Tips For Parents
The Cases of Note team would like to offer tips for parents to recognize when your child may be using social media to purchase cannabis or other drug products. As social media platforms become more integrated into daily life, they are increasingly being misused for illegal activities — including the purchase of cannabis products, often by minors. Parents and guardians to stay informed and vigilant. Here are important signs and tips to help you recognize and address this behavior:
Look for terms like “plugs,” “gas,” “loud,” “trees,” or emojis like the maple leaf 🍁, cloud 💨, or a fire 🔥. These are often coded references to cannabis. Pay attention to abbreviations like “DM for menu” or “hit me up.”
Sudden Increase in Privacy or Secretiveness Online
Watch for changes in device use: quickly closing screens, deleting messages, or using secret accounts (“finstas” — fake Instagrams) and encrypted apps (e.g., Telegram, Snapchat, Wickr).
Watch for changes in device use: quickly closing screens, deleting messages, or using secret accounts (“finstas” — fake Instagrams) and encrypted apps (e.g., Telegram, Snapchat, Wickr).
Other Signs Include:
How Parents Can Respond
Set expectations
Educate yourself
Monitor your child's social media account
Instagram offers parental controls through "supervised accounts" within its Family Center. This allows parents to monitor their teen's activity, set time limits, and manage their privacy settings.
- Unusual patterns like staying up much later to “talk to friends” could also be a clue.
- Unexpected Cash Transactions or Use of Payment AppsKeep an eye on unfamiliar transactions through apps like CashApp, Venmo, or even gift cards.
- Watch for sudden requests for cash or unexplained disappearance of money or valuables.
- Packages Arriving at Home with No Clear OriginCannabis products are often delivered discreetly by mail.
- Be cautious if your child receives unmarked packages, especially if they seem overly eager to intercept deliveries.
- Changes in Behavior, Appearance, or Health
- Look for signs of cannabis use such as bloodshot eyes, unusual smells on clothing or in their room, increased appetite (“the munchies”), lethargy, or shifts in mood and motivation.
- Access to Vape Pens or Edibles - Many cannabis products marketed on social media look like regular candy, baked goods, or ordinary vape pens.
- If you find unfamiliar edibles or vape pens with no nicotine labeling, it could indicate cannabis use.
How Parents Can Respond
Talk early and often: Open, judgment-free conversations about drug use are proven to be effective.
Stay involved
Know your child’s friends, monitor their social media use, and keep devices out of bedrooms overnight.
Set expectations
Make it clear what your family’s rules and consequences are regarding drug use.
Educate yourself
Understand the slang, products, and platforms your child might be exposed to.
Monitor your child's social media account
Instagram offers parental controls through "supervised accounts" within its Family Center. This allows parents to monitor their teen's activity, set time limits, and manage their privacy settings.
TikTok offers a parental control feature called "Family Pairing" that allows parents to monitor and manage their child's TikTok account settings. Through this feature, parents can set screen time limits, control content filters, and manage who can send direct messages to their child, among other things.
Snapchat offers parental controls through its "Family Center" feature, allowing parents to monitor their child's Snapchat activity and settings. This includes viewing their teen's contact list, privacy settings, and recently communicated with users, while respecting the teen's privacy by not revealing message content.
Facebook does offer parental controls that allow parents to monitor their child's Facebook activity and privacy settings. These controls can help parents manage their child's privacy, time spent on the app, and who they interact with. Parents can send a supervision invite to their child's Facebook account, granting them access to view their child's friends, Messenger contacts, time spent on the app, and other activity details, as described in the Facebook help center.
Partner with the school
Stay in touch with teachers, school resource officers, and counselors.
Report concerns:
If you suspect illegal activity online, contact local law enforcement.
Early intervention can make a significant difference. Stay connected, stay informed, and help your child navigate the online world safely. Anyone with information about illicit marijuana sales can contact cannabis.ca.gov.
Early intervention can make a significant difference. Stay connected, stay informed, and help your child navigate the online world safely. Anyone with information about illicit marijuana sales can contact cannabis.ca.gov.