Do Most Students at Sidwell Smoke Pot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 48, grew up here and went to high school here. There was plenty of pot and alcohol in my school, there was even a little ecstasy and a small trace of cocaine. I doubt too much has changed.

There is way less alcohol and way more pot now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is sad and bad parenting that Malia is smoking weed.

I never smoked pot or drank in high school. Nothing. None of the top students at my good public high school did this stuff either.

My theory is - parents who used drugs are very permissive with their kids and drugs.

Oh yeah. The Obamas are clearly shitty parents.

Their daughter was just shown hiking up her skirt, twerking, and doing illegal drugs.

Ridiculous! My parents were decent and kids will be kids. Some of my siblings were straight-laced others not so much.

And the girl is 18... what 18 year old girl do you know that hasn't twerked. Get real! all this hoopla over this girl doing normal teenage things. The Bush girls were way worse.

Give her a break and give her freaking parents a break!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny to see all the defense for this behavior of this little twit and future real life "celebrity". I can guarantee you that she will be all over tabloids and magazines for years to come doing more stupid crap like this and all of you liberal idiots will continue to make yourselves look ridiculous by defending it.

You mean like the Bush daughters were all over the tabloids with their underage drinking, bar fights, Jenna's required court-ordered alcohol awareness classes, their total disrespect of their Secret Service detail and bratty antics like sticking their tongues out of the back of a car all done while their father was President? The list goes on and on...(see the link). However, now what are they doing? They have successful careers, stay out the limelight and are moving on with their life and family. They grew up and matured just like all kids do. They have even called out those in the GOP and media who have criticized the Obama girls because no one but the kids' of the President will ever know what it like to live life under such scrutiny.

So, take your ignorant, not to mention pathetically partisan comment and go away. The Obama girls have been nothing but well behaved while in the White House. They have represented their family and this country tremendously well. And even if I'm not a fan of the pot smoking I'm not going to judge her (and certainly not her parents! Some of you self-righteous people with toddlers may be in for a big surprise when your little snowflake gets into high school and college...). I'm sure her parents aren't thrilled and are handling it as any parents do - with privacy.

Also, for those of you freaking out about the pot smoking in private schools vs. public schools please kindly get your heads out of the sand. I know people in almost all of the private schools in the city (and some in suburbs) and many in the public schools. Do not fool yourself into thinking it doesn't happen in both places - it does. Times have changed and it's more important than ever to talk to your kids and listen to your kids. Understanding them and the culture they are working with now (as opposed to your 25 year old memories... ) is imperative n order to guide them and help them make good choices. It's not rocket science to talk to your kids and have a positive and open relationship with them, but the way some of you talk I wonder if you actually LISTEN to your kids or simply TALK AT your kids. There is a difference and if you don't understand what I'm talking about then you're part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny to see all the defense for this behavior of this little twit and future real life "celebrity". I can guarantee you that she will be all over tabloids and magazines for years to come doing more stupid crap like this and all of you liberal idiots will continue to make yourselves look ridiculous by defending it.

You mean like the Bush daughters were all over the tabloids with their underage drinking, bar fights, Jenna's required court-ordered alcohol awareness classes, their total disrespect of their Secret Service detail and bratty antics like sticking their tongues out of the back of a car all done while their father was President? The list goes on and on...(see the link). However, now what are they doing? They have successful careers, stay out the limelight and are moving on with their life and family. They grew up and matured just like all kids do. They have even called out those in the GOP and media who have criticized the Obama girls because no one but the kids' of the President will ever know what it like to live life under such scrutiny.

So, take your ignorant, not to mention pathetically partisan comment and go away. The Obama girls have been nothing but well behaved while in the White House. They have represented their family and this country tremendously well. And even if I'm not a fan of the pot smoking I'm not going to judge her (and certainly not her parents! Some of you self-righteous people with toddlers may be in for a big surprise when your little snowflake gets into high school and college...). I'm sure her parents aren't thrilled and are handling it as any parents do - with privacy.

Also, for those of you freaking out about the pot smoking in private schools vs. public schools please kindly get your heads out of the sand. I know people in almost all of the private schools in the city (and some in suburbs) and many in the public schools. Do not fool yourself into thinking it doesn't happen in both places - it does. Times have changed and it's more important than ever to talk to your kids and listen to your kids. Understanding them and the culture they are working with now (as opposed to your 25 year old memories... ) is imperative n order to guide them and help them make good choices. It's not rocket science to talk to your kids and have a positive and open relationship with them, but the way some of you talk I wonder if you actually LISTEN to your kids or simply TALK AT your kids. There is a difference and if you don't understand what I'm talking about then you're part of the problem.

Forgot the link...

http://bushwatch.small-mobile-entities.com/hold1.htm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question pertained to TOP students at publics. Judging from some of the responses on this thread drug usage at schools like Sidwell seems fairly common. At public schools, the bulk of drug use is among lower income or not very high achieving students.

:snort:

Keep telling yourself that.

- top student from public school who enjoyed my share of weed

So your honestly saying that the % of kids smoking weed wasn't higher in the general classes than in the AP's?

Of course the amount of weed was lower among the students in the AP classes than other students. But your implication that drug use is not also common among the AP crowd - or is less common than at private high schools - is silly. Indeed, at least in my experience, many of the AP public school crowd are friends and neighbors with the private school crowd, and they sometimes get stoned together!

It's almost like none of you ever were teens. Have you repressed memories of what we all did?

No. Only 38% off us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup! But I also think that you need to distinguish between kids smoking every day and letting it interfere with their life/studies, versus occasional use at parties or concerts (same with alcohol). How is pot any different than drinking? Frankly more worried about binge drinking in terms of health effects and bad behavior. In our recent experience with two DDs at Sidwell, the top students were definitely not smoking pot all the time and many did not smoke at all. It was easily available, as it is at any school in the area, whether public or private, right now according to our kids.

OP here. Thank you for answering my question as to how common pot smoking is at Sidwell. Seeing Malia do it just struck me as odd because at my public h.s. the very top students (who weren't even Harvard bound) weren't smoking it. So it seems somewhat surprising to me that the top kids at Sidwell are doing it. I can't imagine Malia is the only one

I have one at a top Private and one at a Public. Both schools have groups of kids that do smoke pot and both have groups that do not. No difference.

But generally speaking, smoking pot is not common among the types of kids who get admitted to Harvard.

Really? I just graduated from Harvard and had plenty of classmates who smoked pot. And it wasn't like they all came in as puritans and suddenly decided that, "wow, I'm now in college and have reached the promised land, so I can START toking up". Get your heads out of your arses.

Then maybe you should add your experience to the Harvard thread on College Confidential where current students are saying that the party scene sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The posters on this site should spend a little time with the enormous body of research on the subject. Kids from wealthy families are just as likely to use drugs as those from lower SES. White kids are just as likely as Black and Hispanics. Smart kids just as likely as the less gifted. All of these comments just play into a narrative that reinforces existing prejudice. It also provides false comfort to parents who believe, falsely, that they can insulate their children from these exposures. So, the next time you pour that large glass of Chardonnay after a long day, just remember that your kids don't make the same artificial distinction between alcohol and pot that we once did.

My husband went to a LMC high school, I went to an UMC public one. He has stories of lots of kids getting high in Middle School. I never even heard of kids in my middle school doing drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup! But I also think that you need to distinguish between kids smoking every day and letting it interfere with their life/studies, versus occasional use at parties or concerts (same with alcohol). How is pot any different than drinking? Frankly more worried about binge drinking in terms of health effects and bad behavior. In our recent experience with two DDs at Sidwell, the top students were definitely not smoking pot all the time and many did not smoke at all. It was easily available, as it is at any school in the area, whether public or private, right now according to our kids.

I think this poster nails it! My recent Sidwell grad has friends at most of the private and public schools in DC and Maryland. Some kids at every school smoke weed, but the top students control it so it doesn't interfere with their performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters on this site should spend a little time with the enormous body of research on the subject. Kids from wealthy families are just as likely to use drugs as those from lower SES. White kids are just as likely as Black and Hispanics. Smart kids just as likely as the less gifted. All of these comments just play into a narrative that reinforces existing prejudice. It also provides false comfort to parents who believe, falsely, that they can insulate their children from these exposures. So, the next time you pour that large glass of Chardonnay after a long day, just remember that your kids don't make the same artificial distinction between alcohol and pot that we once did.

My husband went to a LMC high school, I went to an UMC public one. He has stories of lots of kids getting high in Middle School. I never even heard of kids in my middle school doing drugs.

Things have changed a lot. Your experiences (and mine) are irrelevant because it's a totally different scene now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters on this site should spend a little time with the enormous body of research on the subject. Kids from wealthy families are just as likely to use drugs as those from lower SES. White kids are just as likely as Black and Hispanics. Smart kids just as likely as the less gifted. All of these comments just play into a narrative that reinforces existing prejudice. It also provides false comfort to parents who believe, falsely, that they can insulate their children from these exposures. So, the next time you pour that large glass of Chardonnay after a long day, just remember that your kids don't make the same artificial distinction between alcohol and pot that we once did.

My husband went to a LMC high school, I went to an UMC public one. He has stories of lots of kids getting high in Middle School. I never even heard of kids in my middle school doing drugs.

Things have changed a lot. Your experiences (and mine) are irrelevant because it's a totally different scene now.

Yes you're right. Kids now are less likely to do drugs than they were in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 48, grew up here and went to high school here. There was plenty of pot and alcohol in my school, there was even a little ecstasy and a small trace of cocaine. I doubt too much has changed.

There is way less alcohol and way more pot now.

Actually polls show that the rates of both have been going down for quite some time now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters on this site should spend a little time with the enormous body of research on the subject. Kids from wealthy families are just as likely to use drugs as those from lower SES. White kids are just as likely as Black and Hispanics. Smart kids just as likely as the less gifted. All of these comments just play into a narrative that reinforces existing prejudice. It also provides false comfort to parents who believe, falsely, that they can insulate their children from these exposures. So, the next time you pour that large glass of Chardonnay after a long day, just remember that your kids don't make the same artificial distinction between alcohol and pot that we once did.

My husband went to a LMC high school, I went to an UMC public one. He has stories of lots of kids getting high in Middle School. I never even heard of kids in my middle school doing drugs.

So there is your scientific study; sample size, 2.

[Anonymous]

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

Article states that the use of alcohol, and drugs among high schoolers are at their lowest levels since they started doing the survey. (not sure when that was though)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters on this site should spend a little time with the enormous body of research on the subject. Kids from wealthy families are just as likely to use drugs as those from lower SES. White kids are just as likely as Black and Hispanics. Smart kids just as likely as the less gifted. All of these comments just play into a narrative that reinforces existing prejudice. It also provides false comfort to parents who believe, falsely, that they can insulate their children from these exposures. So, the next time you pour that large glass of Chardonnay after a long day, just remember that your kids don't make the same artificial distinction between alcohol and pot that we once did.

My husband went to a LMC high school, I went to an UMC public one. He has stories of lots of kids getting high in Middle School. I never even heard of kids in my middle school doing drugs.

So there is your scientific study; sample size, 2.

I think most of us kind of "get" that drug use tends to be heavier at lower income schools.

[Anonymous]

What I've observed from my high school and college days (private and Ivy League, respectively) is that the students who experimented with drugs and partied assume that most students did so, while those who didn't, assumed that most students didn't. Different experiences, different perspectives.

As for me, I am one of those who have never tried pot (sensitive sense of smell and hate all types of smoke, from cigarettes to incense, I once almost passed during at an orthodox church service because of the incense but that's a story for a different thread) but I'm also aware that the occasional toke is not a big deal and not to be judged harshly. Many bright kids will try soft drugs to no detrimental effect. As the teacher earlier in this tread pointed out, there exists a level of high performing students who are able to sustain even a hardcore drug habit while maintaining high academic standards. I'm sure Malia Obama falls into this category and she's no different from millions of perfectly nice, respectable high school kids who occasionally tried a joint.

Of course, for other kids pot is definitely a gateway drug that hurt their academic performances and hindered their life possibilities. For the latter reason that is why I'm generally against loosening the drug laws because I do think for enough people in this country, including kids, it's jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. The "hypocrisy" that existed when I was at school, that casual short term drug experimenting among bright and more capable people were quietly overlooked while the force of the law was brought against those who made the drug habit public and let it negatively affect those around them is in its own way the ideal approach.

What has changed is the decline in social acceptability of cigarette smoking. In my day, half of my prep school class smoked cigarettes, even those who didn't experiment with drugs. Today's kids have thankfully bought solidly into the argument that cigarettes are disgusting, which does sort of make it surprising that on the flip side there's increased social acceptance of pot smoking. Who knows why. But every generation has its peculiarity.