High school during the early 70s was quite a different experience from education today. The Vietnam war was still ongoing and all males were required to register for the draft at age 18. Students on the college track could hold off the inevitable, but those not headed to a higher institution of learning knew they were going straight to war. Because of this, there was no urgency to enforce accountability for students; education was what each student personally made of it. Students heading to war after high school had a completely different perspective on life and lived accordingly. The school system understood what they were facing and did not strongly enforce certain transgressions.

One transgression ignored was smoking. In fact, there was a designated smoking area for students to use between classes and during lunch. It was also known that students openly smoked pot in this area. The “cool” teachers were known to walk by and take a toke when passing through. It was just an accepted norm. Of course, it is no coincidence that the Vietnam war and drug experimentation began during the same period of time beginning in the early 1960s. It is also no coincidence that after nearly a decade of ignoring the drug issue, an official war on drugs was declared by the then-president Richard M. Nixon in June of 1971. By then, cocaine had been introduced to the mix and became the second most abused drug in the world after cannabis.

Excerpt from the following blog: https://www.lifeworkscommunity.com/blog/the-relationship-between-cocaine-abuse-and-violence

[Unlike cannabis], cocaine stimulates the central nervous system and leads to intense euphoria coupled with the sensation of strength and intellectual prowess. At the same time, it suppresses the appetite, fatigue and pain, while also reducing inhibitions. But, once these effects have worn off, users become anxious, agitated and feel the need for more of the drug.

As a consequence of these effects, many cocaine users are prone to violence. Significantly, those who inhale crack cocaine tend to become more angry and violent than those who snort crystalline cocaine.

Researchers believe that the rage and violent behavior associated with cocaine use could be the result of the drug’s effect on neurotransmitters in the pleasure centers of the brain. It is also thought that cocaine causes changes in the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin that might lead to aggressive behavior, hyperactivity, impaired judgement and paranoia.

All of these facts are important because they are mitigating factors leading to the cold case murder of a 13 year old boy in 1986.