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Reasons why ____ is more popular:
This is a question I get ALL THE TIME from parents: “which is more popular?” “If my kid is drinking does it mean he/she is also smoking?” Of course, it is different depending on the area and the school, but for the most part I think that both pot and alcohol are extremely prevalent amongst teens today. And as I mentioned in my Warning Signs Your Teen is Doing Pot post, our generation does not really think the consequences (health, legal and otherwise) are a very big deal…which is a problem.
I also want to point out (thank you to my email tips!) that in an article from the LA Times last week, three teen boys taunted and were attacked by a tiger in the SF Zoo. The article revealed the toxicology results from the boys involved in the tiger attack. According to the article, toxicology results for Paul Dhaliwal (19) showed that his blood-alcohol level was 0.16 after the attack, while his brother Kulbir Dhaliwal’s blood-alcohol level was 0.04% and Carlos Sousa Jr. (17) was 0.02%. All three had marijuana in their systems. Kulbir Dhaliwal told police that the three had smoked pot and that each had “a couple of shots of vodka” before leaving San Jose for the Zoo Dec. 25th.
One of the boys admitted stading atop a railing of the big-cat enclosure and yelling and waving at the animal that would maul them, killing his friend. The boys were using both marijuana and alcohol and obviously their judgment was seriously impaired, yet even some of my friends believe that these drugs alone or in combination would not provoke this kind of behavior.
Related Articles:
Parent Pot FAQ: Marijuana Etiquette
[Video] Peer Pressure to Smoke Pot
Warning Signs Your Teen is Doing Pot
[Picture courtesy of the Los Angeles Times]
7 responses so far ↓
1 John Doe // Mar 21, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Just so you know, you are completely wrong regarding the availability of pot and alcohol. Very few teenagers under 16 have access to alcohol while almost anyone can get a friend who smokes to pick up extra for them, regardless whether or not they know a dealer themselves. Stopped watching the video after chuckling about that. No drug dealer is going to ask to see your ID when you are trying to score. Almost all vendors not in rural areas will for alcohol.
2 John Doe // Mar 21, 2008 at 11:04 pm
P.S. As for prices, most guys who are drinking in highschool are binge drinking. Lets say a boy will drink a 12 pack of cheap beer being sold for about $7. Costs about the same as .3 grams of pot. More than enough to get a friend and themselves high.
3 Vanessa // Mar 22, 2008 at 9:30 pm
hi John Doe
Thanks for the comments on the pricing, I do not agree with you about availability, at least for my friends and I it was much easier to get our hands on alcohol from parents or older siblings but harder to get pot…good to have the different perspectives, I think it also really depends on where you are from
Vanessa
4 Rock the World Blog // Apr 28, 2008 at 7:10 pm
[...] http://www.vanessavanpetten.com/2008/01/22/pot-vs-alcohol-what-are-teens-using/ [...]
5 Tony B // Jul 3, 2008 at 8:13 pm
7 bucks for .3?
that is insane pricing.
Ive an avid pot smoker and this is how the prices go.
for middies, A lesser strength but often cheaper form of marujuana the prices go as this at least up here in the northeast.
5 dollars will get you .5 of a gram(enough for yourself, one time)- no one ever sells by the half gram.
10 dollars will you get you a dimebag, 1.0g, that will get you high a good 2-3 times depending on amount you smoke.
20 dollars for a dub, 2.0 grams.
40 dollars for an eighth 4.0g, this is the average amount that kids buy today, that will last them a good week or so, enough for the next paycheck to roll around.
unless your me, im up to a half a week, that is with 5-7 friends with me usually.
Beer is much cheaper then weed by far because it is legal and much more deadly.
and they’re at a zoo? I mean seriously, who’s gonna think I tiger is gonna get them. I wouldn’t. they usually have safeguards for that stuff.
for strong stuff, usually 15-20 a gram, but at those prices no one really ever gets prime stuff unless they have a solid cash flow
6 wat // Oct 6, 2008 at 10:21 pm
i hope you guys are kidding me, almost everywhere kids prefer alcohol. Pot is harder to get unless you get dirt weed which no one smokes but hobos. Oh and the story of the 3 kids? allow me to speak from much personal experience; they were simply retarded
7 Rodrigo // Oct 13, 2008 at 1:31 am
Ok… This is frustrating me. I read the past “Warning signs your teen is doing pot” and i was baffled. This following article, enraged me even more. The story about the 3 kids that were stupid enough to STAND atop a railing, its just evolution doing it’s thing. Before you go and judge me about what i do or how i do it, let me explain this to you. Times, have changed. I can literally go to any classroom in my old high school (just graduated), be it remedial or honors AP classes, and find someone who knows who to go to for pot, if not someone IN the classroom, with it IN the classroom.
Now alcohol, MUCH harder to find. It is NOT common knowledge where they dont check for IDs, or getting it from someone older. You need to be lucky to know that. If you and your friends want to buy some booze, but none of you have these “hookups”, youre dry and out of luck. Now if you’re looking for pot, anyone can call anyone, and someone knows where to get from. i, personally, know 4 dealers. 2 of which, are my close friends. I never needed to show “id” to get pot, nor did i need to “ask an older brother” to get it for me. The dealer does NOT care if youre 60, or 6. A deal is a deal. Besides, like all potheads, myself included, We feel the need to share the wealth, and knowledge. I believe the author has never smoked marijuana, therefore not fully understanding the effects, or possible benefits. BUT NOW alcohol! NOT THATS OK! Youre an adult, and you drink from time to time, and it is socially acceptable! right?! well alcohol is a drug like anything else. Be it ok to be in the possession of a 14 year old? much like pot, it is not. Alcohol, because of its legality, has a socially acceptable status, and men and women both drink it openly, in social gatherings, be it where it be. Now im not saying everyone is out there getting trashed, but it is acceptable. Now weed is illegal, so we bash and shun the users for their rebellion attepts, or just plain old not giving a fuck!
Im tired of ranting.
You get my point.
Dont drink and taunt the lions.
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