Regardless of our admonitions to abstain or delay use, most people will try drugs including alcohol during their lifetime. And, some will do so more regularly than others. Parents and concerned adults everywhere are coming to appreciate that it is harmful to criminalize our kids for something that so many of them and even some of our other family members do. Moreover, criminalizing our children doesn’t provide them or us with the tools needed to effectively deal with problematic drug use if it emerges. Let’s face it, imagine if your own child ran into trouble with drugs? What would be more helpful, a doctor’s appointment or a criminal record?
