For the love of god, talk to your kids about drugs....

[Captain Adverse]

Well **** me that's awful. The trouble he would have got in for those drugs is so minor, and that's eve if they noticed them. To do that is just awful.

This is a good example of what happens thanks to the "War on Drugs." Kids so fearful they act rather than thinking.

Now maybe he did think about trying to talk his way out of it, maybe not.

But... Maybe the cops could have charged him with illegal possession of prescription drugs for sale (depending on the amount he had). That would have also allowed them to seize the car under asset forfeiture provisions of federal drug law. So maybe he was just a scared enough due to all the "cop" reality shows on TV, as thoughts like those possibilities ran through his head as he was being pulled over, that swallowing seemed a better option than being caught with drugs.

Sadly, now we will never know....

 

[Sarcogito]

I remember when I was a teenager my mom had a conversation with me about drugs. She broke them down into categories:

Prescription drugs and narcotics: Don't play around with them. They will likely hook you and are easy to OD on.

Psychedelics: Can change the way you look at the world and CAN be a positive experience. While they won't hook you or kill you, if you take the wrong dose in the wrong state of mind you may have a trip so bad you will wish you were dead. She told me about both good and bad trips she had on shrooms and LSD. She said if you ever take them, have a spotter. Make sure they aren't laced.

Marijuana: Light em if you got em, but watch out for the cops. Ok, she didn't exactly endorse it but she made it clear that other than the legal aspect, she didn't see any harm in it.

To this day I have never taken an illegal drug, but I respected my mom for being frank with me.

 

[Aquilasmith]

Hi there everyone...drugs are really plaguing the country..it is a shame our kids are getting prone to it..something seriously should be done in this direction..anyway i am new member here so just looking to make an intro..my name is Acquila..hoping to have a great time out here.;

 

[radcen]

As I stated in my original post, this is really the foundation of all problems related to drug abuse. At every level of our society we either misinform or outright lie to our youth about the relative merits of drug use.

Everyone remember the "This is your brain on drugs" commercials, or the "Just say no!" advertising program? Then there is the "gateway drug" ideology that so many people still adhere to. And of course we have the founding model of dis-information formats in "Reefer Madness."

The simple fact is we LIE to our kids. In a misguided attempt to try to keep them absolutely safe we tell them things that empirical evidence clearly refutes.

The truth is that some illegal drugs are actually safer to use than either alcohol or cigarettes. They are even safer than using most prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter drugs. Others are have side effects equivalent to usage of alcohol, or as addictive as cigarettes. The remainder are highly addictive and seriously harmful physically.

But we don't differentiate when we talk about these things with our youth; instead, like sex, we simply try to scare the hell out of them. Then they go try them and (at least initially for even the most harmful) don't seem to experience any of the horrible effects society keeps telling them about. After that they just stop listening and by the time they discover what is true and what is false it is too late to correct the problem.

We need to face reality. Kids are SMART, just inexperienced. Have honest dialogues, discuss the merits both GOOD and bad of drugs, without over-emphasizing either. Enable your kids to think they can come to you and discuss options or seek help without unreasonable repercussions. That might make all the difference between their choosing abstinence, becoming a recreational user, or a falling into full-blown addiction.

Excellent post. I can't even pull out a part that I like best, it's all that good.

Side note: "Just say no" never bothered me. Granted, it wasn't particularly realistic or effective (just idealistic), but it wasn't lying either.