication but that's in severe cases where the good outweighs the bad. If it were my son, I'd be issuing pop drug tests and if he failed he'd be grounded to stay home. PERIOD.

My 14 year old son was suspended from school for smoking pot in the locker room. He admitted to using it once before this.
He said he did it because he thought it would make him feel better. Since that time,
we have discovered that he has been seriously depressed to the point of thoughts of suicide. (Sorry, I don't mean to scare you.) Our situation may be quite different from yours though as he also has recently been diagnosed as bipolar (yes,
I am in the community also). However,
my point is, is your son using because he is
depressed? My son unfortunately keeps his feelings to himself. Perhaps some counseling would help to sort things out for him. Good luck with this!

My son started out on pot.
Look where he's at now.

I am in your shoes and desperate for someone to talk to. My son was arrested Saturday night and now we are faced with juvenile detention and who knows what else as a result. The problem with my son is..he sees nothing wrong with it and swears that no matter what we do or say, he will continue to smoke. I am scared to death he is headed to a worse drug addiction. I would LOVE to talk to you and have someone who knows what it's like to be where I am.