As cannabis legalization draws nearer, a poll reveals many parents across the country are uneasy talking to their children about marijuana.

Now is the time to have that conversation, and if you’re unsure how, there’s advice out there on how to do it.

If your child came home stoned, would you be able to tell?

Shannon Meadows and Paul Meadows don’t know. They say they haven’t seen it yet.

Only one third of parents are confident they could tell if their children were high.

That's according to Organigram, the Moncton-based cannabis producer surveyed parents across Canada and found more than half were concerned about legalization.

“What I’d be worried about is addictions,” said Paul Meadows. “And you never know you’re addicted to it until you try it. And then you're hooked.”

And there are risks for younger users, something experts say teens should know.

“It can be especially harmful if they begin smoking cannabis early in life and graduate to using cannabis in a daily, heavy manner,” says psychologist Simon Sherry.

 So what do you tell teens?

“This conversation is not an opportunity to launch into an anti-drug crusade,” Sherry said. “You're going to want to be curious in speaking with your youth; you're going to want to be non-judgmental, and present factual information.”

Ray Gracewood is the chief operating officer of OrganiGram.

“The more comfortable that parents are having those conversations with their kids, means it's going to be a more comfortable discussion, it's going to be a well-educated discussion, and kids are going to feed off that understanding,” he said.

And Maritime parents are slightly ahead when it comes to tackling the heavy topic.

“In the Atlantic provinces, in all of the provinces, that region has the highest understanding of the product, and the highest comfort level talking to their kids,” Gracewood said.

One parent offered this wisdom.

“It's important to be open, because if we're not, who knows what could happen?” said Lori Van Heuveln.

With about seven weeks until legal pot, experts say the time to have the talk is now.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron Cadloff.