D.C. Fourth Graders Ingest Cocaine at School
Kids are growing up faster and faster these days, and I'm not talking about puberty.
Sex, drugs and alcohol may have become permanent fixtures in the nation's middle schools, but are they also making their way into our elementary schools?
Last week, at Washington D.C.'s Thomson Elementary School, that question became reality when an elementary student, cocaine in hand, walked through the doors.
Parents were shocked to learn Thursday that a fourth grader had brought a bag of cocaine onto the Thomson Elementary School campus. Even worse? The child shared the drugs with four other students aged 8 to 10.
The children inhaled and ingested the cocaine prior to being taken to the hospital, reports The Washington Post.
Papers are also reporting that the elementary student cocaine provider is being charged with possession of a controlled substance. What will happen to him now?
Chances are, given his young age, the child will be handled by a juvenile court. However, that determination can be altered by evidence showing that he understood what the substance was and the kind of harm it could cause. The more aware he is, the higher the chances are that he is tried as an adult.
As a side note, there are some reports that the child took the drugs from his step-father's car prior to being dropped off at the school. If true, you should expect to see the man charged with drug crimes and child endangerment.
For all the parents out there, don't let the case of Thomson Elementary School scare you. Elementary student cocaine use--and drug use--is not a widespread problem, reports The Washington Post.
Related Resources:
- Fourth grader busted with cocaine at DC elementary school, charged with possession (CBS/WUSA)
- Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice (FindLaw)
- Drug Possession (FindLaw)
- Narcotics Acts (FindLaw)
- Ohio Mom Caught Giving Pot to 2-Year-Old (FindLaw Blotter)