Posted by Drew on February 01, 2007 at 13:16:20 (EST):
In Reply to: How about a little bit of both posted by Sharon on February 01, 2007 at 11:21:40 (EST):
: First, yes the drug dealers should be charged to the fullest extent of the law regardless of whether or not someone died. $15,000 fine is nothing to a drug dealer.
: Secondly, there does have to be some personal responsiblity and some responsiblity of the parents since the boy was a minor. Unfortunately for them, they are all paying for whatever mistakes were made be it lack of education about drugs or lack of supervision. And I really don't think it has anything to do with the parents being in a bar, (not sure if they were though) I would hope that by the time my child is 17, I can go dancing with friends and be confident that he won't do anything stupid.
A lot of it is called peer pressure, you may think you know your child but once they get out in a group odd things can happen. I would venture to say most kids by the time they are 17, have had alcohol, cigarettes, tried marijuana and had sex.It is the sad product of our society, tv, movies, parents separated/divorced,out somewhere themselves getting hammered or worse, never going to church.It is not a good time to be a teenager now or even an adolescent.You see girls 12 dressing and looking like 20 year olds and their parents proud of it.