Colombian adults’ views about the kind of argument likely to dissuade adolescents from consuming psychoactive substances were examined. Participants (N = 243) were presented with vignettes in which two factors were manipulated: (1) the severity of drug consumption at school and (2) the parent’s response to this situation (e.g. not to say anything and to enroll their child at another school). Six qualitatively different positions were found. The two most frequent positions were (1) using any kind of argument (either religious, legal or scientific) (37%) and (2) using a combination of legal and scientific arguments (30%).