Milk tea causing depression?

I’ve been noticing a new kind of shop poppin’ up all over Los Angeles... ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ~/AASl5QA~/RgRnEZN4P4QFAWh0dHA6Ly9nZXRjaG9uZ2NiZC5jb20_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTEwLjE3LjIzJTIwLSUyME1pbGslMjBUZWElMjBhZGRpY3Rpb24lMjAlMjgwMUhDWlRaVllDWU1KUkdGS0QxQzZKUk1ISCUyOSZzdWIxPTAxR0dUVjFKS0Y2NzY3WjJSMTYyQTFYMzZRJl9reD1vd2huUVlNMGhXeFdfMGlvZm1ObnFMclpBWGN6RDFqSkJNR1Z6cHlDSmVOUmtXSlg5MWhyMnVCMkxuSy0taDZyLlZ0aWpWR1cDc3BjQgplIHgOL2UU5UM1Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MkBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAB8kE~   Hey Marilyn – it's Tommy... Over the last years, I've been noticing a new kind of shop poppin’ up all over Los Angeles - Boba places. If you’re not familiar, boba is a milk tea. You sip it through a big ol' straw, and get these chewy tapioca balls in every sip. I gotta admit, it's pretty good! And man, some of these places are POPULAR. I mean, you'll drive by and there's always a huge line of youngsters. Well, I hadn't much thought about boba before. But when I was chatting with Dr. Clark the other day, he also sent me a real head-scratcher of an article. Here’s the gist: apparently kids are getting addicted to Milk Tea. Yep, you heard me right. And not only that, but it's supposedly also being linked to depression in adolescents, especially over in Asia. Now, [here’s the article if you want to dig in yourself](~/AASl5QA~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~~). Isn't that something? But I gotta be honest, this type of article just like deja vu to me, man. And not in a good way. I'm old enough to remember when the "scientists" were saying marijuana was the devil’s lettuce, but at the same time, 4 out of 5 doctors would recommend Camel cigarettes because they were a “low tar” option. Remember that?! They always have something to say about what the kids are doing, no matter what it is... it's almost like a broken record, just with a different tune each time. Now, sure, the article talks about how kids are consuming this sugary drink in excess, and it’s causing a slew of problems like obesity and depression. (This from the same people who tell you [Lucky Charms are a health food](~/AASl5QA~/RgRnEZN4P4Q7AWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRlc2VyZXQuY29tLzIwMjMvMS8yMS8yMzU2MDUxNC9sdWNreS1jaGFybXMtaGVhbHRoaWVyLXRoYW4tc3RlYWs_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTEwLjE3LjIzJTIwLSUyME1pbGslMjBUZWElMjBhZGRpY3Rpb24lMjAlMjgwMUhDWlRaVllDWU1KUkdGS0QxQzZKUk1ISCUyOSZzdWIxPTAxR0dUVjFKS0Y2NzY3WjJSMTYyQTFYMzZRJl9reD1vd2huUVlNMGhXeFdfMGlvZm1ObnFMclpBWGN6RDFqSkJNR1Z6cHlDSmVOUmtXSlg5MWhyMnVCMkxuSy0taDZyLlZ0aWpWR1cDc3BjQgplIHgOL2UU5UM1Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MkBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAB8kE~)... But sure, it's the milk tea...) The study says that youngsters who drink milk tea more than three times a week are more prone to feeling depressed... Now, I don't know about you, but I've known a few addicts in my life... Comes with the territory of working in the music and movies businesses. Does 3 times per week sound like an addiction to you? Now, there is LOTS of sugar in milk tea (probably why it's so tasty...) and some caffeine too, which aren't the best things for kids to have, for sure. But isn't it too easy to point fingers at a popular trend and label it as a problem, especially when young people are so passionate about it? I gotta wonder - is it really the tea that’s the issue? When you step back and think about all the crap kids have to deal with, that we never did... Social Media, The constant news cycle, politics being part of everything, the constant comparisons to kids who are richer, or prettier, or skinnier, or cooler, or whatever-er... Is it any surprise that they might be feeling a little anxious or depressed? And here's a maybe for ya: What if they have it backwards? What if kids who are more depressed are more likely to go grab a milk tea in order to let off some steam? (Beats the alternative.... Otherwise known as all the sh*t Uncle Tommy did when he was a kid...) I ain’t a scientist like Dr. Clark (though, that would be a fun parallel universe, wouldn’t it?), but I can't help but wonder if putting the blame on boba (or so many of the other modern trends we don't get) might just be another way for society to avoid addressing the root causes of adolescent depression. It's worth pondering, man. There's always more to the story, especially when it comes to mental health. So, hey, if you or someone you know is feeling down, regardless if you’re sipping on boba or not, make sure to reach out and let them know they’re not alone. (And maybe skip the extra sugar in that tea next time - just in case, right?) Keep on keepin' on, Peace and love, [Tommy Signature] Tommy Chong     [Facebook](~/AASl5QA~/RgRnEZN4P4QdAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL2dyb3Vwcy90b21teXNhcm15Z3JvdXA_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1LbGF2aXlvJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09Y2FtcGFpZ24tZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTEwLjE3LjIzJTIwLSUyME1pbGslMjBUZWElMjBhZGRpY3Rpb24lMjAlMjgwMUhDWlRaVllDWU1KUkdGS0QxQzZKUk1ISCUyOSZzdWIxPTAxR0dUVjFKS0Y2NzY3WjJSMTYyQTFYMzZRJl9reD1vd2huUVlNMGhXeFdfMGlvZm1ObnFMclpBWGN6RDFqSkJNR1Z6cHlDSmVOUmtXSlg5MWhyMnVCMkxuSy0taDZyLlZ0aWpWR1cDc3BjQgplIHgOL2UU5UM1Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MkBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAB8kE~) [Instagram](~/AASl5QA~/RgRnEZN4P4QVAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS9oZXl0b21teWNob25nP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9S2xhdml5byZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWNhbXBhaWduLWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0xMC4xNy4yMyUyMC0lMjBNaWxrJTIwVGVhJTIwYWRkaWN0aW9uJTIwJTI4MDFIQ1pUWlZZQ1lNSlJHRktEMUM2SlJNSEglMjkmc3ViMT0wMUdHVFYxSktGNjc2N1oyUjE2MkExWDM2USZfa3g9b3doblFZTTBoV3hXXzBpb2ZtTm5xTHJaQVhjekQxakpCTUdWenB5Q0plTlJrV0pYOTFocjJ1QjJMbkstLWg2ci5WdGlqVkdXA3NwY0IKZSB4Di9lFOVDNVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTJAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAfJB) Don't Want These Emails? 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