A Weed-Smoking Generation: Understanding the Trend and Helping Your Grown Child

By Ololade Hector

Cannabis, commonly called “weed”, “igbo”, or “marijuana”, is becoming alarmingly common among secondary school and university students in Nigeria, and parents are largely unaware. What used to be hidden is now normalised in music, skits, and peer groups. Parents can’t afford to ignore it.

Cannabis use among young adults aged 18–30 is also worsening and rising fast. For many, it starts as “just weekends” in university or during NYSC, then quietly becomes daily dependence. Unlike teens, young adults have legal freedom, income, and privacy. That makes the conversation harder, but more urgent.

Why are Young Adults Smoking Weed?

Peer pressure and the desire for “belonging” are the biggest drivers. Many teens and youths start just to fit in or avoid being called names like “egbe” (boring/unexposed), “Jew”, or “Holy Mary”.

They also justify it by pointing to others: “Lots of people take it and look okay. I know someone who’s used it for years without issues.”

That’s selective thinking. Bodies differ, and so do outcomes. Addiction happens. So do short- and long-term health damage, psychosis, financial loss, and a shredded reputation.

Other reasons include:

1. Stress & Adulting Pressure: Job hunting, underemployment, bills, and “What am I doing with my life?” anxiety. Weed becomes a quick escape.
2. Social Normalisation: It’s in Afrobeats lyrics, Netflix shows, and tech/bro culture. “Everyone does it” becomes the excuse.
3. Self-Medication: For undiagnosed anxiety, depression, ADHD, or trauma. They use weed to sleep, focus, or stop overthinking.
4. Misconceptions About Safety: The “it’s just a plant” myth. Many don’t know today’s THC levels are three times stronger than they were 10 years ago.
5. Accessibility & Privacy: No school uniform to check. They can order edibles, vapes, or “cookies” online and use them in their flats without parents knowing.

Signs Your Young Adult Child might be using or Dependent on Weed

Lifestyle: Job loss or frequent job changes, missing family events, money always “finishing” with nothing to show for it, sudden decline in hygiene or drive.

Behavioural: Withdrawing from family, irritability when not high, defensiveness about drug discussions, socialising only with other users, and declining ambition.

Physical/Mental: Red eyes, chronic cough, the smell, memory lapses, lack of motivation or “amotivational syndrome”, paranoia, and worsening anxiety when sober.

Evidence: Watch out for that unique smell (pungent, woody, pleasant aroma, often lemon-grassy, citrusy, piney, incense-like, earthy, or skunky — there are variants), bloodshot or glassy eyes, grinders, vape pens, rolling papers, edible packaging, constant use of incense, air freshener or heavy perfume, and unexplained debts.

How a Parent can help an Adult Child

1. Respect Their Adulthood, Keep Your Influence: You can’t ground a 24-year-old, but you can set boundaries: “You’re an adult and I love you. Weed isn’t allowed in my house or car. If you need help quitting, I’m 100% in.”
2. Talk Like an Adult, Not a Warden: Drop the lectures. Try: “I’ve noticed you seem really stressed lately. I read that a lot of young people use weed to cope. Is that true for you? I’m worried about your future and I want to help.”

Mention the effects of marijuana. These effects may last a long time or even become permanent. Tell them: “Smoking any product, including marijuana, can damage your lungs, increase your risk of bronchitis, and scar small blood vessels. Smoking marijuana can also increase your risk of psychosis, stroke, heart disease, and other vascular diseases.”

3. Focus on Function, Not Morals: Don’t argue that “weed is evil”. Argue that “weed is costing you or will cost you”. Connect it to their goals: jobs, relationships, mental clarity, and money. Ask: “Is this getting you closer to the life you want?” You have to present this calmly so they don’t tune you out. You may send them videos of repentant drug users who are now clean and sharing their ugly experiences.
4. Encourage Professional Help: Addiction is medical. A therapist or psychiatrist can address the anxiety or depression underneath. Suggest: “Let’s just talk to a doctor to check what’s really going on. I’ll go with you if you want.”
5. Stop Enabling, Start Supporting Recovery: Don’t pay debts caused by drug use. Don’t lie to cover for them. Do offer to pay for therapy, rehabilitation, or a skill-acquisition course. Help has conditions; love doesn’t.
6. Address Your Own Role: Did family trauma, pressure, or conflict push them towards escape? Family therapy helps. You can’t control them, but you can change the home environment.
7. Prepare for Resistance: They may say, “I’m fine” or “It’s not addictive”. Stay calm. Plant seeds. Say: “I’m here when you’re ready. I believe you can beat this.” Then back off and pray. Nagging builds walls.
8. Protect Your Peace Too: You can love them without drowning with them. Join a support group like Nar-Anon or talk to a counsellor yourself. You need strength to help them.

Final Word

Young adults use weed because they want to belong, life feels hard, and the drug feels easy. But long-term use kills motivation, harms the lungs, triggers psychosis in some people, and stalls growth. They don’t need your judgment. They need your wisdom, boundaries, and steady love.

Help is not forcing them to stop; they can’t be forced. Help is making it easier to choose sobriety over addiction. Help is talking to them about it before that one puff.

If you need counselling or rehabilitation for your child, seek professional help early from any of these organisations:

1. Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative
2. CADAM Epe
3. House of Refuge Lekki
4. NDLEA 24/7 helpline: 0800-1020-3040
5. Lagos State also offers free counselling at LASUTH and the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba
6. Others on Google

They may be adults, but they’re still your children. Don’t give up on them. Let’s fight for them before the weed wins.

Note: BE VIGILANT. Both males and females are involved in this ugly trend; it cuts across all demographics, and it’s not necessarily about bad friends influencing them, as we usually believe. Sometimes it comes from within the nuclear and extended family.

-Ololade Hector is the Founder of O5 Centre for Children.