It's 4/20. Happy holiday, stoners.
Do you know where your bud is? More importantly, if you're a parent, do you know where your kid is?
A group called Not My Kid is warning you (PDF) that many teens try weed for the first time on April 20. It's even distributing home drug-testing kits to scare the hell out of Southern California teens on this holiest of high holidays:
A press release from the organization starts with this anecdote:
When Richard was 18 he tried marijuana for fun with a new group of friends. In the weeks that followed, he tried ecstasy, cocaine and meth. Within a month of smoking pot for the first time, he was doing heroin - and his parents had no idea.
Happens all the time! Wait. What? It doesn't? Of course it does. There are many studies linking the meteoric rise in heroin use to the 4/20 holiday. Wait, there's no meteoric rise in heroin use after April 20?
Oh well, the point is, people, that …
… on April 20 (4/20), also known as “National Get High Day,” many kids around the world will try a variety of drugs for the first time and parents need to understand the profound risks.
Side effects include:
-Getting laid.
-Having a good time.
-Loopy conversation.
-Pizza!
-Dubstep appreciation.
But seriously, yesterday these fuckers distributed home drug test kits to parents in L.A., Orange and San Diego counties in anticipation of 4/20. WTF.
Debbie (“Downer”) Moak, founder of Not My Kid:
Talking to your kids is only the first step.
The second step is fear and punishment:
We need parents to take action by getting on the same page, setting consistent boundaries, testing their kids …
Gosh, no wonder her own son became an addict. Who wouldn't want to escape from that behavior Nazi?
Anyway, don't worry about Debbie. She's not your mom. Just be safe out there.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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