Dealers Caught Peddling Weed To Students Outside Of Schools
In growing trend, drug dealers are found selling marijuana to students outside of school, and the police are doing little to combat the issue.
Polls might suggest that the majority of Americans support legislation making marijuana legal for medicinal and recreational purposes, but with that comes a growing concern from many parents that it will further it’s way into the hands of young children. The number of cases involving minors attaining the substance perpetually increases, as more states legalize weed. In New York City, where marijuana was recently legalized for recreational use, drug dealers have been caught peddling weed to young students outside of school buildings, urging concerns from many parents and educators.
The New York Post reported on the incident involving dealers selling pot to young minors. To make matters worse, the Post found that the peddlers were packaging their product to further entice young kids. Some of the dealers were caught selling marijuana that looked like candy or ice cream cones. In just one day, three different deals to students were witnessed all within a few blocks, if not closer, to school buildings.
In their report, The Post described the horrid situation. The illegal drug dealers were seen flagging down cars in the street, asking them if they wanted to buy an eighth of “gelato.” Unfortunately, they weren’t selling the popular ice cream, but instead a strain of marijuana, for as little as $25. The peddlers were observed as they would press their thumbs and index fingers to their lips, imitating the act of smoking.
Tatiana Mahoney, the director of Family and Community Engagement at Inwood Academy, a school near the marijuana peddling, says that these kinds of drug deals are popping up everywhere in The Big Apple. Furthermore, these drug dealers have shown less fear than usual to show off their illegal street sales. One dealer was reported to have proudly displayed his stash for New York Post reporters when questioned about it. He opened a backpack full of marijuana packaged in the ice cream cones, adding that they were “pretty cute, right?”
Furthermore, Mahoney said that the increased street presence emerged at the beginning of this school year. Coincidence or not, this overlapped with New York state recently legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medicinal use. Personal opinions and even extensive research vary on the correlation between legalized pot and its abuse by minors. Business Insider reported back in 2019 that a study published in JAMA Psychiatry found a small increase in heavy marijuana use among teenagers in states where it had been legalized. But on the contrary, sites like U.S. News report research from multiple universities saying that usage among teens dropped in states where it was legalized.
Parents are very concerned about the growing problem. Mahoney called the marijuana peddlers “vultures” at a recent community board meeting. To extend on this, she pointed out how police officers hand out citations on the regular to these street peddlers, but it does nothing to combat the growing issue.
Regardless of viewpoints on legalizing marijuana throughout the United States, there is no denying the science that shows weed intake among young children can have detrimental effects. In minors, the side effects are of the utmost concern. Nonetheless, it is up to officials and police to curb the problem.
