On most days that answer is probably pretty easy. It’s not everyday that we are presented with a moral dilemma that shakes our belief system to the core. Oh, we voice our opinions on major issues–drug dealers, drunk driving, and rapist. You know where you stand when it comes to those issues, but what would you actually do if you were confronted with a moral dilemma involving one of those issues? Would you turn in a rapist that was your boss? Would you report a drunk driver who was your father? Would you report your sister for dealing drugs, knowing she would lose her kids? When it comes down to it, do you have what it takes to do the right thing; to sand up for what you truly believe, even when it is the hard thing to do?
Do you walk the walk or are you all talk?
Here’s a moral dilemma to ponder. But before you answer it with the obvious answer, ask yourself if you would truly live what you believe in this situation. Could you actually live with your choice?
You find out a friend is growing and selling marijuana. The friend claims he is only selling to other “friends”, however he just purchased more equipment for growing pot. You believe this means he is expanding his “hobby”, as he calls it. You believe the money he is making now is not going to be good enough for him, he will become greedy. The friend is also growing and selling pot from his house that is located across the street from an elementary school. He is selling drugs in a school zone, even if he is not selling to kids (yet). You know if you turn him in he is looking at a very long jail sentence. You don’t want to be responsible for sending a man to jail. He is basically a “good guy” (except for the drug dealer thing). Your spouse wants to ignore it. It’s his life and it’s not in your neighborhood. But, you know how you would feel if there was a drug dealer living in your neighborhood, across from your kids’ school…so how can you ignore it?
What would you do? Not what would you say you would do, but what would you really do?
Some questions that come to mind: What kind of example are you setting for your kids by ignoring it? What would you tell your child to do if it was their friend selling the pot? Is it “okay” because it is (as some people say) “just pot”? Would it be different if he was cooking up some Meth in his kitchen? Would you want to live next door to a drug dealer? Does any of these questions change your answer? Would you give the friend the opportunity to change his course in life? Would you confront him into changing or getting turned in? How far would you go to help him “see the light”?
Gut check time. What would you do?
Have Faith Everyday 
That’s a really difficult moral dilemma. It’s a good point to ponder. Having worked in criminal justice both as a social worker and in the prosecution service, I can see that there’s a big challenge here. Do you risk having your friend sent to jail? Because that will ruin their life. But are they potentially ruining the lives of innocent people by selling the pot? Or would that be a big call because ‘it’s only pot’ as some people say?
And then there’s spousal relationships to worry about. And all that time you will waste giving a police statement, hanging around waiting for the court process to be completed not knowing whether you will have to give evidence. And what about payback? Because you know what they say about that.
I say that I would dob my friend in. But not being in the situation, perhaps that’s easy to say.
Very interesting topic. Thank you. That’s one of the things I love about your blog – always somethign interesting to read and think about.
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You are so kind. Is there a possibility of retribution, is another thought I had. It’s a difficult dilemma and a real-life one. Just last night the news headlined with a Meth Lab bust in a residential neighborhood!
And now with some cities in Colorado legalizing medical marijuana some people take that as a “green light” to grow and sell it whether they have a license or not.
Marijuana is not “harmless” as some say and whether they are selling the drug out right to kids or not…it IS getting into the hands of our kids. One way or another.
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