I am the president of the antidrug group at my high school. All members pledged not to use drugs or they would be kicked out, but I know that some of the most passionate and respected members have done so and have laughed off their commitment to the group. Is it ethical to "tattle" on these people and basically destroy the existence of the group, or should we continue to preach a message that even some of us don't believe in? -- Name Withheld, New York

You should kick them out of the group, but you should not report them to the cops or even to school officials. Your duty as president is not to be an auxiliary DEA agent; it is to uphold your group's rules. Members agreed that drug use would get them booted out, so you must lace up the boot.

As a less draconian alternative, you could permit transgressors to resign quietly. Public shaming is not obligatory -- no pillory, no stocks, no scarlet P for pot. But go they must, even if their departure hastens the group's demise. Your failing to act would betray the trust of rule-abiding members, undermine your group's mission and invite the mockery of the school community.

Your attitude suggests that you might also rethink your own involvement in the group. Hypocrisy is an awkward position to maintain for the president of a high-school club (or the now-former governor of a large Northeastern state).

Perhaps another lesson here is that you are not as categorically antidrug as you thought. You might be old enough to make a more nuanced distinction between truly dangerous and addictive drug usage and more benign, recreational consumption. Our society is awash in mind-altering chemicals, both legal -- caffeine, alcohol, prescription drugs -- and illegal. It is part of growing up to work out a safe, healthy and pleasurable relationship to such things. You may be at a stage of life where education and reflection are more important than advocacy.

UPDATE: After consulting with the group's faculty adviser, this student decided that next school year everyone will have to apply anew to join the group and submit to an interview.

I was "cheated" out of my prize in a sports betting pool at work. Because two people tied for second place, the person with the third-highest score -- me -- was eliminated. Some people agree with the organizer, saying that three people had better scores than I did. Some people agree with me, saying I had the third-best score and should win the third-place money. What do you say? -- Brad Ackerman, New York

I'm with the organizer. The three players with the highest scores were rightly awarded the three prizes. Because Players Two and Three had the same score, they share the combined second- and third-place money. If three players do better than you, the proper term for your finish is "fourth" or "loser," accompanied by derisive sneers from the swaggering three. (People can be so cruel.) Continued...