How Parents Can Promote Drug-Free Teens With Home Drug Testing Kits Keeping your kids safe and healthy is one of your top responsibilities as a parent. In general, you need to protect your children from the lack of common sense that may accompany their undeveloped maturity. While they may sometimes resent your perceived intrusion, children and adolescents need to be exposed to structure and boundaries, so that they can learn to create such things for themselves once they reach adulthood. Marijuana Use Is On the Rise Among Adult Users Marijuana use has been on the rise among adults in recent years. This is undoubtedly due – at least in part – to the fact that laws in many states have been enacted to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in October 2015, the percentage of adults who reported marijuana use actually doubled from 2001 to 2013. Approximately 30 percent of marijuana users can be considered addicted to the drug. Drug Use Among Adults and Adolescents Adults are not the only population experiencing increased drug use. Illicit drug use in general is increasing among both adults and adolescents. Based on findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported in June 2015, that approximately 24.6 million of Americans over the age of 11 have used an illicit drug of some kind “in the past month.” As for the same population (Americans ages 12 and older), marijuana use, in particular, had increased by nearly…half of the paper…our child, another one might be ideal . The knowledge that your child may be using drugs can be scary until you have time to process it. Keep in mind that drug abuse is increasingly common among adults, adolescents and children, and there are a number of steps you can take to prevent and combat drug addiction in your child. By keeping the line of communication open, remaining aware of your child's habits and behaviors, implementing at-home drug testing, and seeking treatment when needed, you can break the stigma of addiction and help your child focus on recovery instead. Link to images: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-13909049/stock-photo-teenage-pair-taking-drugs-at-homehttp://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-116296193/stock-photo- man-using-scissors -remove-the-word-I-can't-read-I-can-do-concept-of-belief-in-yourself%2C-positive-attitude-and-motivation