Moving The Goalposts – The Legalization Of Marijuana
Over the past 24 months, I have noticed that teens are moving toward harder and harder drugs. Alcohol is still prevalent at parties, and marijuana use is not decreasing. However, from my conversations with parents, teachers, students and school leaders, it appears harder drugs are on the rise, at least in my world – West Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, I have been involved in meetings with parents and students where the focus is on cocaine, Xanax and LSD. Students are taking Adderall to help them perform better in school and get through finals. Vaping is also on the rise. These harder drugs are not new. However, with the rise of loneliness, depression, anxiety and suicide, mixed with the negative effects of social media, school pressure and worldviews like nihilism, these drugs are having even more dangerous effects than ever. They are not simply recreational.
Once upon a time, a rebellious teen would go buy a case of beer, smoke a joint or perhaps use something harder recreationally on a Friday night. Today, marijuana is legal and normalized. We have moved the goalposts. Today, using pot is not rebellious – it is “fine.” To show your rebellious side, to do something illegal or to push the boundaries, you need to reach further, and teens are following our lead. Why not? The playbook has changed, and mixing this new playbook with technology has been disastrous.
Teenagers are less connected and more fearful, anxious and lonely than ever. They have so much information – no wonder they are afraid. They don’t know what to do with all of the images in their heads. No place to categorize and to process. With all the information, coupled with the disconnectedness, whom are they going to for answers? They aren’t going anywhere. They are living in a social fantasy world that they call reality. They are living in a world of confusion and fear with very narrow doors of escape.
Historically, kids bought drugs from a human being on street corner, in a mall or in the park. Now, they can go on the dark web and have them delivered to their front door and into the “safe” confines of their bedroom.
Unfortunately, there is no going back with marijuana. We have a dilemma, a crisis, a real problem, and the answer isn’t more freedom to “be yourself” or “find your own voice.” Adults must understand that there are reasonable boundaries in play, not to squelch our kids, but to keep them safe, to help them grow from innocence to independence at the proper rate. We still want them to grow up with confidence, courage and independence. However, that doesn’t come with letting them call the shots alone or express their “voice.” It comes from lovingly working with them to help craft a life of meaning and substance. A balanced life of virtue and vision. Diving into our kids’ lives to help them live free and independent is a real art form. If we want them to stand tall and have a voice, which we do, it is real work to help them find it. It takes time and wisdom. We need to be artists. We can’t just sit on the sidelines listening and nodding our heads. Backing off to give them a voice or in the name of self-expression is dangerous. To craft a beautiful voice and to build real confidence, we need to beware of moving the goalposts. It is dangerous in so many areas – drugs, identity, education and more.
One final note: With nihilism on the rise, many of my students are suffering from existential crises. There are no guidelines. With no meaning and purpose, combined with the stresses outlined above, they are in increasing danger of living lives of pain and suffering. They don’t know what to do, how to process or where to go. Again, in the name of freedom, our society is tearing down religion, removing God and degrading morality. At what price? Today, we care about materialism, outcomes and winning, and it shows. Look around. Our wonderful experiment in democracy and freedom is a gift. It is not guaranteed. We could lose it. We don’t need to turn to authoritarianism, as some on both sides of the political aisle are advocating. We can see the effects of this path.
We need passion with discipline and freedom with virtue, and that is much harder – it takes more vision and more courage.
