My Teenager Is Using Ganja: A Calm Guide for Parents

Clinically reviewed byMst. SwampaSenior Clinical Psychologist · MS & M.Phil in Clinical Psychology (University of Dhaka) · BCPS memberLast reviewed October 2026

If you have found out, or suspect, that your teenager is using ganja (cannabis), the most useful first step is a calm conversation, not a raid or a beating. Cannabis affects the developing teenage brain more than an adult’s, so it is right to take it seriously, but anger and shame usually push young people to hide it better rather than stop. This guide explains the real risks, the warning signs, how to talk about it, and when to get professional help in Bangladesh.

Parents tell us the discovery often happens the same way: a strange smell in the room or on clothes, red eyes, a friend’s message seen on the phone, or a call from school. The first reaction is panic: “আমার ছেলে নেশা করছে, এখন কী করব?” Panic is understandable. What you do in the next few days matters more than what you feel in the first hour.

Why ganja is riskier for teenagers

The brain keeps developing until the mid-twenties, especially the areas for judgement, memory and impulse control. Regular cannabis use during adolescence is linked with:

• Memory, attention and learning problems, which show up as falling marks and losing interest in studies (NIDA).
• Dependence: starting young makes it more likely that occasional use becomes a habit that is hard to stop (WHO).
• Low mood and anxiety, including panic reactions after use.
• Psychosis in vulnerable young people, especially with frequent use of strong cannabis and a family history of serious mental illness (British Journal of Pharmacology, 2010).

In Bangladesh there are two extra risks. Ganja is illegal, so a young person can get into serious trouble with the law. And ganja sometimes comes through the same networks as yaba and other drugs, so a teen who is using one substance may be offered others.

Signs your teen may be using

None of these prove drug use on their own, since many are also signs of ordinary teenage stress or depression. Look for a cluster of changes:

• A sweet, grassy smell on clothes, in the room or the bathroom; red eyes; frequent use of eye drops or perfume.
• Sleeping at odd times, very late nights, being unusually hungry at night.
• A sudden drop in school or coaching results, missed classes.
• New friends you do not meet, secretive phone use, coming home late with vague explanations.
• Money going missing, or constantly asking for money.
• Loss of interest in old hobbies, more irritability, flat or “spaced out” mood.

If you have just found ganja in their room

The first day decides a lot. A few practical steps:

• Pause before you confront. Wait until you and your spouse have talked and you can speak without shouting. A few hours of calm planning beats a midnight showdown.
• Do not keep it in the house. Ganja is illegal to possess, so do not store it as “proof” or show it around the family. Dispose of it.
• Decide together what you want from the talk: to understand how often and why, and to agree on next steps. Not to win an argument.
• Keep it inside the household. Telling uncles, aunts or neighbours turns your child’s mistake into a family scandal and makes honesty much harder.
• Write down what you have noticed over recent weeks (sleep, money, marks, friends). It helps you stay factual, and it helps a psychologist later.

If your teen is high or unwell right now

Do not try to have the serious conversation while they are intoxicated; it will not stick. Stay with them, keep the room calm and quiet, offer water, and let them sleep it off on their side if drowsy. Strong ganja can cause frightening panic, a racing heart or vomiting, which usually settles within hours. Call 999 or go to a hospital emergency department if they are hard to wake, have chest pain or a seizure, are confused or seeing things, may have mixed it with yaba, alcohol or pills, or talk about harming themselves. Have the real talk the next day.

How to talk to your teenager about it

• Choose a calm moment. Not when they are high, not in front of relatives, and not when you are furious.
• Start with care, not accusation. “I am worried about you. I noticed a few things and I want to understand” works better than “Are you a drug addict now?”
• Ask and listen. Why are they using? Friends, boredom, exam stress, sleep, sadness, to feel confident? The reason tells you what needs fixing.
• Share real facts, briefly. Teens switch off during long lectures. A few honest points about memory, mood and the law are enough.
• Agree on clear, fair rules together, with consequences you will actually follow through, such as phone limits or coming-home times. Avoid threats you will not keep.
• Keep both parents on the same page. If one parent shouts and the other secretly covers up, the teen learns to play one against the other.

What usually makes it worse

Beating, locking them in, public shaming in the family, constantly checking their phone without explanation, or cutting them off completely. These reactions are common in our culture because parents are terrified, but they break trust, and trust is the main thing that keeps a young person talking to you. Sending a teenager to a rehab centre at the first discovery is also usually not necessary and can be frightening for them. Most teenagers who have experimented need guidance and counselling, not admission.

Look after yourself too

Finding out your child is using drugs can bring up fear, anger, guilt (“where did I go wrong?”) and worry about what relatives will say. Those feelings are normal, and they can make it hard to stay calm with your teen. Talk to your spouse or one trusted person rather than the whole family, and consider a session for yourself. Parents who feel supported make steadier decisions, and teenagers notice that steadiness.

Prevention: what protects teenagers

The strongest protection is not surveillance but connection. Teens who have at least one adult they can talk to without being shouted at, who know the family rules and the reasons for them, who sleep reasonably and have some activity they enjoy (sport, music, a club), are much less likely to fall into regular drug use. Ask about their friends with curiosity rather than suspicion, and talk about drugs early, before an incident, so the topic is not only raised in a crisis.

When it is more than experimenting

Get professional help soon if your teen:

• uses regularly (several times a week) or cannot stop despite promising to;
• is also using yaba, alcohol, sleeping pills or other drugs;
• seems depressed, very anxious, or talks about not wanting to live;
• becomes suspicious or paranoid, hears or sees things others do not, or talks in a confused way.

The last group of signs can point to psychosis and needs a psychiatrist quickly. If your child is in immediate danger, or you are worried about their safety tonight, call 999.

How counselling helps

A psychologist works with the teenager and, usually, with the parents too. Counselling helps the young person understand why they use, build motivation to change, handle peer pressure, manage stress and sleep, and deal with any depression or anxiety underneath. Family sessions help parents set boundaries without daily fights. For heavy or long-term dependence, a psychiatrist and a structured treatment programme may be needed; our guide to rehab centres in Dhaka explains what to look for. You can read more about addiction support and, if screens are part of the problem, about teen phone and gaming addiction.

Sessions are confidential, online across Bangladesh or in person in Dhaka. If your teen refuses to come, book a parent session first: you will get a plan for the conversation at home. Our guide on how to talk to your teenager about therapy can help.

If you are worried about your teenager’s substance use, mood or safety, a child and teen psychologist in Dhaka can assess the situation and guide your family, online or in person.

Frequently asked questions