BLUNT TALK: IS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS GOING UP IN SMOKE?

In a high school where nearly 26 percent of the student body smoke
marijuana, per the results of the Southeast Centre for Healthy
Communities, the idea that nearly 62 percent of polled students felt
that Pembroke's new bylaw cracking down on the trafficking of drug
paraphernalia was unfair should come as no surprise. Yet, as I look
over the results, it hits me as truly startling that so many teens,
especially boys, seem so against this law that is supposed to be
protecting their health and safety.

In the waning days of April, Pembroke voters narrowly approved a
bylaw that effectively banned blunt wrappers and rosebud pipes,
deeming them drug paraphernalia, thus shunting them away for local
business. While some establishments, such as Brennan's Smoke Shop,
rallied against the bylaw, claiming it was designed simply to ".put
[Brennan's Smoke Shop] out of business." the majority of voters,
including Selectman Arthur Boyle, saw the bylaw as a way to "...
[Make] parents aware." of the rampant drug use in the teenage community.

In theory, the idea of outlawing anything and everything that could
possibly be used to ingest "illegal substances" sounds good, but if
you really take the time to think about it, simply subtracting a part
of the equation doesn't automatically solve it.

On one hand, you have Brennan's Smoke Shop, a legitimate business
providing a service to a target, and presumably adult, audience.
Blanketing them with this muddled bylaw is effectively going to drive
them out of business, which is by all means unjust and unfair
considering that they are supplying a need in the community. One
could argue that shutting down the smoke shop would drastically
diminish the chances of underage teenagers getting their hands on
said drug paraphernalia. With that, however, comes a whole new factor
of consideration: the teenage element.

The teenage element is the defining core to this mess of an argument.
When all is said and done, the bylaw exists simply to cut down on the
ongoing drug problem in the Pembroke community and make it harder for
teens to acquire illicit drug "materials". That said, has there ever
really been an effective way of preventing adolescent drug use? It's
a sad, hard fact that if kids really want to light up a joint, they
will find a way to, no matter what. Be it a friend, a cousin, or a
father, there will always be an enabler.

Simply look at the results of a poll of 100 average teens surveyed at
Pembroke High. More than one half argued against the bylaw, saying
that it would be just as easy to get a hold of a pipe or rolling
papers with or without the law in place. Dig deeper, however, and
you'll find a stark contrast from student to student. The majority of
polled female readers felt that the bylaws are ".better for us in the
long run, as it will help refrain from getting into trouble." On the
flip side, most of the questioned teen boys had surprisingly negative
views on the bylaws.

In the end it's as simple as this: Bylaws or no bylaws, most surveyed
students, including a majority of boys, feel that it will be just as
easy to get roach clips, rolling papers or any other assortment of
drug paraphernalia.

Looking back, from crowded town meetings to the classrooms of
Pembroke High, this entire mess really strikes me as disturbing. You
have students whose primary concern is getting blazed on a Friday
night and the stuffy town officials who believe banning everything
this way and that will solve the problem. You have alarming town
statistics and a business suffering the consequences of this
crackdown. No one, and I mean no one, is benefiting from this.

So the question I pose, as a high school student watching his class
go up in smoke, is this: what do we do now as a community to really
stop the problem? It's tough, there's no doubt about that, but
consider this: appeal to the long-term consequences but on a scale
our youth can relate to. Tell them the truth about the effects of
marijuana, but don't tell them no. Make sure it's their choice, so
that if someday they do end up in the hands of the law, it's their
fault and their fault alone. It may not be the most aggressive take,
but with everything else that has been done and failed, this could be
our final option.

Robert McCormack is a junior at Pembroke High School.