I don't think there's any use in using terms like "bad parent".
But i think the thing to be more concerned about is related to seeing drugs as the answer to life's problems, or unpleasant smotions or whatever.
I've been smoking weed since i was about 13 or 14, and i kinda wish i hadn't used drugs as an emotional crutch for so many years, because at this point, it's kinda instinctive to get high as a way of dealing with feeling sad or depressed or whatever.
Also, young developing brains are still growing and maturing. I don't know if there is any reliable data to tell us what impact drugs like cannabis can have on neurological and other types of physiological development - but i think most of us probably assume that it could be detrimental.
I know that when i started smoking weed as a young person, i noticed an impact on my memory and cognition - but (to me it seemed) nowhere near as bad as getting drunk on alcohol - though, to be fair, we're generally not able to perceive or accurately assess things like the cognitive affects of drugs.
But it's certainly, true that the younger you start using drugs regularly, the harder it tends to be to break or change the pattern of steady drug use.
I'm not sure what sort of answers you are seeking here, given that you're asking people's opinions, but don't want us to judge.
In a way, you're asking us to judge, and i'm not sure if people are likely to reassure you, or say that it's good to give a 12 year old cannabis.
I'm massively pro-cannabis - with certain caveats.
For me, it's great for sleep, for relaxation, enhancement of various pleasurable activities and other things like helping me get in the right mood to do creative stuff.
But weed is certainly not good (or safe) for everyone. I know lots of people who would love to be able to enjoy it, but they find it too risky in terms of paranoia and anxiety.
Cannabis is a powerful psychoactive in its own right, and used medicinally" (with the intention of "treating" something) it can work wonders.
It may be harmless for pre-teenage kids to toke occasionally, but i really don't think drugs are the best way to treat anxiety - not without trying non-drug options first, especially for someone so young.
Anxiety is a part of life for a lot of people, and learning to deal with anxiety is an important part of growing up, for a lot of us.
I don't think using drugs to deal with anxiety is an ideal approach - we will probably all encounter anxiety at some point in our lives, and developing skills to manage and cope with it is one of the most valuable tools we can equip ourselves with.
For a lot of people who are trying to overcome drug addiction, finding non-chemical ways of coping with anxiety is one of the hardest things to do.
This is especially challenging for adults who never developed a good set of skills to deal with anxiety in the first place.
It seems really common for people addicted to all sorts of different drugs (from weed, benzos and booze to strong narcotics like heroin) to have issues with anxiety - it's not unusual for anxious people to take drugs which calm their anxiety, and once addicted, anxiety can make it really hard for those people to adjust to living without that substance (or substances).
It's all the more difficult for people who started using drugs to treat depression and anxiety when they were young, because they not only have to work out ways to cope with and manage their anxiety without drugs - they might not have ever really developed those sorts of skills before they realised drugs could help them - so it can make those people's battles even more challenging.
I'm not going to judge you, or say you're a bad parent - but i think there are ways to approach your kid's anxiety which have far less potential risks associated with them.
Certain types of counselling (such as CBT - or cognitive behavioural therapy) is a far less problematic option, and one that can help her build some coping strategies which she'll then be able to draw upon in challenging situations for the rest of her life.
Physical exercise is really beneficial for lots of people dealing with depression and other mental health stuff.
Drugs are like a band-aid measure when it comes to depression and anxiety issues - getting high will mask it, which makes it easier to deal with temporarily, but in the medium to long term, it can kinda set people up to be more psychologically reliant on drugs to deal with their mental health, their moods or whatever else is going on in their head.
I think if young kids are going to take drugs, it's especially problematic if it's will the intent of self-medication.
Smoking weed for fun is one of the unofficial rebellious teenage rites of passage around the world, and that in and of itself is probably not terribly harmful, for most people that do it.
But i think if you're giving your kid weed because it seems to solve all their emotional troubles...that's probably not going to last forever; it sounds too good to be true - and raises a series of other potential problems.
