Today's teens are the first adolescents to have access to discreet vape pens and gummies, to regularly see billboards for marijuana delivery services, and soon they’ll be the first generation of young adults who can hit the pot shop instead of the bar on their 21st birthdays. So how has legalization affected teenagers’ views of weed? How can adults have ongoing conversations and empower their kids to think about their substance use choices? And how can parents really connect with their teens to discuss the impact of cannabis consumption on young brains?

This episode's guest is Dr. Elizabeth D’Amico, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation; a nonprofit research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges. She's also an adjunct professor at UCLA’s school of Public Health, and a mother of two who is nationally recognized for her work on predictors, consequences, and interventions surrounding adolescent substance use. Brit and Dr. D'Amico discuss what studies show about cannabis and young brains, how advertising legal weed is impacting teens, and how parents can approach the topic of legal marijuana with their kids.

Read more on Dr. D'Amico's work in this issue of Different Leaf the magazine, available now at DifferentLeaf.com and at more than 1,600 retailers across the US and Canada, find your local seller at DifferentLeaf.com. Follow us on social media @differentleaf and @different_leaf and find host Brit Smith @BritTheBritish.