'Be involved': Bill requires parents to attend drug counselling with kids

It's time we step up. US assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport) proposed a bill that would require anyone under 21 caught smoking narcotic substances to attend a cannabis diversion program- along with their parents.

As per the current state law, those caught possessing or using cannabis (ganja) under the legal age of 21 have to pay a penalty of $50 fine- which interestingly costs less than the price of a premium bag of weed.

“The current penalty of 50 bucks and a pamphlet is hardly enough prevention," said Keith. ”If we say we're going to treat marijuana like alcohol, then we need to treat marijuana like alcohol," he added.

Referring to the law that legalized adult marijuana use in the state, he told The Post, “This is an opportunity to address and put some teeth into the [Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act].”

Lawmakers have been on a legal hunt for terms of cannabis use, since the authorization of its use and sales in Albany.

The use of marijuana has been hotly increasing in schools in New York City.

Adam Bergstein, a high school teacher from Forest Hills High School, explained how whole corridors in schools reek of pot, and many students smoke before class starts and then throughout the day in school.

Chalkbeat obtained data from the city Department of Education, which stated that the use of narcotics had increased by 8% since the legalization in 2019.

Adam, 52, thinks that the use has increased due to the light punishments doled out to those caught with drugs, and forcing parents to take responsibility of their wards would help address the issue on a more personal and serious level.

"You just basically have a situation that’s hard to control, so if the parents had to actually participate and be involved, I think you would see a drop in drug use in the schools,” he said.

While many in the state think this trick would not really be helpful in practice, City Councilman Robert Holden is all for it.

“If the state continues to normalize drug usage, addressing its impact on our youth is essential, Any law that involves parents and offers programs to educate and guide kids away from drugs is something I’m all for,” he said.

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