The Elephant In The Room Nobody Is Talking About

Sweetest friends - this is not an expose. EVERYBODY knows and yet it seems that so little is being done. I am referring to the heavy amount of drug use among our youth. "Youth" unfortunately continues into the 20's - and beyond. All the years I was involved in chinuch I heard countless stories of drug use among Orthodox kids. It is EVERYWHERE.

I don't think that drug use is rampant among religious girls but the boys - OY VEY. Terrible. Is anybody doing anything about it? Do parents know?? Do teachers know? Does a Rebbe know that he is teaching a tosaphos to pot-heads and maybe instead of shittas rabbeinu tam they should be focusing on cleaning up their act. Torah and avodas Hashem with drugs is not Torah and avodas Hashem. Many mechanchim and parents JUST DON'T GET IT. Some people are up their elevated perch and they don't realize that the people whom they should be influencing are in a completely different stratosphere.

These people get married and often continue their drug use and abuse. NOT a good recipe for fulfilled married life. I know of a shteibel where [a number years ago] I was told by a reliable source that the COUPLES get together during the week to smoke pot. [For the record this is a gartel and sheitel wearing type shteibel]. This is of course the PERFECT opening for the worst sins which would ultimately precipitate [I don't think I have ever used that word before so שהחיינו] a divorce. והמבין יבין.

I would love to share more but I am very careful not to incriminate individual people or institutions.