There’s no doubt that parents are the most powerful force in protecting and preparing children for the future. But these days, that job has become exponentially more confusing with the legalization of marijuana in many states and the subsequent arrival of a much more allusive, potent and dangerous variety that’s already flooding across state boarders. One thing has become clear: there’s no such thing as a harmless habit.
Marijuana is no stranger to most parents, but many are unaware of the way it’s being ingested these days and that it has 5x more THC than it did in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Recent studies have concluded that it can even cause a permanent lowering of I.Q. for adolescents, along with a host of other problems which decrease the chances of having and enjoying a prosperous future.
Ironically, this mounting evidence about pot’s adverse affects on teens comes at a time when public attitudes toward marijuana are relaxing at a phenomenal pace, and public information is being consistently and deceptively spun and politicized.
This misinformation, coupled with the difficulty in spotting or identifying pot in its new and dizzying array of forms are inspiring many concerned parents to broaden their perspective and learn more about educating their kids on the dangers, all while looking for tools to identify a problem that could be hiding in plain sight.
After all, today’s pot is being disguised in edibles like brownies, cookies and candies, along with vape pipes and a litany of other clandestine forms. And to make it worse, most are completely invisible to the eye and odorless.
Fortunately, the scientists at S2 Threat Technologies, a company outside of Denver, Colorado has just come out with a revolutionary new way to address the problem by going directly to the source. Unlike urinalysis tests which can be invasive and put an unnecessary strain on the parent-child trust bond – ata time when crucial – this test is discreet and can be performed without being noticed.
It can detect the presence of pot on or in just about anything in less than twenty seconds. One quick swab on the suspect material, compare it to a color card and the results are there. It’s the only test of its kind and it’s pretty ground-breaking stuff.
MTK Cannabis Test Kit
The test is being sold under S2 Threat Detection’s new offshoot: Parents & Pot. It’s the same test being used by law enforcement, the TSA and over 600 international airports, and it’s just become available to the consumer market.
Parents & Pot’s ambitious next focus will be to get their kits into every school across the country. “In the years to come,” says Michael Callahan, President of S2 Threat Detection’s Parents and Pot “these kits could be as important as EpiPens in protecting our kids.” A sobering commentary from a group of scientists at the forefront of threat and abuse detection.
But as great as these tests are, if you’re curious or concerned that your teen could be using pot, it’s probably best to first put your energy into creating a healthy relationship and encouraging non-judgmental conversations that allow your teen to be honest with you. If that doesn’t dispel concerns, you now have the option of discreetly testing any suspicious items like those candies, baked items, waxes or vape pipes.
It’s truly a novel way to get to the root of a modern-day problem without causing unnecessary friction within the household. And a great new way to arm parents who are at the front lines, fighting the good fight.
You can get a Parents & Pot test kit or learn more at their website: www.ParentsandPot.com
George Soros is the Big Fish who funds many 527 organizations and controls multiple national and international policies (Read Part 1). Now we live with outcome of his idea, changing the War on Drugs. Soros can make a god out of money to influence policy, but this political success is failure in a much bigger and more important way.
Soros donated an estimated $200 million to fund the changes to US drug policy over the last 20 years. Using his big fish status, he’s swallowing those who can’t fend for themselves, our young people. The groups he funds blame America’s DEA for violence in other lands, rather than the drug dealers who fight each other and kill. Politically, these groups target students, even those below voting age. Using a twist of logic, our young people start believing drugs are good and it’s the American government that’s wrong. (At the same time, they become drug users.) To say the war on drugs was a failure doesn’t account for the continuous drop in youth drug use between 1979 and 1992.
Legalization ballots that passed wouldn’t have happened without Soros’ help. In California, Soros influenced Proposition 47 which changed felonies to misdemeanors and let drug dealers out of jail. This year he’s the source of the Dark Money in the California campaign, about $4 million that is under the banner of Fund for Policy Reform, as uncovered in the Sacramento Bee.
The Lie About Social Justice
Legalizers have successfully framed legalization as a social justice issue — which is not. In fact, convincing people that hundreds of thousands of people are in prison for marijuana use only — rather than crimes related to the drug or while on drugs — is one of the false narratives. It is the main reason why people have been persuaded to vote for legalization. The Sacramento Bee recently investigated and couldn’t find a single low level marijuana offender in California prisons.Criminal justice experts agree that loosening drug possession laws would have little effect on the total numbers in prison. There are plenty of ways to revise and improve criminal justice without harming people, and drug use harms people.
“Ending the War on Drugs” is “for an ulterior, but far more straightforward motive—making a lot of money at the expense of public health,” explains Kevin Sabet, director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Going to prison can mess up lives, but drug abuse messes up lives more. Legal pot dealers are doing the same as illegal drug dealers did – locating in minority communities. Legalization is a failure because it doesn’t improve the lives of minorities who have more to lose by using drugs.
The one initiative written by the Soros-funded ACLU, I-502 in Washington, was more palatable to many voters because it had a DUI standard and strict plans for enforcing marijuana use by minors. However, these restrictions which allowed I-502 to pass without controversy were immediately stripped. The ACLU even fought against local marijuana bans in court, arguing that cities cannot opt out of the ACLU-imposed law. So much for the organization’s honesty and sincerity.
Arrests for Blacks go up – After Legalization
Soros’ attempt to change the “War on Drugs” is not bringing about racial justice. Marijuana related arrests have skyrocketed for Black and Hispanic minors in Denver since legalization. The outcome raises suspicions. Is the charge of racism that is central to the Drug Policy Alliance’s message a cover for ulterior motives? After legalization in Seattle, blacks were still arrested more frequently than whites, so Seattle decided it would no longer arrest for the public smoking of pot.
Drug Policy Alliance, like ACLU, pretends that racial justice problems are solved by supporting drug legalization. (Soros and Nadelmann are intelligent enough to know that complex problems don’t have simple solutions.) A video from Democratic party’s convention this summer shows DPA’s Ethan Nadelmann. He was rallying and cheering for all the money that can be made in the marijuana industry. At then end, Nadelmann almost forgot to add a token phrase about social justice. Like much of the “medical” marijuana ruse, the idea that ending the war on drugs will end racism is a ruse. It’s a good political cover.
Other Failures with Legalization
The notion that black market would end with legalization has proven false, also. For example, in Washington, the tax rate is high and the black market is nearly half the market in the state. As one former federal prosecutor exclaimed, “Legalization doesn’t put drug cartels out of business; it emboldens them.”
While those who pushed for legalization in Colorado in 2012 argued that tax revenue would help the schools, most schools are not getting money. In fact the city of Denver has a video busting the myth that marijuana money funds schools. That argument did not reveal to voters the high cost of regulation. In fact by almost all standards, marijuana legalization is a failure. (Many of these myths about taxes, black market, crime reduction were pushed by the Marijuana Policy Project, a group funded by Peter Lewis and his heirs, not Soros. However, MPP coordinates its message with DPA. )
Threats from terrorists are minimal compared to the destruction from drug use that has been fostered over the last 15-20 years. They’re 50% higher than gun deaths and traffic accidents
Harm Reduction Policy is a Failure
A George Soros interview in 1999 explained that decriminalization followed by legalization was “an experimental idea.” Now, the proof is in the pudding. Today’s death rate from drug overdose of illegal and legal drugs is 129 a day and growing.
Those dying in the 25-34-age group die at 5x the rate was in 1999. Death by overdose in the 12-24-age group is double what it was in 1999.
Harm Reduction and “reversing the drug war” is a policy that is killing people at an unprecedented rate. Getting drugs and needles to people is not a bad motivation, but it only saves lives temporarily, for the most part. Some people die just weeks or months later. Will Soros and Drug Policy Alliance admit failure?
Teens and those ages 20-34 grew up under the Soros/Drug Policy Alliance philosophy of “harm reduction.” Harm reduction is taught with little evidence drugs can be used safely. Instead of educating to prevent the start of drug use, this philosophy assumes kids will use drugs. In the late 1990s, a lawsuit forced drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey to take anti-drug commercials off television. Since that time, funding for D.A.R.E was cut by two thirds. Demand for drugs is growing and the United States has 56% of the world’s drug users.
The US policy which favors harm reduction over demand reduction is a FAILURE! The 47,000+ drug deaths a year is nearly 50% higher than the next biggest accidental cause of death, traffic accidents. It’s also nearly 50% higher than deaths by gun violence, but where is the outrage about dropping anti-drug education in the schools?
Of course people will always use drugs, but that doesn’t mean we should not try to prevent it, as we did for years until Soros started interfering in our drug programs.
Failure Confirmed and Time to Admit It
Several announcements were made ahead of the United Nations meeting on drugs in New York, UNGASS Conference, in April suggesting that worldwide policy surrounding drugs would change. They did not. Soros doesn’t know more than world leaders.
Some of Soros’ pet projects to encourage democracy in other countries may have helped people. However, his game board is the world. Soros has controlled the wealth of nations, but he also wants to be chief architect of foreign affairs, drug policy, immigration. He influences environmental matters, housing, finance, health care, judicial matters and state governments while controlling politics of other countries. So is the attempt to legalize marijuana and other drugs an attempt to kill people?
The “experiment” did not work. However, there were many “victims,” and Soros should not take this fact lightly. Marijuana weakens minds, as users lose valuable memory and their IQs actually go down. Pot users are often less interested in life and work less than others, making them easier to manipulate. Was the plan carried out with the idea that drugs make the people who don’t die more malleable?
If Soros and his sidekicks at ACLU and DPA do not change policy, their original goals will become more obvious. Overturning the “War on Drugs” brings more drug use and death of our young people. It’s manipulation and death in the guise of philanthropy.
A report from the Denver’s Visitor’s Bureau on the impact of legal marijuana to downtown Denver and feedback from conference planners:
“As the marketing organization for the city, VISIT DENVER measures, records and reports hundreds of data points. The attached presentation highlights the safety trends and feedback we receive and closely track from convention and leisure visitors over the span of several years. VISIT DENVER realizes that homelessness is not a crime, and that it is just one component of the many issues having an impact on Denver and surrounding cities. However, it is important to note that visitors often do not recognize or distinguish the differences between panhandlers, travelers, homeless, and others but rather provide overall feedback based on personal safety and sense of security when visiting Denver.
There are several key takeaways from the information provided:
• The downtown environment is the #1 complaint from meeting planners, far surpassing any other categories. The severity of this issue has increased and as of 2014 nearly 50% of meeting planners negatively commented on homeless, youth, panhandling, safety, cleanliness, and drugs including public marijuana consumption.
• Denver ranks very high on walkability, affordability, facilities, and other factors. However, Denver as a “safe city” ranks significantly lower according to interviews with key convention planners conducted by an independent third-party.
• Denver is losing visitors and valuable convention business as a result of these overall safety (or perception of safety) issues. Unfortunately, word is beginning to spread among meeting planners about the safety challenges Denver is facing. As the marketing organization for the city, we fear not being able to brand Denver away from this growing reputation.
VISIT DENVER is committed to solutions that will improve our community for all who live, work and visit Denver. We are happy to share more information or answer any questions you may have.”
By Roger Morgan, Take Back America Campaign, #StopPot on social media
People that grow and sell marijuana and other drugs aren’t the world’s finest to begin with, so it isn’t a surprise that they prey on street kids from California to London and beyond. They’re easy targets for sexual abuse and slavery; a real human tragedy.
In Lake County, California, police arrested 30-year-old Ryan Balletto and 25-year-old Patrick Pearmain, initially for a massive marijuana grow on 680 acres, only to discover that they held a 15-year-old runaway as a sex slave, and forced her to help with the cultivation. She was even held captive in a metal box 4’ x 2’ x 2’ twice for up to 30 hours. The girl was from southern California, but ended up at a northern California grow site.
Ryan Balletto and Bruce Pearmain shown the Lake County Grow. The girl kept for work and sex with these growers is just of many street kids.
A friend and colleague reports there are 700 homeless kids in Mendocino County. Many of these street kids find work during marijuana harvest season, then they languish under bridges or wherever they can find shelter with no means of support. With none of life’s essentials, they have to turn to crime or prostitution for survival. In a county which bases its economy on cultivation this illicit crop, growers are making millions of dollars while creating a public welfare problem for the most vulnerable among us.
My friend says that many of the kids in Juvenile Hall, 13-and 14-year-olds, can’t read or write. Many have never known the joy of having a birthday or Christmas present. Just forgotten souls, victims of our failure as a society to utilize all resources to keep them away from drugs and provide safe passage to adulthood.
The many adults who wish to use drugs to lure children is a threat to society. Combined with the deterioration of the family and widespread loss of faith and community, many children and teens are attracted to the alternative, drug-loving lifestyle.
Guns in the collection of the pot growers who kept girl in a box. Photo: Lake County Sheriff
From personal experience, I can attest to the nightmare of trying to cope with a drug-addicted child. Once their brain is altered by drugs, they are incapable of rational conversation. After multiple failed attempts at treatment and rehab, sometimes its tough love and children are forced out of the home. Parents who take this approach need to know the terrible violence they’re exposed to after they become street kids. With no money, job skills, food and shelter these children are perfect prey for anyone who offers a helping hand.
Streets Kids and Youth in Denver and Seattle
Many are attracted to places like Colorado and Washington where they can smoke pot with no possibility of arrest, or get a job working in the marijuana industry. Since Colorado legalized marijuana, their shelters have seen a 40 to 50% increase in homelessness. Homelessness has also spiked in Seattle.
In Seattle, 50 acres of land owned by the Washington state Department of Transportation houses 400 people in tents. After 5 people were shot in a drug deal gone bad in January, the city is struggling with what to do. The site is rampant with problems of rape, assault and drugs run rampant. It is filed with stolen articles including brief cases, computers, luggage, bicycles and used needles. The human waste leaches into the nearby river, and there is superficial damage on the bridge overpasses. It is considered so dangerous that addiction and homeless outreach services won’t even go there.
Given the many challenges confronting child-rearing today, one thing is clear. Preventing or deferring the onset of alcohol, tobacco and drug use, starting with marijuana, is a big part of the solution. Young people who have moved to states like Colorado for the freedom to use pot are oblivious to the harms that marijuana inflicts on the brains of anyone under age 25. They’re also unaware of those who will exploit them for personal gain with no concern for their well being.
