My Friend "Wants Out"?

Question

My best friend is a "dealer" and i am very worried about him. Last week he had a guy pull a knife on him. He makes good money for a 15 year old, $500/week give or take a few dollars. Should he get out or just carry "heat"? He is a straight "A" student in school so he has a good future. I am the only one who knows!! He wants NO SYMPATHY, JUST HELP!!!

Answer 1

He is a fairly small dealer and can still get out if he acts now. His age is in his favor too bec it would be a juvenile charge if there is a charge if he gets out before 16 and if he gets out before somone ODs on something they bought from him or someone gets killed or injured in any connection with his activities.   He needs to be aware that if bad stuff has started it generally gets worse bec it generally is a deliberate thing and he is now a known target.  

Here are some ways out.

Talk with his parents if they are parents he can talk with.  He can tell them as much or as little as he thinks appropriate,   Possibly just that he came close to getting killed by some ppl. (w/o a lot of why) and that he wants to be out of town a while.   If he is also using he needs immediate residential treatment.  Residential bec it will get him off the streets where he is and he can blame his folks for sending him and get clear of the suppliers and customers.  If he is not using he should ask his family to let him go stay with a relative somewhere else the further and least like where he lives now the better.  I know well he can find connections anywhere but it is easier to choose not to find them in a different place.  It is certainly possible to get and stay clean and out of the business without getting out of town but it is often easier andsafer in a different place.   Another possibility would be to see if he can go to school elsewhere ASAP  like starting with the summer session.  

If he can't talk to his folks, doesn't have a grandparent, aunt, uncle or whoever to stay with he needs to talk with a youth pastor or someone who works with kids who are in trouble.   He may need to deal with the police or he may be able to plead to a misdemeanor qualtity or just to general delinquency and and draw probation.   That will help keep him accountable and give him a very good reason to offer up to suppliers and customers for why he needs to be out of the business.   He may also find that he can get help free through the local mental health dept.  I am NOT saying he is crazy or has mental problems but these folks generally deal with a lot of substance related stuff and with helping ppl overcome peer pressures.  

He really needs a program like L.A.M.P. http://lampga.tripod.com that understands the pull of selling, money, pressures, needing to be important but in his area.  He can go to that site and email them if he wants.

He needs to be sure that all debts to his suppliers have been paid in full and that he does not take any money from customers.   Whoeber set him up in the first place can do it again and also he doesn't know what customer or supplier may have been recently busted and needing someone to offer up to cut their deeal with the law.  He does not need to just wait and try to earn more before he gets out,.  His life is worth too much more than that.  Carrying heat may sound like a good idea but if anything goes sour and he is found with heat he is up for an adult felony rap vs Juv probation.   Also ppl who carry heat are likely to get burned with their own heat.

You are trying to be a good friend to him but look out for yourself too.   Not just for your own sake but also for his.  He needs to know someone who cares enough about themself to stay away from all that.  He needs to not have the guilt of your getting involved or hurt or having you grabbed by suppliers or competitors or ppl who want free stuff to try to force him to do whatever.   Tell him you care but you gotta care from a distance till he can make some changes.  That hurts to do but it can help him get free and maybe help save his life.  

Please tell him I am praying for him and that if he will pray and ask Jesus Christ for help He will help him I promise.

Answer 2

Your friend is in a bad situation. Something that no one seems to be acknowledging is his fear of retaliation by his "suppliers". He will have to assess the risks he is taking by quitting and take appropriate action. He *needs* to stop. Some dealers may be content with him "training" a replacement - which is still risky. Some may want to break his fingers - might be worth it. Some may threaten his life or family.

He is probably too young to get a safety deposit box, but it would be a good idea to have ready a "gift" to the authorities of everything they possibly need to know to find and arrest these people on the chance of his untimely disappearance. Kept somewhere safe, but where someone will find it - possibly with you, as a concerned friend.

If he is an A student, he may want to go to his parents for help and protection. Sure, he will have to swallow his pride, but it's worth it. He also should consider going to the police if he fears for his own safety. What they will probably want from him are the names of these "suppliers" and in turn he will get a shorter sentence. I do not know what that sentence could be.

Depending on the persistence of these suppliers, his family could consider moving. What will be held against him is the fact that he has information that could nail the people he's selling for. They may be afraid of that and leave him alone, or they may seek revenge.

Please encourage him to get help, and stay safe.

Answer 3

GET OUT! The game doesn't make it easier for you to live.  It does in the short-term but the chances of bad karma accompanying you for the rest of your life is something that haunts you and eats away at your core over time.  If life doesn't get you, something (or someONE) else will.

He should stick to school and at least try to make an honest living in the future.  You can deal whatever you want but once you get caught it's game over.  A lot of corporations are doing background checks on all potential employees and any jail time done will show up and he will be denied a job.

I say get out while he can before he gets in too deep.

Answer 4

get him out....if he's as smart as u say he has a bright future....and shouldn't be messing in the wrong places

Answer 5

He needs to get out before he lands in prison, the hospital or the morgue.  You are putting yourself at risk by hanging around him.  find a better class of friends.  Encourage him to stop.  He will be charged as an adult.  No 15 year old kid need that kind of money.  He is a disaster waiting to happen.  His poor parents will be heartbroken when he is arrested or killed.  He may think he is cool, but he is a loser who will eventually lose big if he doesn't stop.  Get him to quit or stay away from him.  If he gets arrested with drugs on him and you are with him you will have a hard time convincing anyone that you are not involved.

Answer 6

Your friend is a loser who CHOSE to dance with the DEVIL.  Now he is going to pay one way or the other.

You need to find better friends.

If he truly wants out, he will get out, take his butt whooping and live right.

Answer 7

Get him the h*ll out of that situation.  His life depends on getting out of that situation.