Originally Posted By: Slab Happy
Quote:
Do you really think the choices your kids will make about drug use will be influenced by the legal status of drugs or by being educated about drugs and drug use?


Shall we use underage drinking as an example? or smoking? or unprotected sex? or cleaning up their rooms.......or anything else?
C'mon Salmo.......we aren't talking about your angels....it's the other ones that just might do their own thing.


Sure Slab, use any example. Underage kids will still drink or smoke, which are already illegal. See how well making forbidden fruits illegal works? Hint: it doesn't! Smart kids will weight the potential risks against the potential (perceived) benefits, just like they always have. Not so smart kids will, well, they won't be so smart. Just like they always have. I agree that a few will try some things because they are legal that they wouldn't have if they were illegal.

Truth be known, I only know one peer who didn't touch drugs or alcohol because they were illegal, and a few who didn't during sports seasons because of coach's rules against drinking and smoking (we didn't have drugs at our school quite yet.). Declaring drugs or booze illegal has only slightly greater than zero effect on detering use among the young.

My angels weren't the only smart kids. The majority of their peer group was too. And just like always, there are a few who made really piss poor decisions, the ones who drank and drove, the one who tried tagging (graffiti art) on a wall next to a PSE transformer and got electrocuted, but not a single drug addict as far as they know, and they've been out of high school 13 and 16 years, respectively.

Sg