As I watched parents with teenaged kids speak at the meeting regarding the marijuana dispensary, I thought, are things really that bad?

I grew up in the affluent Arcadia neighborhood. In 1974 we had our share of “stonies” at school and they never hurt anyone that I know of. Yet, by the time of graduation, one student had been killed from J-walking, another died from acute asthma, and another from an aneurism. All young. All tragic. None from marijuana use.

When my own child became a high school student, I moved to Fountain Hills. I thought a small town environment was better than an over-crowded Saguaro High School. I thought, “It would be easier to keep track of friends, etc.”

But, I was wrong. The environment here for teenagers is very isolating. The malls, jobs and transportation just do not exist, leaving little to do. My teen got in trouble, and I did my share of grounding. Things only got better when I withdrew and subsequently enrolled my teen in Scottsdale Community College as a “special status” student.

Since, I have seen my child receive honors in graduate school, and now a successful career. As in my own experience, my teen also went through a few losses; one killed in a car accident, another in a helicopter crash, and another killed by a drunk driver while riding his bike. No marijuana deaths to speak of.

Thus, I’ve concluded that today is no different than it was back in the ‘70s. Fear not the marijuana dispensary. What is really dangerous for teens really lays in you, the parents, and how you react to their challenges.