LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify mental health risks related to teen cannabis use; separate facts from myths about teen THC use and mental health; identify ways to seek help if you are struggling with cannabis use disorder.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others.

CASEL: Responsible decision-making

KEY VOCAB

cannabis

paranoid

potency

addiction

Lesson Plan: The Truth About THC & Mental Health

You might have heard that using cannabis is harmless. But in fact this drug can be extremely dangerous. Here’s what you need to know.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “The Truth About THC & Mental Health,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What are the mental health risks for teens who use cannabis?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “The Truth About THC & Mental Health”; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.

  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed? 

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz with Vocabulary Questions

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THC, divide your class into small groups to create a PSA-style social media campaign. This campaign should be aimed at educating fellow teens about the mental health impacts of THC. To help groups stay with the theme, have them start by using the skills sheet to write down three mental health myths about THC. From there, they should use information from the article or gathered through online research to write facts debunking each myth. Have them use their myth and fact pairings as a starting point to create engaging, persuasive PSA videos that tell the truth about THC and mental health.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech