Lessons in Prohibition

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » February 21, 2005, 2:19 pm

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/con ... WUXUTUZTZU]UWU]UWUZU`U_UcTYWVVZV

Found via a link at http://www.reason.com/hitandrun (who I stole the title from).

When Austin High School administrators removed candy from campus vending machines last year, the move was hailed as a step toward fighting obesity. What happened next shows how hard it can be for schools to control what students eat on campus.
The candy removal plan, according to students at Austin High, was thwarted by classmates who created an underground candy market, turning the hallways of the high school into Willy-Wonka-meets-Casablanca...

Soon after candy was removed from vending machines, enterprising students armed with gym bags full of M&M's, Skittles, Snickers and Twix became roving vendors, serving classmates in need of an in-school sugar fix. Regular-size candy bars like the ones sold in vending machines routinely sold in the halls for $1.50.

The Austin High administration, which won't elaborate on how much or little it knew about the candy black market, has since replenished the vending machines with some types of candy.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » February 21, 2005, 2:26 pm

hehe, it doesn't suprise me that it would pop up at that High School of all places.

nobody · Post by **nobody** » February 21, 2005, 3:34 pm

i sold blow pops for $1.00 each in high school. and i was always sold out by lunch. made me enough money on the side of my regular job that i had ten grand in the bank by the time i graduated.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · February 21, 2005, 3:38 pm

nobody wrote:i sold blow pops for $1.00 each in high school. and i was always sold out by lunch. made me enough money on the side of my regular job that i had ten grand in the bank by the time i graduated.

Smart man.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » February 21, 2005, 7:41 pm

Does that mean conservatives are in favour of removing drug prohibition as well?

nobody · Post by **nobody** » February 21, 2005, 7:56 pm

there's too much money to be made off illegal drug trade

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » February 21, 2005, 9:25 pm

Zaelath wrote:Does that mean conservatives are in favour of removing drug prohibition as well?

Well, if you are talking about the two big political parties, then sadly neither of them show much interest in removing drug prohibition. On this issue, there is huge bi-partisan support. Individuals of course of different political persuasions sometimes differ from the party line (or aren't really affiliated with either party).

Fash · Post by **Fash** » February 21, 2005, 9:55 pm

Deward · Post by **Deward** » February 22, 2005, 12:05 pm

My brother used to sell candy in school when he was in 5th grade (1985-6). We lived right by an old time candy shop that had everything. He would mark up everything a hundred percent and take orders from his schoolmates to be delivered the next day. It got to the point that no one was buying candy for the fundraisers anymore. They actually banned him from doing it any longer. That was probably the point that my brother stopped being a good boy and started getting in trouble all the time.

I think entrepreneurial actions like this should be encouraged. They should have just gotten him to give half his profits to the school. They would have made more than the candy bar companies give them.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » February 22, 2005, 12:12 pm

Hehe, my cousin did something like that too.
His school decided to have a week where the students (small school just so you know) had to act like a town, and everyone had roles and so on.
He and 2 friends ended up making a computer game stand where people could pay to play on his amiga (yep, back then), which resulted in quite a big influx of the virtual paper money the school had decided to use.
So after 3 days, he had like 90% of the cash in the "town". That he promptly spend on some of the hot food stands, buying various delicasies, which he then sold OUTSIDE school for real money.
Earned a few 100$ before the school noticed and confiscated his paper money (not the RL money), and banned him for the rest of the week.

Cartalas · Post by **Cartalas** » February 22, 2005, 12:26 pm

nobody wrote:i sold blow pops for $1.00 each in high school. and i was always sold out by lunch. made me enough money on the side of my regular job that i had ten grand in the bank by the time i graduated.

Did you fill out a W-2?

nobody · Post by **nobody** » February 22, 2005, 1:12 pm

Cartalas wrote:
nobody wrote:i sold blow pops for $1.00 each in high school. and i was always sold out by lunch. made me enough money on the side of my regular job that i had ten grand in the bank by the time i graduated.

Did you fill out a W-2?

what's a dubya two?

masteen · Post by **masteen** » February 23, 2005, 1:50 pm

Bubble Yum and Hubba Bubba sold for $.25/piece back when I was in middle school. When they made candy "contraband" in school, it went up to $.50/piece, and no fewer kids were chewing gum, but a LOT of the poorer kids were skipping lunch. WTG!

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » February 23, 2005, 5:51 pm

nobody wrote:i sold blow pops for $1.00 each in high school. and i was always sold out by lunch. made me enough money on the side of my regular job that i had ten grand in the bank by the time i graduated.

I think he meant to say "blow jobs".