Hi everyone, I haven't posted on here in forever, and I know many of us now have teens, which is crazy, since I came on here when my first DD was born almost 18 years ago. I have always considered this board such a great source of valuable advice which is the reason for my post.
I am reaching out because my teens and I have recently been talking about vaping. During one of our discussions it came to my attention that a two of their friends are not only vaping, but vaping THC. These are very high achieving students, so it was a bit surprising, but these days with what kids are doing I guess I shouldn't be so surprised anymore. My kids said that not only is vaping rampant, but a lot of kids are vaping THC. They are telling me a lot of the kids are doing it with THC oil, so it is virtually undetectable, compared to traditional pot which has that very specific scent. This is all so disturbing. Back in the day when I was a teen, if kids smoked pot, you could at least smell it!! I have talked to my kids about making good choices, and I hope that they are not tempted to try any type of vaping. My kids are normally VERY private, so the fact that they even told me this was atypical for them. I also have a relative in another state who is also a school social worker and she has told me how rampant it was at her high school, which is very affluent. Our HS is probably middle/upper middle class and definitely a good amount of affluent students as well.
So a few days ago, I was talking with one of the parents of the friend who was vaping THC, and apparently the parent is aware (she caught her about a month ago) and both the teen and the parent are supposed to be going to counseling. I got the impression they have not started yet as there was someone they wanted to see specifically who is hard to get an appt with. The parent said her teen's justification for doing it is because she has a hard time sleeping at night, I'm guessing due to anxiety, which I know is an issue for many these days. She said the teen also feels like she does school work and school activities all the time, and wanted some "fun" in her life. The parent said she was struggling with boundaries, and how to handle the situation, since despite being a super high achiever, the teen is also a bit rebellious. The parent has been doing routine room checks, but is afraid her teen now knowing this is going to hide it more, if she is still doing it.
Has anyone had kids that have done this? Vaped regular nicotine or THC? I know this is a very personal issue so if you don't feel comfortable posting here, please feel free to pm me. But I wonder if my kids were doing this how would I know? What would I look out for? I've been reading much more online since I want to educate myself, since I was worried enough about the vaping and the potential health consequences. But THC too?
Thanks in advance!