Published by StoryStudio on my mysanantonio.com, March 26, 2020
At Rise Recovery, San Antonio’s youth, young adults and their families receive support and guidance for overcoming the challenges of drug or alcohol use. One common challenge is navigating technology. Smart phones, social media, and convenience apps have made the idea of keeping teens from coming into contact with illegal drugs impossible, unfortunately. In as little as eight minutes, a teen can discreetly communicate with a dealer, get access to that dealer, exchange money, and get drugs without a parental figure noticing. Using cash exchange apps, teens and young adults are able to send money anonymously. A marijuana dealer living in San Antonio could hypothetically be found on a social media app with the help of drug-suggestive emojis, tags and photographs, conduct a “drop-off” through a ride share app, and accept a cash app as payment. Teenagers wouldn’t have to go farther than their front yard to pick up anything they desired.
