0 and tech abuse. this is an epidemic that will lead to a weaker nation. and anybody who tells you differently is lying to you. and that's a memo now. top story tonight, reaction joining us from massachusetts, dr. keith ablo, a psychiatrist. here in new york city, carl hart, author of the book "high price." all right. kids and pot. you don't recommend that, right? >> of course, not. i don't recommend kids taking alcohol or smoking tobacco. >> any intoxicants at all, bad for them. >> that's right. >> we have common ground. >> absolutely. anybody who can think would agree with you. >> thank you, and i appreciate that. texting, you know it's an addiction. it's going crazy. you're aware of that, right? >> no, i'm not aware that it's an addiction. >> you don't think texting is an addiction among some children now? >> it depends how you define addiction. >> they are compelled to do it, have to do it, have a machine in their hands all the time. >> you are compelled to do this show. >> i get paid to do the show. >> exactly. >> it's not a compulsion, it's a business decision. >> you get paid to do it, there's a reason for you to do it. it does not disrupt what you're doing. sompt >> so if you had a son or daughter -- >> i do. >> teens? >> that's right. >> if they are texting more than 100 times a day, you don't have a problem with that? >> i have a kid in an ivry league institution, he's a teenager. my main concern is how he does in school. he texts quite a bit, but also gets all as in school. >> i don't know if you want the whole child to develop, not just academic. >> precisely. you just said it. >> i don't know if the texting is leading to that. dr. ablo, you see it differently. i see a coming storm here, tsunami building with the drugs, soft drugs, the pot, and the high-tech abuse. i think it's abuse. kids texting 100 times a day, that's abuse. go. >> absolutely. and they are lost in this world. >> bill, let's -- let's slow down. let's think about the last three guys who occupied the white house. they all smoked marijuana in their youth, right? the last three guys, and -- >> not chronically. one didn't inhale and the other -- >> hold up, hold up. you didn't believe that when he said that. >> i believe everything the president's telling me. bush was an alcoholic and dealt with it, and obama, we're not exactly sure how serious he was involved, but as i said in the talking points, some can handle, but some cannot. >> that's exactly right. >> the prevalence of this is overwhelming now, so you're going to have a lot of causalities on the battlefield. >> that's not true. let's talk about the statistic, the data. in 1978, recent number of marijuana smokers in the 12th grade, it was 37% of the 12th graders said they smoked marijuana recently. today that number is down to 22%. >> i don't know if we're suggesting that. >> i think we are, because we're saying have a facebook account, use marijuana, text, and by the way -- >> there isn't enough condemnation -- the difference between not condemning and encouraging. by the way, dr. hart is correct, 23% of seniors in high school that say they are smoking marijuana on a regular basis. that's a lot. that's a lot. would you say that's a lot? >> it is nowhere near the 37% we saw in 1978 to 1980, so i'm telling you that we need to make sure we keep this in perspective. >> all right. all right, good debate. thank you. next on "the rundown," why so many liberals are okay with the drug culture while conservatives are ascant. best of 2013, we have some wild stuff to show you upcoming. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. 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