In the Know Joe

Hey Joe,

During Thanksgiving break I was hanging out with some friends and all of a sudden they started smoking pot right in front of me. They were all passing it around and they totally wanted me to try it. But when it came to me I got really nervous and said no. I felt kinda bad because they were all making fun of me, but I just told them I had really bad asthma and couldn’t be around stuff like that. I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t want to try it because I know that kind of stuff is bad, but at the same time I felt pretty lame because they were being so mean to me about it. Now that we have been back in school, they all keep making fun of me and telling me how lame I am for “being so uptight” and not trying it. I know it’s bad and I don’t want to try it, but what should I do? I don’t want my friends to keep making fun of me.

Sincerely,
Frustrated Friend


Dear Frustrated Friend,

Well first things first – good job! It takes a very mature and strong person to resist peer pressure and stand up to your friends, but you did it. That says a lot about your character. As for your friends, well let me just say that with friends like that, who needs enemies?! They are NOT really your friends because real friends would respect your decision for not wanting to try it. You should probably – no, definitely start hanging out with different people in your school. Drugs are not only “bad” as you say, but they are also illegal. So that means you could get into some major trouble if you are caught with it. Even though you haven’t actually smoked it, just being around people who do could still get you into some big trouble. It seems that everyone thinks marijuana is not really a big deal anymore, but research proves that even short-term use causes problems with memory, learning, cognitive development and problem solving. Also, smoking one joint is the equivalent to smoking about four cigarettes. So…start hanging out with a different crowd ASAP!

You are obviously a person with good morals, which probably means you have been raised very well. This would be the perfect opportunity for you to really talk and open up to your parents or a trusted adult. Trust me, even though parents and adults may seem like they are nervous about talking to you about that kind of stuff, they really do want to talk to you about it. Sometimes they just don’t know how to approach their teens about issues like that. But if you go to them first and you are honest, they will understand and they will help you. They can give you advice on how to deal with those so-called friends, and they can even point you in the right direction of hanging out with different friends. You are an intelligent person so surround yourself with other people who are just as intelligent as you and who DON’T do drugs!

Join the Majority - WAIT
Joe