How do schools involve parents in cannabis prevention?

Schools involve parents in cannabis prevention by speaking with them early and factually. According to the specialist page for teachers at cannabispraevention.de, parents must be informed immediately if cannabis is used on a school trip or holiday camp, or if drugs are brought along or traded. What matters is a factual tone: parents need clear information, time to think, and a concrete next step they can take themselves.

Why parents are needed early

Most pupils are minors, and special rules apply to them. Possession, acquisition and cultivation of cannabis remain prohibited for minors. Selling and passing on cannabis to persons under 18 is equally prohibited. For violations of the cannabis ban, the authorities inform the parents or legal guardians, as the specialist page on the legal situation records.

Parents are therefore important points of contact. School and parents should speak early, before a suspicion becomes a conflict.

When the school contacts parents

The specialist page names two clear situations in which parents must be informed immediately: use on a holiday camp or school trip, and “dealing”, meaning handing over drugs for payment or a service. Beyond that, the following occasions can serve as guidance (our own compilation, which the specialist page does not prescribe):

• A concrete incident in lessons, on school grounds or at a school event.
• A justified suspicion arising from observations over several weeks.
• Lasting changes, for example in grades, concentration, withdrawal or contact with other young people.

Concentration is a good example of an occasion. Frequent cannabis use disrupts concentration, which can also lead to problems at school and in training, as the BIÖG writes on its page on the dangers for young people. Changes in grades or concentration have many possible causes. Describe them without passing judgement on the cause. The specialist page advises raising cannabis use in the parents' conversation, agreeing on clear behavioural goals, and bringing in a supporting person such as the school psychological service or the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) when parents are overwhelmed.

A parents' evening that delivers something

A parents' evening on cannabis works when it states facts and does not frighten. A few clear points are helpful. These include that use in the immediate presence of persons under 18 is prohibited. Public use is equally prohibited in schools and within sight of them. According to the law, the sight range ends at a distance of more than 100 metres from the entrance area.

Health protection also includes the fact that the young brain is in an important phase of development. The BIÖG points out that a school or vocational qualification can be at risk in the worst case. A parents' evening should leave room for questions, including questions parents do not dare to ask themselves.

The conversation with individual parents

A conversation with individual parents begins with concrete observations: what happened, when, and how did the child react? Judgements such as “Your child is a pothead” help nobody. A clear request follows, for example a second conversation or contact with an advice service.

Parents may react with guilt, anger or playing things down. The specialist page notes that specialists do not find it easy to involve parents, because they cannot judge how parents will react. If the conversation stays factual, it is possible to talk about behavioural goals. The specialist page advises expecting follow-up questions, including questions about the parents' own use. Anyone who has thought about this beforehand stays relaxed in the conversation. The article How do parents raise the topic of cannabis properly? shows how parents can start themselves.

The role of teachers

Teachers are often the first to notice a change. They do not need a diagnosis for this. Careful observation is enough. The specialist page recommends addressing young people in a factual and differentiated way. Playing things down is a typical problem: young people tend to downplay their use. It therefore helps to name concretely the particular risk to young people.

Anyone involved in working with parents should clarify their own attitude.

Contact points for parents

Parents do not have to find their way alone. These offers help:

• The parents' helpline of Nummer gegen Kummer on 0800 111 0 550 advises parents in difficult situations.
• The Sucht und Drogen Hotline on 01806 313031 advises on addiction and drugs.
• The DHS Suchthilfeverzeichnis shows advice centres nearby, filterable by federal state and postcode.
• drugcom provides a Cannabis Check that allows young people to assess their own use.

A parents' evening in three parts

A parents' evening on cannabis can be structured in three parts. The first part covers the rules that apply to school and family. This includes the ban on use at schools and within sight of them, set out in section 5 of the Cannabis Act (KCanG), and use in the immediate presence of persons under 18. The second part concerns health. The young brain is in an important phase of development, and use can disrupt concentration. The third part covers help: advice centres, the parents' helpline of Nummer gegen Kummer and the DHS Suchthilfeverzeichnis.

School social work should attend the evening or introduce itself. Parents then know whom they can turn to, and they experience a service that is reachable. Questions should be explicitly welcome, including anonymous questions via a box or by email. The specialist page also refers to “Cannabis-Elternabende”, a BIÖG-funded programme for virtual parents' evenings with videos, available in several languages and in easy language.

After the conversation: following the course

After a conversation with parents, a short written note is worthwhile. It records what was discussed, which steps have been agreed and when the next conversation takes place. Such a note protects both sides, because everyone can later refer to the same state of affairs.

The course needs a contact person on the school side. Parents feel taken seriously when they know whom they can call. A fixed responsibility prevents information from getting lost between teachers.

What school and parents can do together

Cooperation works best with fixed agreements. School and parents decide together who speaks when, which information is passed on and who organises the support. A shared plan prevents the child from being pulled back and forth between school and home.

As a parent, you can start by seeking the conversation and asking the school for an appointment. As a teacher, you can inform parents early and name an advice offer. Anyone who is unsure can get advice from school social work, as the article What role does school social work play in cannabis cases? describes.