When Punkzilla opens, fourteen-year-old Jamie is on a Greyhound bus coming down from doing meth with his buddy Branson. He's not an addict, but he is living a seriously dangerous life—part of the reason his parents sent him away to military school was his penchant for pot, and he's got no problem smoking with people he meets on the road. When he meets Albertina, who uses medical marijuana for her lupus, the line between harmful and helpful becomes questionable—but either way, Jamie never turns down a free blaze.
Questions About Drugs and Alcohol
- Does Jamie have a drug problem, or is his experimentation normal teen behavior? How can you tell?
- Is it wrong for adults to smoke and drink in front of Jamie? Is it wrong for Lewis to share marijuana with him when he has a breakdown over P's cancer?
- If prescription amphetamines help Jamie focus, why does he have such a bad reaction to meth?
- Would Jamie have become an addict if he'd stayed in Portland? Will the stability of living with Jorge prevent him from becoming one in Memphis?
Chew on This
For Jamie, weed is the first way he tries to escape this life.
Trying to enforce strict rules on your kids (like the Major does) often has the opposite effect. Jamie might not have started doing drugs and stealing if his dad hadn't been such a nightmare.