'Anderson Live' Investigates: New Designer Drug Trend 'Smiles' / Co-Host Lisa Ling
'ANDERSON LIVE' INVESTIGATES: NEW DESIGNER DRUG TREND 'SMILES': It's the dangerous new designer drug that every parent needs to know about. "Smiles" is a synthetic drug with unusual and unpredictable side effects, including hallucinations, erratic behavior and even death. Anderson speaks with two parents who lost their son to this new drug, as well as a teen who currently videotapes himself taking "Smiles," and then posts it to the web for all his friends to see. Plus, the #1 warning sign parents can't afford to miss!
Then, they began their careers together… Anderson welcomes his Channel One colleague Lisa Ling as his co-host for the day! Lisa and Anderson tackle the latest hot headlines in "The First 15."
And in "The Final Five," one of the biggest surprises we've ever pulled off that will change the lives of an entire community!
Comments
I saw this episode yesterday, and I must admit I didn't watch it in its entirety. I did, however, see the young man who was posting videos about the effects of drugs on him when he took them. I feel so sad for the parents of Christian. Clearly they did not know their son very well. For them to attack the blogger, and yes that is what this young man is, was disgraceful. At one point they mentioned that their son would never do something like take illegal drugs. Anderson, you followed up with a question about any prior use of legal substances. Well, didn't Mother freely offer up the fact that he had been in trouble for both underage drinking and possession of marijuana. Watch the tape back. Now tell me that the young man who posts videos (freedom of speech! not to mention at least some journalistic tendencies) should feel responsible for situations like Christian's. I'm sorry but I call B.S. on that. Not to attack these poor parents, for I'm certain accepting that their son was perhaps a different person than he presented to them would be devastating, especially posthumously. The young blogger has every right to post his videos, though his own reasoning of why is skewed. I contend that we each make choices in our own lives, full knowledge of consequences or not. You make the choice, you live or die with the consequences. Christian may not have known what was in the synthetic drug that killed him, but he sure as hell knew that he was ingesting a mind altering substance, the contents of which were unclear. Give Christian more credit, I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. I also believe he was probably suffering from some emotional or mental pain, which is what he was trying to medicate with his use of alcohol, marijuana, and "Smiles" drug. Shame on you for allowing those parents to beat up on the young blogger, and for pulling a few punches of your own.
Dear Anderson
I just want to commend you for your show today (11-29-12) where you first showed a LOSER young man that puts crap on the internet about drugs and then you showed a WINNER young man..............that was very COOL
I applaud the young man on the show today. for his age he is doing a great job protecting his community . it's difficult convincing people they are wrong and you are right. how do you wake them up when they are not asleep? how do you get an angry mob from beating up on poor little maryjane . but remember ALL ! and listen up . the bully is not the one doing the kicking, that's the punching. the kicking is the silence from the ones standing around doing nothing. the embarrassment and shame i felt today sickened me to my core. and i know none of you will do what's right even after reading my truthful words. What I have to say is to Kirk . Young man ? you may have not won today . but you're not hurting anyone . and i love you for that . you also are taking bullets to help people , makes you a hero in my families . be proud. and keep fighting . because i will stand with you , and bring my steal . !!!
I was sorely disappointed in today's show. Kirk was repeatedly interrupted. This does not fall inline with Anderson's normal reporting, which is generally fair. Anderson continued to say "how do you know what you're getting?" and I bet if he would have listened for a moment, Kirk would have been able to talk about testing kits. The is a movement called DanceSafe, from where you can get testing kits, specifically at activities with high rates of drug use, or from their website dancesafe.org. People have, and will continue to use drugs, regardless of the law. I believe that Kirk was making videos in order to inform people, and not encourage drug use. I neither use, nor advocate, drug use. However, drug education is like sex education: abstinence only education does not work. Anyone who wants to try drugs will try drugs, just as teenagers who want to have sex, will have sex. Education is key.
The greatest thing that ever resulted from my life long addiction was my recovery and my past 5 years of sobriety. The contrast of that life to the life I live today is profound. I can remember how I used to think about drugs and it was similar to this guy you had on your show. Like him, I was an idiot. Watching this with a sober mind and new lease on life, this guy is deceived by his own drug induced thoughts. His thinking is polluted and corrupt. I am lucky i am sober today, i'm lucky to be alive , i am blessed, I pray that he is able to make it back to reality before he or his family suffers any longer from the addiction he relishes.
We should let people talk more because I wanted to hear more about the smiles but we just keep interrupting him.
I can understand why people are concerned about synthetic drugs. But you people are missing the forest for the trees. Why does anyone manufacture synthetic drugs? Because normal, natural drugs like cannabis are ILLEGAL! What kind of a message does it send to people when your government says that whether you're 18 years old or 80 your government doesn't think you're responsible enough to make your own decisions about what substances to ingest?
Want to get synthetic drugs off the streets? LEGALIZE NORMAL DRUGS. Otherwise quit whining about people coming up with synthetic alternatives. How many people have died from smoking marijuana? None. You want to blame someone for teenagers dying from using synthetic drugs? All you puritannical idiots who scream about how pot needs to be kept illegal need to wise up and start blaming yourselves. It's people like you that created this situation. News flash: people are always going to find some way to get stoned. You can't legislate people's own personal decisions about what to ingest. When you try to it only causes natural drugs to be sold by criminals and other people to invent synthetic drugs to find a way around the law. Give it up. You've lost the "war on drugs". It should have never been waged in the first place.
I can understand why people are concerned about synthetic drugs. But you people are missing the forest for the trees. Why does anyone manufacture synthetic drugs? Because normal, natural drugs like cannabis are ILLEGAL! What kind of a message does it send to people when your government says that whether you're 18 years old or 80 your government doesn't think you're responsible enough to make your own decisions about what substances to ingest?
Want to get synthetic drugs off the streets? LEGALIZE NORMAL DRUGS. Otherwise quit whining about people coming up with synthetic alternatives. How many people have died from smoking marijuana? None. You want to blame someone for teenagers dying from using synthetic drugs? All you puritannical idiots who scream about how pot needs to be kept illegal need to wise up and start blaming yourselves. It's people like you that created this situation. News flash: people are always going to find some way to get stoned. You can't legislate people's own personal decisions about what to ingest. When you try to it only causes natural drugs to be sold by criminals and other people to invent synthetic drugs to find a way around the law. Give it up. You've lost the "war on drugs". It should have never been waged in the first place.
You can educate your children regarding drugs and pray to God that they will stay on the right path...so much junk out there,to much.. stress doesn't mean that it makes it right to take a drug. Just please really think before putting anything in your mouth or injecting....is it really worth it?...NO.nothing is worth your life being taken away.
These synthetic drugs kids are trying should not be promoted in any way , kids will explore ,information is important , if we looked at these same implications on pharmaceutical companies who make billions on drugs that are dangerous and kill, and sometimes with a lifetime of side-effects and they advertise in all media and Internet . Prescribed by doctors who promote them , also over site by the FDA .
Lets save lives with info and a reality check .
It is imperative that parents educate themselves on all aspects of illicit drugs used by the general public. Equally important is a close bond with your children and strong development of ones parenting skills. Many times as parents we wear blinders to our kids activities and are not taking a stand to protect our children. Need to be proactive..be willing to be the bad guy to save our children.
Anderson Cooper is a hypocrite.
On his program today he is telling a young man, who video taped himself taking a new drug called Smiles, that he is destroying people's lives because kids watch him and follow his lead. With his video he is giving kids instruction on how to use this new drug.
Anderson Cooper, you are talking about every television program and vulgar sitcom that talks about sex and drugs and practically every movie ever made and every rapp song. Including the violent movies, supernatural programming, reality shows, I can go on and on. You liberal Hollywood/New York hypocrites are the problem. Everyday, by your programming choices you are ruining the moral values of our young and destroying the family unit by the liberal crap that our young people have to watch. How would you like it, if people would just shut off their TV's and quit watching all that junk. Including your program. What a way to treat a young man who was obviously groomed by television.
What is the name of the natural sweetener Lisa referred to on todays show.
Cheers Philip from Dublin Ireland
Way to crucify Kirk on your show today. Whatever happened to people taking responsibility for their own actions? Kirk is allowed to post whatever he wishes on the internet, he is simply blogging his experience. If kids are watching his videos and believing everything he says to be the complete truth, then that is their blunder. Kirk does not claim that he is providing any form of professional opinion, or disguise himself to be someone highly educated on the matter.
Furthermore, it's not as if these kids are ACCIDENTALLY coming upon these videos. Personally I am an avid YouTube/internet user and haven't myself seen any of them. It is clear that kids who are interested in drug culture are searching "trip videos", "drug experiences", etc. So your claim that he is "promoting" drug use is absolute slander, as the large majority of his viewers were previously interested.
I think Kirk has no clue what is going on in the drug world because he is so messed up from using drugs.