Because addiction is a developmental problem, the developmental stage is important, things like employment are important, things like having a sense of purpose, meaning and hope are important, and this is why there's been so many spiritual cures for addiction, because those things often give people a sense of meaning and purpose.
Maia SzalavitzDo we really want to base our 21st-century policy on what the colonialist preferred at a certain time in history, not at all based on health or what the preferences of different cultures might be? That's just ridiculous.
Maia SzalavitzIf you're worried about a kid and drug use, the safest, best thing to do is individual counseling or family therapy, none of which will expose kids to more deviant or problematic peers and both of which are proven to be effective and at the very least, they won't hurt.
Maia SzalavitzScience could never get you to make alcohol and tobacco legal and marijuana illegal. Only racism can do that.
Maia SzalavitzMarijuana is not not harmful, but is the least harmful psychoactive substance that we have, with the possible exception of caffeine.
Maia SzalavitzThe 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 Szalavitz