"My younger brother told me that his friends smoke pot and they are telling him that there's nothing bad about it. I think he's starting to believe them. How can I make him see that he really shouldn't smoke pot even if his friends are pressuring him to do it? "

It doesn’t sound like your brother’s friends are being very good friends at all. And they’re passing on bad information. To help him, encourage your brother to do some research on his own. Although marijuana doesn’t have the same lethal effects of some drugs, make no mistake, it is “bad”. The short term effects of marijuana are well chronicled, and they include: memory difficulties, lung problems worse than any cigarette smoke, and frequent paranoia. The long term effects of marijuana continue to impact the memory and general brain functions.

Of course, there are also other consequences that are not so obvious: using marijuana would possibly lead him to do things he never thought he would do and frankly increases your brother’s chances of being caught which would only add to his troubles. And sadly, a lot of people find that marijuana use robs their motivation to do something with their lives, resulting in decreasing grades, giving up activities like playing sports, and losing direction towards goals for the future.

Encourage your brother to stay away from pot and to read the research You may also want to suggest ways that you can hang out together as an alternative. It’s important that he has you as another influence in his life.

For more information about helping a friend who has a drug problem, visit the Help section.