DRUG RUN USING THE FAMILY CAR?

Q - I am an 18-year-old high-school student living with my parents,
who provide me with a car. Would it be unethical to use their car to
drive to where I can buy drugs, or to where I can take a subway to buy
drugs?

If I asked them outright, they would say no.

Anonymous

Pikesville, Md.

A - You've put your finger on a heretofore unnoticed social problem:
the inadequacy of public transportation for criminal activity. So few
big capers include a getaway by bus. And what good is a subway that
makes a drug stop if you can't walk to the station?

Despite our lamentable dependence on the private car, it is not
ethical to implicate unwitting others in your crimes (putting aside
the debatable merits of the drug laws).

You would not use a friend's car on a coast-to-coast robbery spree --
not without permission. Similarly, you should not betray your family's
trust or put your parents in legal jeopardy by using their car to
score drugs.

This stricture can be tough on teenagers, who often lack the
wherewithal to buy their own cars. It is another example of the odd
quasi-adult status of older adolescents: They have adult desires but
limited autonomy, attenuated legal rights and little financial
independence.

Even if you wanted to get a job and buy your own car, it is difficult
for teenagers to find well-paying employment and even tougher to find
the time for work after a full day of school.

And the paradox is, even if you could get, say, a part-time job
selling marijuana, you would need to use the family car. Perhaps you
should consider either riding a bicycle or obeying the law.