blaming mary jane
26 Jun 2015 08:08 pmMy dad drives me nuts. Every time we talk (and that isn't often lately despite him living in the room across the hall from me), he goes on about how out of control the teens are in the town. They really aren't, but Meagan left a couple weeks ago and hasn't come back. She does what she wants when she wants to. I know where she is; I'm not worried about her.
The thing that bugs me, though, is that he blames all of the problems--the way teens act, their partying--on the fact that Washington legalized marijuana for recreational use. He seems to think this has caused all of the kids to suddenly start smoking pot and drinking. I don't get his thought process. As if the kids weren't doing this before.
It wasn't legalized until 2014. My kids knew where to get the stuff back in 2011. Almost every middle schooler knows who to go to get some. Legalizing it didn't suddenly cause a boom in teen pot use. It's still illegal for anyone under 21. The fact that my dad thinks legalizing marijuana is somehow different than alcohol baffles me. Alcohol is legal for those over 21, but that has never, in the history of the country, stopped teens from drinking. I don't get why he thinks legal pot use has suddenly changed the dynamic. Kids are still getting it illegally like they always have. The only difference is many adults are now buying it legally.
I finally go to tell him today that other states are now legalizing it, too. There have been announcements on the radio all week that on July 1, recreational marijuana use will be legal in Oregon State. I get tired of him criticizing the state, the town, the teens, and everyone else because of pot.
The thing that bugs me, though, is that he blames all of the problems--the way teens act, their partying--on the fact that Washington legalized marijuana for recreational use. He seems to think this has caused all of the kids to suddenly start smoking pot and drinking. I don't get his thought process. As if the kids weren't doing this before.
It wasn't legalized until 2014. My kids knew where to get the stuff back in 2011. Almost every middle schooler knows who to go to get some. Legalizing it didn't suddenly cause a boom in teen pot use. It's still illegal for anyone under 21. The fact that my dad thinks legalizing marijuana is somehow different than alcohol baffles me. Alcohol is legal for those over 21, but that has never, in the history of the country, stopped teens from drinking. I don't get why he thinks legal pot use has suddenly changed the dynamic. Kids are still getting it illegally like they always have. The only difference is many adults are now buying it legally.
I finally go to tell him today that other states are now legalizing it, too. There have been announcements on the radio all week that on July 1, recreational marijuana use will be legal in Oregon State. I get tired of him criticizing the state, the town, the teens, and everyone else because of pot.