The Government has to stop trying to "Regulate" everything in our lives. Let them eat, drink and smoke whatever they want until they die. Their parents are not interested and the students aren't interested so provide them with as much as they want until they are successful in ending their own misery. I am tired of paying for these deadbeats with higher taxes and more wasteful regulations and failed attempts at Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation, you get one attempt, if you fail then you get no more Rehabilitation.

Libra2u2....Your husband, the teacher, can be put in jail for not reporting those kids. Aside from that, if a lawsuit happens against the school for injury or death...crap rolls downhill and your hubby is at the bottom. What's that mean? You and your husband could lose everything via a lawsuit if he doesn't report the kids. Whether the school does anything with that..it's up to them, but tell him not to be a part of the problem, rather to be part of the solution.

Shadow - what will "reporting" the kids do? Nothing, because society protects anyone under 18 from any responsibility or wrongdoing.

Shadow you're being too hard on Libra... apparently you've never been a teacher, or known someone who was.

Marie

Shadow gave good advise but just could not resist the temptation to take a shot in the last sentence.

Yes, Shadow gave excellent advice, and could have been very well received if not for the parting personal shot at the end. Although this is scary, it also seems to be genious. Just think if they actually put some of their talents to something useful. What a waste.

Evolution in progress.

Affraid it will go viral???? Too late now... I blame poor parenting... It's that simple. Lack of attention, rules, obediance, and family time. Take those away and a kid is going to explore everything and anything. Especially if it's "cool."

Alcohol poisoning from 151 Rum is what persuaded me to smoke weed instead - when your oxygen blood cells are being killed faster than you can make them - you suffocate to death. Not much worse than having to force your self to keep breathing - and whatever you do, don't pass out.

Ever who went with booze over weed when it came time to pick what to make legal and what to make illegal - was a total clueless screw-up.

It is oppressed kids who do this stuff more than the "cool" kids. I remember going on a trip to the Spokane Worlds Fair with the school choir - it was the straight kids who went bonkers, not the ones we suspected were already drinking and smoking weed.

You people who think you are such great parents - are the same ones whose kids fall out of dorm windows when they finally get out from under your over protective reach. I was always willing to talk drugs to my son - it was common sense communication that kept him from being an idiot when his mom or I were not around.

Protecting children is the proper thing to do. Having the drug discussion with children is essential. Parents are assuming everyone is there for the best interests of the child, when they're not. All they need is a few good words. Children instinctively look to their parents, that's a fact. So when good, working parents take the time to talk to their children, they're doing right and protecting them. Teach, don't shelter.

The teens are distilling the hand sanitizer products, which typically contain at least 62 percent ethyl alcohol, using salt to separate the alcohol. The result is a powerful 120 proof shot.

While there have been prior cases of people drinking hand sanitizer, the salt procedure is relatively new, Helen Arbogast, injury prevention coordinator-Trauma Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said in a statement. Although the emergency room cases appear limited to Los Angeles county for now, experts are concerned the trend could go viral as more teens discover how to distill the liquid sanitizer on the web.

Thanks for helping more teens figure it out by reading national news! Great job in exacerbating the problem outside of L.A.

Hey these kids are pretty smart.... Distilling hand sanitizer? Who would've thought? What ever happened to standing outside of liquor shops and giving money to an adult to get you some booze?

yep, posting this artical just gave more kids the idea to do this.

Kids dying from doing stupid stuff like this...

Darwin's Law at its finest!

Think of it this way people: The more teens die doing stupid stuff like this or choking themselves to death or who knows what else dumb@$$ery the less dumb people we have in the world like your boss or politicians!

@shadow

To me Libra isn't saying her husband didn't report those kids, just that it didn't do any good.

It doesn't matte whether it is sanitizer or erasers--as Chris Rock said, "If you could get high by putting a drug on a bullet and licking it as it was shot at you--some idiot would try it' (paraphrased)

It just needs to be recognized that some kids are going to try to get high no matter what. You can take away all the drugs and alcohol but they are choking themselves to get high now and how the hell are you going to take that away?

They should immediately place hand sanitizer on the same list and schedule as all of the other controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, Ecstasy and watch the problem disappear all but overnight, cause it has worked so so very well with all of the latter it is no wonder the United States can fix anything that goes wrong in this world/universe, all it takes is a good old fashioned law and boom, problem solved just like that!!!

I must be an incredibly soft-hearted bloke for finding the posts above, that applaud yet another wave of addictions as good in anyway, as wholly despicable. There are good people who suffer from addiction, who need more than the one allowed chance at rehab (as someone above said should be allowed), to get clear. It's called "addiction" for a reason and, if you have not had to deal with it in your life or that of a loved one, then consider yourself very fortunate. Those who cheer this as somehow helping evolution or for clearing future welfare rolls are beneath contempt.

JoeB-460595

The Government has to stop trying to "Regulate" everything in our lives. Let them eat, drink and smoke whatever they want until they die.

Great advice...until it's your kid.

People who think their children will be perfect as teenagers are due for a rude awakening.

More prisoners than any country on earth , 48% for non-violent drug crimes . More addicts concentrated in one country than any other . Addicts getting younger every year . As a nation we can keep doing the same thing we have done since the Nixon admiistration and get more of the same . Or we can screw up the guts to try something different .We failed these kids . And make no mistake . If you drink beer you are a drug user . Not everyone that uses drugs becomes addicted . Its from watching thier very responsible productive parents that these kids learned the only way to have a good time is to use something.

I wonder how many had any ties to the United States?

the drinking age should be lowered to 18 but they make too much money fining college students to do that, $400 per citation where I live, the state or county, whatever, just made $100000 last weekend

And make no mistake . If you drink beer you are a drug user . Not everyone that uses drugs becomes addicted . Its from watching thier very responsible productive parents that these kids learned the only way to have a good time is to use something.

I couldn't agree more. I've been to birthday parties for little children where all the adults were drinking.

Our culture doesn't seem to believe you can have a good time unless you're high on something.

I think I saw an Intervention episode where the alcoholic mother was drinking Listerine. So sad.

But, then again, when I was in high school, the local pharmacy had to put glade and lysol behind the counter because kids were huffing it. Teenagers will always find a way to get high if that is what they want to do - parents really need to get involved from a young age, enroll kids in positive activities and focus on parenting, not on being a friend.

I saw an episode of My Strange Addiction where a woman was drinking gasoline!

Finally, hand sanitizer has found a useful purpose and is cheaper than Grey Goose.

Ban It!!!!! If you're gonna ban guns, ban hand sanitizer, cars, etc!!!



Chris - would you rather have a "lazy useless boring" stoner or an aggressive incoherent inhibition-free drunk? There’s nothing wrong with being a stoner, they aren’t hurting anyone. Stop trying to control and force your opinion on others.

Chris, My brother in law is a stoner. Doesn't take any meds only smokes pot. He also is very ambitious and runs a successful company employing several people.

I don't see how you can say everyone is lazy, useless and boring that smokes pot. I myself have never tried the stuff, but if people want to smoke it than let them

One more comment. Not all people that smoke pot are stoners - just like not all people that drink alcohol are alcoholics.

I know stoners that climb mountains and have great jobs.. I think you just met some lazy people who happened to also smoke pot.

Oh and you sound like a joy to have a conversation with... /sarcasm off.

Leagalization is a hot topic because people don't give a crap about it and governments spend waste billions of dollars fighting it. Spend some time to get educated and maybe you will understand every ones frustration. Racist laws should be left in the past with the people who lied to get them passed.

Perhaps Chris should refrain from conversing with stoners and find some new friends.

That's because it IS better/safer than alcohol in a lot of ways and it SHOULD be legal. The reason they talk about it is due to the frustration they experience. Imagine if you had to live YOUR life in fear of getting arrested, killed or locked up just because you enjoy a little herbal relaxation now and then and hurt nobody.

lol, I love how defensive stoners get when you call them out on how tedious they are. It's like they don't realize that everyone around them rolls their eyes whenever they open their mouths.

Chris,

You hang out in too many of the wrong areas with too many of the wrong people. Through out my life I have known of many professional people who toke up. So get off your calling everyone who tokes up, a 'lazy useless boring stoner'... No, I do not smoke Marijuana... Not since the 70's anyway...

I figured it out. Chris had a bad experience with a significant other that smoked weed, and now holds a grudge against anyone that smokes.

Stoners are also funny when they think they know how psychoanalyze people because they took a psychology class freshman year of college.

Chris it's called persistence, not tediousness. How else are they supposed to spread the truth, unbrainwash the masses and fight against corrupt unconstitutional laws that were started with bigotry and racism to protect the interests of big corporations? Should everyone just forget about it and grab a beer?

Chris,

I'll let you use your brain to google the studies I'm about to give info on. There have been many studies both by Universities and by Insurance Companies about the effects of Marijuana and Alcohol on Reaction Times. Marijuana came out as the 'Safer', if you want to call it that, in all studies, because people are more mellow, cautious, drive slower, don't take chances etc., etc. Unlike, Alcohol which makes people seem braver, take chances, drive faster, less cautious, etc., etc.

Since studies have begin on Matijuana not one has been 'Proven Factual', to be bad for you. It is always 'Proven Maybe', nothing concrete. Now before you spout off again about Marijuana smokers, go back and study more, get to know some real people who smoke it, not just Gov't results, and a bunch of drug burn out's you must of had some bad dealing's with..

Chris is funny in how he groups every person thats ever smoked pot before into a stereotype because of the one or two pot smokers hes ever met.

Kinda like the nazis did with Jews, or how the KKK did with blacks.

Prohibition doesn't work,

I'll say amen brother to that. AMEN BROTHER!

I had an uncle who was a total alcoholic who later went to cocaine and heroin. Imagine if I put ALL drinkers into that category.

I like how every pothead here is proving my point.

Some of the most successful individuals in the world are self admitted potheads. Not only is marijuana natural and harmless, it has numerous significant medical uses. OUR FRIEND CHRIS is a little something I like to call A HATER!

I bet he also hates blacks and gays; definitely gays! why? because he is a typical coward-he and others like him (mainly republican) are afraid of what they don't understand.

I don't know about everyone else here but I actually don't smoke... but I am for legalizing it. Reason being, people should be able to do what they want as long as it doesn't harm anyone. That and there is no real reason for making it illegal in the first place. Anyways, that's it for me.

It's also hilarious how potheads assume that anyone who doesn't like drug addicts must also be a racist and bigot. It's also hilarious how they like to compare their own experiences to those of persecuted minorities like they're in any way comparable.

"Waahh, I can't get high and laugh at nothing all day, this must have been what the slaves felt like."

Give me a break.

(And for the record, I'm a very liberal Independent, my girlfriend is black, and I support gay rights and marriage. What was that about people who disdain potheads all being racist Republicans? Who's doing the blanket generalizations now?)

LOL@ Chris - that is my take on people who have tattoos - every conversation is about their ink. The most common being - I got my first tattoo when I was drunk in the military... lmfao.

It is also boring to hear people like Chris who all they want to do is put stuff down. We could spin this one all day, Chris, bore us more or chill out - your choice.

While Chris is an idiot, he is certainly cracking me up with the stereotypes because in some instances they are true and very funny. (Numerous stoners that took a psychology course have talked with me as though they were the buddha)

To be honest, I lost interest in this conversation a while ago; I keep dropping comments to see how long I can keep the angry pothead crowd here raging. I'm doing pretty well so far.

I find it funny how Chris uses blanket generalizations (potheads thinking all the same way) to decry blanket generalizations.

The reality is there are thousands of highly successful people who use marijuana on a regular basis. You'd just never know it because they're clean cut and successful.

The 'potheads' you refer to are no different than the drunken rednecks others like to point out when making statements against the use of alcohol.

There are bad apples in both groups. However, if you argue that alcohol is fine with the current laws then there is no reason for marijuana to not be legal as well.

If you're of the opinion that both are bad and should be illegal, then I'll disagree with you heartily, but that does clear you of hypocrisy.

keith; interesting you mention Buddha - is one of the primary goals of a Buddhist, to find balance in life? Nothing calms me down more than a tasty joint - as proof, just take your blood pressure before and after smoking - it goes way down after a few puffs.

Some minds were not meant to enjoy any kind of drug - my mind instantly asks, why, after I've gotten drunk. Then I turn to God and say I'll never do this again if you just save me this one time. Since its been well over 10 years since I last got drunk - I guess I've held up my end of the deal... lol.

Everybody preaches too much these days.

Chris I am not a pot head but I'm going to give you a little heads up. Marijuana helps migraine sufferers better than the chemical pharmaceuticals. My sister has/had migraines so bad that she was often hospitalized because of a complete inability to function. Smoked weed for the first time on her 30th birthday and dadatada no head ache. Tried it again later on in the week. After smoking 2x a week for a month she realised that she did not have a single migraine that month. And now 8 years later the migraines only come back when she tries to go off of natures pharmaceuticals.

Chris,

Don't knock pot on this website. You will get (are getting) bum rushed by thousands of pot heads all screaming about how wonderful their drug of choice is. It is a bit ridiculous. I tried the stuff myself but just don't like it (especially after some idiot laced one with PCP and didnt tell me). And I agree with your post, just about anyone I've met that smokes the stuff regularly has a one track pot-centric mind and it is boring. I really cant stand meeting them on the net in some MMO, all night long all you hear is "pot, stoked, stoned, wasted, giggle giggle, hungry, smoke, toke, drag, pot pot pot pot pot." And don't complain to them about their one track mindedness or you will just get ostracized.

Brian,

The reason you come across immature "potheads" when playing MMOs is because you are playing MMOs!! Of course you are going to meet stupid kids when you are playing a video game online "all night long".

Tis true jay but being a second shift worker that doesn't enjoy clubbing, I tend to stay at home after work. I enjoy socializing with people I like in these games, its better than watching tv every night or blowing cash at nightclubs. And since I get off work at 11 pm.. the 5 or so hours of fun time I give myself during the weekdays takes me "all night long". Then I go to bed and get my 8 hours of sleep. The weekends are a different story, I spend them outside on my 60 acres of forested mountain land.

Don't defend yourself, Brain - nothing wrong with MMOs. I'm a fan of FPSs but never got into MMORPGs. And I haven't touched a nugget of pot since college.

Yes, even this extreme anti-pothead used to smoke. I smoked the best of the best bud when I was in college, but when I graduated and got a job, I realized that pot is just a way of dulling your senses and is really just a kid's thing. Potheads need to grow the hell up and learn to be adults.

chris:

Yes, even this extreme anti-pothead used to smoke. I smoked the best of the best bud when I was in college, but when I graduated and got a job, I realized that pot is just a way of dulling your senses and is really just a kid's thing. Potheads need to grow the hell up and learn to be adults.

You are a f**king hypocrite. You smoked weed in college but now sit on your high horse looking down your nose at people who choose to smoke weed instead of drinking alcohol? Do you have the same attitude towards people who drink alcohol? Do they need to "grow up" too? What about people who smoke tobacco or drink caffeine? Do they need to "grow up" too? Do you not see the completely hypocritical stance you have taken? I bet the job you got was working for the DEA or law enforcement.

As to your last statement about being "adults" that has to be the most unrealistic and out-of-touch comment yet. You stereotype anyone who smokes weed as being immature or jobless or a nonproductive member of society. Well, you couldn't be more wrong. It seems to me that YOU are the one that needs to grow up and face reality and stop being a narrow minded know-it-all. I can agree that if anyone talks about the same subject for any length of time it will be boring. But, with that said, I can understand why many pot smokers are passionate about the fight to legalize because of the injustice that has been dispensed by our government. I can also understand why pot smokers are passionate about their practices because of people like you perpetuating the hate and stigmatization of pot smokers.

Bottom line is this: you don't like smoking weed then don't. But don't stereotype and hate and stigmatize people for making the choice to smoke weed. Otherwise, don't consider yourself to be "grown up".

Why exactly do we need to be using something to have fun, to relax, to be sociable, to concentrate, to sleep, to work...just to get through the day?

The problem is that our culture has an unhealthy relationship with all psychoactive substances.

We're all conditioned to believe that we need to consume happiness in the form of a pill, a drink, or a drag on a cigarette or a joint. Kids aren't blind to this.

The choice is to be the slave of some substance, or to live life in a natural, independent state.

Like everything else, it's all about money. We make waaay too much money off the sale of drugs in all their forms for the weak-minded to be free of them.

I'm getting the biggest rush from reading the posts here! I'll never forget when my dad-a general surgeon-found my baggie in the glovebox in the '70s. He said to me, "There has not been a study or any research done that has convinced me that it's any worse than alcohol, but it is illegal so please be careful. And I'm NOT going to tell your mother."

I haven't lighted up in 30 years, but reading all the comments--especially Chris, hey you da man alright--has made me want to go out and score a Bob Marley for a little nostalgia.

Some of my best friends toke up. Hell, when I got out of the Army a few years ago, my best friends wife told me she was going to get me wasted. I practically had no choice (well I did but not really) so I toked up for the first time in 15 years. Yup, still hated it. Haven't done it again since. Does this mean I dislike my friends? Hell no. And I don't see them as addicted to it eithor. When they come over and want to smoke one, I just make them go outside because I don't want the smell in the house. I do drink some but that's my drug of choice.

I don't consider these people "potheads". To me "pothead" is synonymous with "alcoholic". A "pothead" is someone that has no self control and smokes the junk all the freakin time and anytime he opens his mouth the conversation always leads towards the sweetleaf. A pothead is someone that would rather sit around the house and smoke all day instead of finding a job. And no I don't care to be around them or talk to them.

kaybeetoys:

Why exactly do we need to be using something to have fun, to relax, to be sociable, to concentrate, to sleep, to work...just to get through the day?

You sound like a D.A.R.E. representative. Why exactly do people like you think just because someone smokes weed they do so because they need it to "get through the day"? You obviously don't realize some people smoke weed because they want to, not because they need to. And what business is it of yours what other people do to their bodies? If you don't want to smoke pot, then don't! If you don't want to drink alcohol, then don't! But that doesn't give you the right to look down your nose sitting on your high horse and criticize people who make the choice in life to not live it completely sober like you do apparently.

The problem is that our culture has an unhealthy relationship with all psychoactive substances.

Spoken like a true Puritanical hypocrite. You are the typical anti-drug zealot who stereotypes and generalizes without really not knowing wtf you are talking about. The fact that you used the word "ALL" shows your ignorance on the subject. You are probably the kind of person that looks down on anyone who alters their mind thinking the only proper way to live your life is completely sober. Well, I got news for ya: people like to get high and alter their minds and have been doing so for thousands of years and there is nothing you can do to change that.

The choice is to be the slave of some substance, or to live life in a natural, independent state.

This statement kills me and makes me laugh at the same time. You are so brainwashed it's really not funny. While there are some people with addiction problems, that is not the case for the majority of drug users. You seem to think if you use a drug then you are automatically a slave to it. PLEEEEEEZ GET REAL! What makes you think people can't live life in a natural, independent state and smoke some weed? Or drink alcohol? Or smoke tobacco? Etc. Etc.

Like everything else, it's all about money. We make waaay too much money off the sale of drugs in all their forms for the weak-minded to be free of them.

You got one thing right: it IS all about the money. But, you have the context wrong. The only reason drugs are illegal is because of money and greed. But, what really grates my nerves is your last statement about being "weak minded". Once again, you stereotype and generalize and stigmatize all drug users because they made the choice to do drugs. Who the f**k are you to judge anyone? Well, let me be the first to judge you back (only fair). You are the one who is weak minded. And I say that to you to open your eyes and not to be inflammatory. I don't mean to insult you, sir, as you have done to millions of other people. I'm trying to open your mind and help you to see the error of your thinking. You generalize, stigmatize and basically are spreading hate. Please do us all a favor and do some research about the subject of drugs (and that doesn't mean referencing a D.A.R.E. pamphlet).

You obviously don't realize some people smoke weed because they want to, not because they need to.

There is a thin line between wanting to and needing to, a thin line between freedom and slavery, health and sickness, independence and dependence.

And what business is it of yours what other people do to their bodies? If you don't want to smoke pot, then don't! If you don't want to drink alcohol, then don't! But that doesn't give you the right to look down your nose sitting on your high horse and criticize people who make the choice in life to not live it completely sober like you do apparently.

I am entitled to my opinion, the same as you are. That is what I'm doing, giving my opinion. If you don't like it, why do you care? What business is it of yours what I believe? You don't know what I've been through in my life. It doesn't give you the right to attack me for my view.

Well, I got news for ya: people like to get high and alter their minds and have been doing so for thousands of years and there is nothing you can do to change that.

Only the individual can decide whether or not to alter his/her consciousness with ingested substances. There are other ways to alter consciousness. You are promoting drug use. How does that make your opinion more valid than mine?

What makes you think people can't live life in a natural, independent state and smoke some weed? Or drink alcohol? Or smoke tobacco? Etc. Etc.

Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances out there. It's harder to kick than heroin. It's hardly a secret that the two most deadly drugs in the world are alcohol and tobacco. Read up on drugs and their side effects.

If you dare.

Who the f**k are you to judge anyone? Well, let me be the first to judge you back (only fair). You are the one who is weak minded. And I say that to you to open your eyes and not to be inflammatory. I don't mean to insult you, sir, as you have done to millions of other people. I'm trying to open your mind and help you to see the error of your thinking. You generalize, stigmatize and basically are spreading hate. Please do us all a favor and do some research about the subject of drugs.

I think it's very clear you do mean to insult me. I seem to have touched a nerve. You should ask yourself why my opinion --the opinion of a stranger upon whom you have heaped scorn-- has created this reaction from you.

I'm not voicing my opinion to insult anyone, but to open the eyes of the brainwashed about the pervasiveness of drugs and the damage they do. Our culture is very good at promoting whatever makes a bundle of money for the sellers, isn't it?

Of course you are free to use legal and illegal substances. The choice is entirely yours.

I am 100% certain my opinion is not going to be a popular one, but I have seen too many lives ruined and marginalized by drugs and alcohol to keep silent.

I'm not naive about drugs. I have family members who have suffered from addictions to various substances. I have educated myself about drugs and addiction because I've had to.

I know this: there will be a new 'high' out there tomorrow because Americans have been conditioned (and our children especially) to think life is better under the influence of something. That is the whole point of this article.

Can anyone disagree with that?

Ahh,nice to see another flame-war arguement in the comments section over something that has nothing to do with the original article.

@ranknfile

"Cannabis haters out there stop blaming Cannabis."

You're acting exactally like brian/chris have pointed out. There are very few potheads I've talked to who can actually have a conversation with me without switching it to weed or whining about how it's not legal.

The few I CAN have a convo with are irritated at tweeny little children on the internet/in real life who think smoking it is "kewl" and want it to be legal because they can't and will not do anything productive in their lives. So they smoke pot,fizzle out of college,and waste money on "rehabilitation".

You want it to become legal? Stop crying about "haters" and actually do something about it. Educate people and give legitimate reasons ("I want to get high without mommy kicking me out" isn't a good reason) as to why it should be legal.

kaybeetoys:

You should ask yourself why my opinion --the opinion of a stranger upon whom you have heaped scorn-- has created this reaction from you.

Apparently you haven't been paying attention. I have expressed my disdain with your attitude and the position you have taken. It's views like yours that perpetuates the lies and perpetuates this insane prohibition that has ruined more lives than all of the illegal drugs combined. But it's obvious I'm just wasting my time trying to talk to you about this because your mind is all ready made up.

I'm not voicing my opinion to insult anyone, but to open the eyes of the brainwashed about the pervasiveness of drugs and the damage they do.

What does more damage: the drugs or the drug laws and prohibition?

Of course you are free to use legal and illegal substances. The choice is entirely yours.

No one is free to use illegal drugs without the fear of persecution and prosecution. Prohibition is wrong and needs to be stopped.

I know this: there will be a new 'high' out there tomorrow because Americans have been conditioned (and our children especially) to think life is better under the influence of something. That is the whole point of this article.

Again, you want to live your life completely sober and that makes you happy, go for it. If some people want to partake of mind altering drugs and it makes them happy, leave them be. If someone has a problem with addiction then they should be treated as medical patients and should get medical help. They shouldn't be treated as criminals and stigmatized by people like you.

nomnomashoy:

Ahh,nice to see another flame-war arguement in the comments section over something that has nothing to do with the original article.

Actually, it has everything to do with the article. This article is about drug use, yes? We are talking about drug use, are we not?

The few I CAN have a convo with are irritated at tweeny little children on the internet/in real life who think smoking it is "kewl" and want it to be legal because they can't and will not do anything productive in their lives. So they smoke pot,fizzle out of college,and waste money on "rehabilitation".

This is exactly what I have been talking about. More lies and stigmatization.

Yeah, everyone who smokes weed is just like this. (sarcasm off)

You want it to become legal? Stop crying about "haters" and actually do something about it. Educate people and give legitimate reasons ("I want to get high without mommy kicking me out" isn't a good reason) as to why it should be legal.

Do you see the condescension in your posting?

Why Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths

States that legalize medical marijuana see fewer fatal car accidents, according to a new study, in part because people may be substituting marijuana smoking for drinking alcohol.

The data were from the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Comparing traffic deaths over time in states with and without medical marijuana law changes, the researchers found that fatal car wrecks dropped by 9% in states that legalized medical use — which was largely attributable to a decline in drunk driving. The researchers controlled for other factors like changes in driving laws and the number of miles driven that could affect the results.

Medical marijuana laws were not significantly linked with changes in daytime crash rates or those that didn't involve alcohol. But the rate of fatal crashes in which a driver had consumed any alcohol dropped 12% after medical marijuana was legalized, and crashes involving high levels of alcohol consumption fell 14%.

The authors found that medical marijuana laws reduced crashes in men more than in women — by 13% compared to 9% — in line with data showing that men are more likely to register as medical marijuana users than women.

The overall reduction in traffic deaths was comparable to that seen after the national minimum drinking age was raised to 21, the authors note.

The authors also found that in states that legalized medical use, there was no increase in marijuana smoking by teenagers — a finding seen in other studies as well. But, in many cases, the laws were linked with an increase in marijuana smoking among adults in their 20s; this rise was accompanied by a reduction in alcohol use by college age youth, suggesting that they were smoking weed instead.
(TIME magazine article)

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/why-medical-marijuana-laws-reduce-traffic-deaths/#ixzz1tCTrYJdl

Report shows fewer traffic fatalities after states pass medical-pot laws

The study also found that medical- marijuana legalization is associated with a drop in beer sales.

"The result that comes through again and again and again is (that) young adults . . . drink less when marijuana is legalized and traffic fatalities go down," Rees said.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19437417

Study Reveals Lower Crime Rate Near Pot Dispensaries

RAND study shows crime lower on blocks near open dispensaries

You'd think a local Los Angeles pot shop would be a mecca for would-be criminals looking to get rich or get high. But this may not be the case.

A new study released by the RAND Corporation reveals that crime in communities surrounding open medical marijuana dispensaries is, in fact, lower compared with crime rates in areas where dispensaries have been forced to close.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/RAND-Study-Reveals-Lower-Crime-Rate-Around-Medical-Marijuana-Dispensaries.html

D.A.: Philly's new pot policy just makes sense ... and saves dollars

Philadelphia: City Saves Millions By Ceasing Criminal Marijuana Prosecutions

The city of Philadelphia saved an estimated $2 million last year by ceasing criminal prosecutions for minor marijuana offenses, according to comments made last week by District Attorney Seth Williams to the Philadelphia Daily News.

"We were spending thousands of dollars for when someone possessed $10 or $15 worth of weed," District Attorney Seth Williams tells the Philadelphia Daily News. "It just didn't make any sense."

Before this change, offenders faced up to $500 in fines and possible, though unlikely jail time. If the suspect fought the charges, this meant expenses for the city — prosecutors, judges, lab tests, public defenders, etc. By all but decriminalizing pot, Williams estimates that the city has saved $2 million in the last 12 months.

Additionally, police tell the News that there has been no noticeable impact on the quality of life in Philadelphia since the program went into effect.

Looking at the bigger picture, DA Williams says the current way most U.S. authorities treat drug possession is shortsighted.

"I can put someone in jail for 90 days because they possess crack. But if we don't get them the help they need for their addiction, when they get out of jail, they're just going to be a 90-day-older crack addict," he explains. "We have to treat drug addiction as a public-health problem, not just a criminal-justice problem."

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-08/news/29750680_1_marijuana-offenders-new-pot-policy-drug-abuse

yeah, keep telling us how legalization of cannabis makes no sense...lowers crime, lowers fatal accidents on our roads and highways, lowers beer sales, saves money, lower costs to health care nationwide, AND a healthy alternative to hard, illicit drugs which can help junkies and alcoholics quit their drugs of choice...really, prohibition of cannabis makes no sense. not only is the herb healing, legalization will help to heal our economy, our public health, and give us jobs.

Therein lies part of the problem......parents not interacting with their children, just plain spending a little more quality time with them. Parents are the great examples, and when parents don't care, then it is picked up by the children, and at a very early stage.

Parents interacting with their children is not going to stop this and anyone that believes that it will is deluded. The bottom line is the child makes the choice based on many factors with the strongest ones being acceptance by peers, or plain peer pressure. Children want to be accepted by their friends, and viewed as cool and will try things to prove that they are. Parents think it's always other children and not theirs because those other children weren't "raised correctly" but that is a myth. Talk to teens and you will find out whats really going on in their lives. Don't come at them with a narrow mind or be judgemental either. I posted this before on another thread but I'll do it again here. When I was a recruiter for the Marines, I would have teens tell me things that their parents/teachers/counselors/ and sometimes even their friends didn't know about them. pay attention before it's to late.

Those teens confiding in me is what interested me in studying psychology as an undergrad in college.

lexiwords-1135913,sugarfoot1 both of you hit it correctly.

Joe Veteran - you say" Parents interacting with their children is not going to stop this and anyone that believes that it will is deluded." then you conclude with "lexiwords-1135913,sugarfoot1 both of you hit it correctly." - both of their posts indicated that parents interacting was the key to stopping this. Which is it?

Personally, I believe positive parental interaction with their children can make a HUGE difference. If, as a parent, I teach my kids right from wrong, I talk to my kids abour peer pressure and how to handle it, I let them know that they can talk to me about anything AND provide them with an alternate adult if its something they don't want to discuss with me, and if, when they do something "stupid" (which they will because they are humans and we all do), I discuss with them but not judge them, then the chances of them doing something like this are GREATLY reduced. While there are no guarantees that my kids won't be the ones to try it "just once", the probability of them being that kid are definitely a lot lower

Drug use of every sort is basically the norm in our culture.

It's going to take a lot more than parental interaction to change that, simply because our children get constant messages to use drugs from every direction.

After a certain age, kids are more influenced by their peers than they are by their parents. I think the most parents can do is to be open-minded, listen, discuss the dangers of getting high off the latest fad, and most of all set an example by not taking drugs/ drinking to excess around your kids.

Kids who become addicted to substances are typically using them for two years before their parents ever find out.

It's really important to keep your eyes wide open.

Because the human brain doesn't stop developing until the early 20s, especially the part involved in impulse control. Alcohol or other drugs mess with that development.

Kids already have raging hormones and difficulty controlling their impulses, getting them drunk doesn't seem like it would be a good idea.

I've actually read studies indicating the humnan brain keeps developing until the mid to late twenties. Especialls for females.Thats why you see some female stars always in trouble. Then start to pull it together all of a sudden. Guess what, In their mid to late twenties.

interesting idea! Put a 2% alcohol, grape flavored beverage in a can and call it "Scooby Brew." They can drink it while smoking tiny bubble gum flavored cigarettes with pictures of smurfs on every cig, call it "smokin' the smurfs" or something. I love this idea, they shouldn't be allowed to indulge at school, but only at children's strip clubs.

Megan, I was a teen in the 70's and I don't remember any "Legal" low alcohol for teens then. When I was a teen drinking age was 21. It was reduced to 18 at one point, then raised again country wide to 21. Anyone who wanted to get booze before then had to have someone else buy it for them.

Libra, I do agree with the other posts. The least your husband should do is report it to the principal when his kids come to class drunk/stoned. All one of these kids has to do is have an accident in school, or cause injury to another and the parents (both those injured, and the instigators) will be down on the school for not doing anything.

Some parents are afraid of their own kids.

The School is not there for the purpose of raising your damn children... FFS... Everyone is always spouting off that they will right down there at the school bitching cause they are not raising your children right..... Guess what, it's not the schools job to parent your child... Do it yourself! While no teacher should advocate kids in class being high all the time.... is it the teachers fault they come to class that way..... NO it's not! Is he/she standing at the door handing out Beers or Buds...Really its not the schools fault or the teachers fault. Trouble is no one wants to take responsibility for their actions or lack thereof anymore. It's to easy to blame someone else and sue the sh&t out of them in hopes to make a free dollar.

My parents allowed me to drink moderately at home with them when I turned 15. It may have been half a cocktail at dinner, or Grasshoppers with them in the evening playing card games. It was at home, and under their roof. The result has been responsible alcohol and marijuana consumption.

brad: it doesn't always work like that. My parents practiced a reasonable/moderate level of sweets for children. Their lessons did not stick with me. Now I am a sugar addict. Everyday, I use. Pure, sweet Hawaiian cane. I'm hurtin' for it now. I'll do anything for it. I'll buy coffee for the sugar packet and toss the coffee. Krispy Kremes have me on my knees in the back alley. At this point, I'm snorting fun dip, eating bit-o-honey even. Its bad.

Why would you make a 10-year-old bear the burden of being an adult???

Childhood is brief enough!

As an example, take Robert Downey, Jr. His parents were both intelligent and involved, but they had the mistaken notion that their son should not be deprived of the same sort of entertainment they enjoyed. They gave him wine and weed starting when he was 6 years old.

Downey never knew what it was like to be substance free. He never lived a normal sober childhood or experienced normal brain development. He grew up never knowing how to function without a crutch.

He nearly died from drug dependency and it took him most of his life to get free.

If his is not a cautionary tale, I don't know what else to say to convince you.

yeah. don't give kids drugs. thanks for stating the obvious.

Well, I would presume that they would use a little more common sense, however, in these teen years, many times, this is sorely lacking. As I look back over my life, I did some things that as I view them now, it was totally senseless. Why do kids do the stupid things they do? More a form of rebellion, and some mistaken idea's about what they do and do not, know about life. One thing seems like the cure for all their ills, and that is......................Grow up!! And, that takes a few years, I'm afraid.

never presume. pres/u/me. it makes a pres. out of you and me. at least I assume it does.

I have to agree with you Scubasteve58001, it is pretty impressive that they can figure out ways to extract the alcohol out of hand sanitizer. I sure would not have a clue how to do it. They are at least paying attention in class!!!

Well, one person paid attention. The rest just followed the directions.

This reminds me of science and engineering schools trying to keep students under 21 from drinking. Because it's not like a bunch of science and engineering majors can't figure out how to build a still in a dorm room (or in the labs, if they're really brazen).

And that person was in college, posted it on facebook. Can't you people see? It's all facebook's fault.

God does find humorous ways, doesn't he?

Obviously you missed the point of the article. The issue came to light in Los Angeles, and now health professionals nation wide are bracing because the information is available on the internet. I'm quite sure there are other cases in other cities that weren't reported to the media....yet.

Haha. Fun Dip. You are so 70's.

Remember this. Parents are not allowed (By our interfering Government) to lay hands on their own kids much less discipline them with a spanking.

The government stepped in when law makers and voters asked for it.

JAusten_101

troubling trend : Teenagers get more and more stupid

Not necessarily. Laws are stricter and punishment is more severe these days for those buying booze for underage kids.

I know I did some pretty stupid things as a teenager (and before) and don't really see that much difference to what they are doing these days. Prescription drugs are more plentiful than before making that an easy score for them. Booze is harder to get so they become creative.

The troubling trend if any is lack of parental guidance, advice and supervision. The kids are merely products of what the household allows to happen. If parents these days can't see when their kids are under the influence there are two options: (1) they are also under the influence of something (2) they simply aren't parenting. Neither bodes well for the kids who are simply being kids.

voter in la - Iagree it is the RX drugs that will be the next "drug problem". I know I have a knee injury and I get lots of pain meds without being seen by the doctor since my initial injury. Drug are easy to come by.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Saying has been around forever and mankind used it for all of it's history until oh the last 30 or so years in just a few countries including this one.

The children will just get wilder and wilder. Soon these children will be adults and have their own children, and then wonder, "why are they doing all this crazy @!$%#!"

BAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

From my experience, there are a lot of parents who bury their heads in the sand about what their teenagers are doing. The very idea of their precious children doing something stupid or dangerous that will embarrass them and make them look like bad parents is too much to cope with.

Someone else mentioned that parents are afraid of their kids, and I think that's also true. They are afraid their kids won't love them if they are strict with them.

It is very difficult to maintain firm boundaries with teenagers. It's so much easier to close your eyes and avoid confrontation. So much easier to let them have their way under the guise of keeping the peace.

But there can be a high price to pay for laissez faire parenting.

haha I was thinking the same thing! Seriously how hard is it to find somebody selling a little pot? Or if you absolutely feel you must get drunk then raid your parents liquor cabinet. Why settle for @!$%#e tasting hand sanitizer when you could be getting the good stuff?

This was my thought, too. Or damage them to the point they can't breed.

Sorry to tell you this but it seems reproduction is the last thing to go. When my mom worked in a nursing home that also served younger severely mentally disabled folk, they gave birth control to all the girls/women. Why? Because no matter how damaged their minds and/or bodies were, sex still happened and the girls still got pregnant...

Lola3...I, TOTALLY, agree! As I was reading this I had the tv on NBC news and what "troubling trend" did they refer to within a couple of minutes? Yes, this one which refers to 6 cases in 1 city. The news is creating there own drama now at the cost of our youth and many adult lives.

And not too mention they describe how they are getting to the alcohol from the sanitzer.

Of course no-one mentions the alcohol in sanitizers is not the same as the alcohol in booze.

I was never interested in drugs, including alcohol, while I was in school, but my parents made sure I was informed about them. I was permitted alcohol at home if I wished. I remember having a shot glass of elderberry wine at Easter. Books were MY escape.

Nothing like the media to bring the news of how to extract alcohol from hand sanitizer (ethyl alcohol is what is in the hand sanitizer I have. Ursamajor, it is indeed the same as what is in booze; look it up). MAYBE the companies who make the hand sanitizer need to change the type of alcohol they use.

Yeah Lola,

I'm suprised this website didn't actually spell out the actual process for the extraction and provide a recipee to make it taste better along with a few websites for reference materials.

Also Ursamajor,

It is the same type of alcohol as shown below from wikipedia:

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a solvent, and as a fuel. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol or spirits.

I've never heard of this. Do I want to?

No you don't LOL but I hear it is popular among young gals.

Vodka tampons? Are you frickin kidding me? My my but children come up with creative ways to get toasted. I have never heard of this. What a great country we live in. Fill up your tampon, go to class and pass out.

OK listen up, all teens on this website and/or watch the nightly news, please leave the room........crickets

Too late it's on the Google machine. How to perform distillation with salt.

http://homedistiller.org/distill/dtw/salt

Booze is not legal for minors, neither would pot be if legalized. So what's the solution then?

I wasn't necessarily saying that either should be legal for minors. My main point was to make fun of those who always scream and moan that we should "think of the children" and that's why weed shouldn't be legal. They say that it would send the wrong message to the children or some bs. Newsflash: There's a lot of worse things to worry about the kids getting into.

This isn't a discussion about why weed is better. It's about how teens distilled alcohol from hand sanitizer. If the article was about how teens distilled weed from hand sanitizer, then I could understand half of the pothead posts in here.

To answer your question - kids do stupid things. And lots of adults, too.

Frankly, our culture has not been very open-minded when it comes to the truth on why morals and common sense are in a downward spiral. We are willing to talk about all sorts of solutions, but nobody wants to consider that maybe the Godlessness of our society has something to do with it. As more and more folks move away from the time-tested truth the Bible, we see more and more depravity. I'm not making a political statement - I'm not advocating the Bible being used as a guide for the government. Rather, I'm advocating the Bible, specifically the teachings of Christ, being used a guide for personal conduct.

Bernardo,

Now that I've stopped laughing, let me point something out. Back when we had "the time tested truth of the bible" we actually had more depravity. You can wax nostalgic all you want on some fantasy that "the good ol' days" had no troubles at all. But we tend to forget hundreds of years of depravity, many of it committed in the name of the bible. Kids getting high vs. hanging people from the nearest tree because of the color of their skin: which one is depravity?

Godlessness has nothing to do with the behavior of people and kids today. All that has happened is people have shifted from doing all sorts of horrible and stupid things in the name of their god, to people doing the same things because they feel they're number 1. Me me me, mine mine mine.

Talk to me about the need for following the teachings of Christ when people who claim to follow the teachings of Christ ACTUALLY follow the teachings of Christ. You know, like the golden rule, loving thy neighbor, working for the poor and not for ones self. Not raping alter boys, harassing people who believe differently than you, etc.

you keep beliving that buddy, keep telling yourself that....... hey your not going to change me to your stupid way of thinking, you have no one to persuade but yourself. So you keep going on in the way of the world and keep telling yourself that so you dont have to face reality until reality comes and faces you.

Godlessness? Are you serious? My church youth group had just as many drug addicts as any other group, and they could quote tons of bible verses, prayed daily and nightly...

If Godlessness is the cause, why are there so many alcoholic pastors?

When I was indoctrinated in Christianity, I wanted to drink -more- because I was unhappy. The religion made me feel like sh!t, like I was nothing without some invisible man who I owed every little nuance of my life to and have to praise and glorify until my last breath and beyond. Every moment of your life you have to say no, I can't do that, no I can't do that, God will punish me. If you disagree with me, fine, that is your right. If I'm wrong and I go to hell, I don't care. But don't push your morals, your beliefs on other people.

You wanna talk about a point where we had a large amount of God ruling, research the Crusades. And if you want that, if you wish that again... well let's just say I'll be praying for you. Because you're seriously sick.

And as far as the Bible being time-tested? Yeah, it's been time-tested. Gone through how many translations where they've changed meanings on some words? Ever heard a rumor and how it gets distorted in circulation? Not to mention all the gospel books that have been COMPLETELY REMOVED because they "don't fit with the times."

How about instead of worrying about Godlessness, we teach respect for others and ourselves? Respect is a FAR easier concept to understand for most people than religion, don't do something that will hurt either you or another person.