The thing we want for all our kids is that they be connected with a learning community and that they have strong social and familial relationships. If we can do whatever we can do to create that and to reduce bullying and to reduce the kind of pain and shame so many kids feel for so many reasons, that stuff is going to reduce drug addiction.
Maia SzalavitzLove is great and it does help a lot of people, but a lot of people do have things like depression or schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or other disorders, all of which will need to be addressed in order for people to stay in long-term recovery.
Maia SzalavitzI think our drug laws need to be made scientifically, as best as possible, recognizing that values will always be part of that.
Maia SzalavitzScience could never get you to make alcohol and tobacco legal and marijuana illegal. Only racism can do that.
Maia SzalavitzI don't think there's a single child who's ever benefitted from being arrested for marijuana or for underage drinking; this does not solve the problem. It makes worse problems because a) it puts them into the system, and b) it gives them a potential criminal record to have to deal with and it can have consequences for school.
Maia Szalavitz