At Jackson-Reed, it’s easier to get weed than you might think.
Whether through a fake ID, a teenage dealer, a friend, or a family member, almost any student who wants to get weed easily can—and use appears to be high. In a recent Beacon survey posted to the Beacon Instagram account, more than half of 136 JR students reported having consumed cannabis products.
JR students said they use various methods to illegally obtain cannabis, ranging from friends, to dispensaries, to online vendors. Of the survey respondents, 20 students, or 15 percent, said they get cannabis products through a dealer.
The Beacon spoke to one anonymous Jackson-Reed student who sells marijuana products to other students. He doesn’t identify with the word dealer, though.
“Dealing is a harsh word,” the student said. “I think about it more as helping people out, kind of, sharing the opportunity to get better weed.”
This student said that he sells cannabis products to “30 or 40” JR students in a month. When asked if he’s ever been caught or faced consequences, the student responded simply with “nope.”
In addition to dealers, some students reported that they get weed through older family members, usually siblings. “My sister usually buys me stuff when she comes home,” one senior said. “She’s over 21 so it’s easy for her and cheaper than going to a dealer or somewhere that doesn’t card.”
One of the most common ways that students obtain marijuana is with a fake ID. Twenty percent of survey respondents said they use a fake ID to buy cannabis products. In general, most students get their fakes from other students, either at JR or other local high schools.
Of those surveyed, 18 percent had obtained a fake ID from another JR student and 9 percent from a teenager at another school.
“I got my fake around a year ago,” another senior, who also asked not to be named, said. “It was $60 for two cards and super easy to get.”
“My friend was putting in an order with someone who goes to their school, so I just texted them to ask if I could get one,” the student said. Then, they “Venmoed the person and filled out a Google form with a picture, name, address, and state. Then about a month later it came in the mail.”
Once students have a fake ID, they can go to dispensaries in the area that are known for being relaxed with identification. This makes marijuana considerably easier to obtain, and means that the products students buy meet the safety standards of licensed dispensaries.
Another anonymous senior said she buys weed “at least once a week” with a fake ID at a local smoke shop and has “never had any trouble” purchasing there.
A different senior said she has bought from the same shop, which is popular with interviewed JR students. However, “That’s only sometimes, I mostly get it through friends.”
The student also expressed strong preferences for the type of cannabis products she buys: “I stay away from carts. Those are nasty.”
More than 40 percent of the survey respondents said that they have, at least once, consumed a cannabis product without knowing exactly where it came from.
This sentiment was echoed by interviewed students. “I just get it through friends,” one anonymous senior girl said. “I don’t know exactly where it’s coming from, I just trust the friends I smoke with.”
This does expose students to the risk of unknown contaminants. More than 40 percent of respondents said they most frequently get cannabis products from a friend.
One anonymous student shared that, one time, “after work I was smoking with my coworker and we were smoking her weed, and I had a really bad reaction and am pretty sure it was laced with something.”
Another anonymous senior offered an alternative perspective, saying he purchases most of the marijuana he consumes online. “Online they don’t ask for ID at all,” he said. “You just ship it to an address and they drop it off or you can go pick it up. Either way, no ID needed.” •