For some parents, legalization complicates how to talk about pot

By MARIA L. LA GANGA, JENNY DEAM

September 1, 2014

Laurie Ritchie prides herself on being an open-minded parent. She voted in favor of legalizing marijuana two years ago. She started talking to her daughters about drug use around the same time. She hasn’t stopped.

Now that recreational pot is legal in Colorado and Washington state for people 21 and older, “it’s everywhere,” the 53-year-old said. Even on her patio in this Denver suburb, where her husband sneaks an occasional smoke.

But Ritchie is aghast at the thought that her sixth-grader and her high school freshman might stumble upon their father puffing away on a joint — or worse, that he would openly smoke pot in front of them.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-parents-pot-20140901-story.html#page=1