high on life

I just wrote this post about Marijuana over at Sex, Drugs & Judaism:

Remember when smoking weed was cool?

I remember how in high school, ganja replaced smelly markers, slap on bracelets and purple braces as the new cool thing to have.

By 12th grade, most of my friends had tried weed at least once. My friend's brother and his friend (both only one year older than us) were known dealers in our very suburban neighborhood. Some of the guys we hung out with would often have that red-eyed glassy stare of perpetual potheads. They didn't go to our school, were not frum, and some were pretty cute - basically the classic bad boys of our high school girls' dreams.

And then we graduated.

I'm leaving out the whole year in Israel thing - because let's face it - that's when you're at your most experimental. And what happens in Israel - stays in Israel.

But when you're in college - or rather, when you actually care about school while you're in college- drugs are probably the least sexy thing you can think of. They kill brain cells. They take away from potential study time. And when you're striving towards a future as a Jewish Lawyer/Doctor/Accountant (especially when your Jewish parents are footing the $50,000 a year bill) - drugs are very much not part of your life.

Unless you're friends with people with different goals.

One of my high school friends never went to college. She wasn't interested. Her boyfriend let her move in for free (provided she cook and clean) and her days were happily spent getting wasted, getting high, or getting it on with her man. He made money by working as a construction worker and selling marijuana to high school kids. Weeds is not just a tv show. It's some people's lives.

Anyhow, eventually this guy found a new girl. My ex-friend was kicked out. With no money, no college education, no spousal support to fall back on. Nowhere to even live (her Jewish parents were not about to take her back). Weed has messed her up.

I know some people who are occasional smokers - who think it's perfectly fine to get high once in a while. Marijuana's harmless right?

But cmon? Isn't it so high school?

Grownups do coke.