How do schools organise a parents' evening on cannabis?

An evening on cannabis helps parents talk factually about risks, the law and ways of conversation. The school can organise it together with a specialist from addiction prevention. What matters is a clear running order: short information, open questions and concrete contacts to take home. Whoever plans it creates a shared basis for all families.

Preparation: who invites and who speaks

The invitation comes from the headteacher or the class teacher. It states date, venue and topic. A specialist should speak on the content, for example from addiction prevention or counselling. Parents can then see that it is about information and not about accusations against their children.

In advance, a short survey of parents helps: what questions do they have? The answers show what the evening must cover. The school should also check whether families need language support, and plan for this early.

The running order in four steps

1. Welcome and clarify expectations, about ten minutes.
2. Factual information on effects, health and the law, about thirty minutes.
3. Collect questions and answer them in the group.
4. Hand out contacts and material.

For the factual information, facts that are well established are suitable. The Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) points out that the young brain is in an important stage of development. The prevention material also states that the risks of cannabis are particularly high for young people. According to these sources, early use can endanger memory and school-leaving qualifications.

The law is part of this too. From the age of 18, possession within a limit of 25 grams of cannabis is permitted (section 3 KCanG). Consumption in the immediate presence of under-18s is prohibited (section 5 KCanG). Passing cannabis on to minors is a criminal offence (section 34 KCanG). Parents should know these points before they decide how to react at home.

Questions parents often ask

Many parents want to know how to recognise whether their child has a problem. A single sign is not enough for this. According to drugcom, what matters are the negative consequences of use, and the amount alone does not decide. One speaks of dependence when at least two criteria apply within 12 months. The article on Signs in your own child shows what to look out for.

Others ask what to do when they find cannabis. There is a separate guide for this. The evening should point out that parents are not alone. The Elterntelefon of Nummer gegen Kummer is anonymous and free of charge, while the Sucht & Drogen Hotline charges a fee. For local counselling centres, the school clarifies in advance which services exist and what they cost.

After the evening

Give parents written information to read at home. This includes the numbers of the counselling services. The Elterntelefon of Nummer gegen Kummer can be reached on 0800 111 0 550. The Sucht & Drogen Hotline can be reached on 01806 313031. Further services can be found through the article on brochures for parents.

After the evening, ask what was helpful and what was missing. A short feedback round shows which topics need room next time. Note the questions that remained open, so that they can be answered.

What schools should observe on data protection

The evening should not name any pupils. Cases from the class belong in a personal conversation and should be kept out of the group. Anyone who shows case examples uses them anonymised and without any reference to particular children. This protects the families and strengthens trust in the school.

Discussion rules for the evening

A parents' evening only works if everyone feels safe. This needs clear rules of conversation: nobody is criticised by name, questions are part of the evening, and case examples remain anonymous. The moderator makes sure that individuals do not dominate the whole evening.

I-statements help. A sentence such as “I am worried when my child withdraws” opens the conversation. A sentence that starts with “Your child” and contains a diagnosis tends to close it. The school should discuss these differences in advance.

Material and follow-up

A short information sheet with the key facts, counselling addresses and a list of questions for the child helps parents to read up afterwards. Anyone who ends the evening with a short survey learns which topics remained open. This feedback feeds into the planning for next year.

The follow-up should take place with the teaching staff. There it becomes clear whether questions recur and whether additional offers for families are needed.

When parents go home worried

Some parents leave the evening with more worries than before. There should be a point of contact for them. The Elterntelefon of Nummer gegen Kummer can be reached on 0800 111 0 550. The school can also point to counselling centres in the region.

Anyone who notices that their own child is already using should not decide alone. Counselling helps to plan the next step without panicking.

Where you can turn

For further information, the topic area on prevention and youth protection is suitable. How schools anchor prevention in everyday life is shown in the article on school-based prevention. A specialist lawyer clarifies individual legal questions. Courts decide each case individually, and a specialist lawyer can put this into context.