# Would you be okay with your teens doing drugs if they paid for it fully with a part job?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-okay-with-your-teens-doing-drugs-if-they-paid-for-it-fully-with-a-part-job/805568>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 30, 2017, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-okay-with-your-teens-doing-drugs-if-they-paid-for-it-fully-with-a-part-job/805568 "2017-12-30T09:07:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-okay-with-your-teens-doing-drugs-if-they-paid-for-it-fully-with-a-part-job/805568/41 "2017-12-31T05:31:20Z")

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I was able to see many college acquaintances do stupid things while drunk. I would not want anyone I love to ingest substances that make them stupid.

Medicinal marijuana is acceptable if no other treatments will work. If you must ingest substances to have a good time, you need some other kind of help.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-okay-with-your-teens-doing-drugs-if-they-paid-for-it-fully-with-a-part-job/805568/42 "2017-12-31T05:32:15Z")

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> [@jz78817](#):
>
> if he’s living with them they can give him the boot.

> [@Loach](#):
>
> Not seeing their names on the mortgage and I’m not seeing and money to help pay for that mortgage. Not that I have anything to worry about since my daughters saw how drugs (starting with marijuana then getting worse and worse) ruined the life of their half-brother.

I assumed from the OP that **rastafarian** is living on campus and paying his own expenses. If he’s living at home and/or his parents are paying his tuition, then they can, quite rightly, either tell him to cut out the drugs, or cut him off and tell him to leave. Either way, they don’t seem to have a problem with it.

I do agree that if your child lives with you, then “my house, my rules” does apply. And I agree, it’s normal to be concerned if your child does drugs, whether they live with you or not.

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**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-okay-with-your-teens-doing-drugs-if-they-paid-for-it-fully-with-a-part-job/805568/43 "2017-12-31T05:59:39Z")

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I voted ‘‘No, absolutely not.’’

For one thing, there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful definition of ‘‘soft drugs’’ when it comes to drug use and developing brains. There is solid evidence that even marijuana use [harms brain development](http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/11/marijuana-brain.aspx) in teens.

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