Ep 10. Recreational Use

In the season 2 episode 10 of Cagney & Lacey titled "Recreational Use", the duo of New York City police detectives, Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey, take on a new case involving a teenager who died from an overdose of a strong hallucinogen.

The episode opens with Cagney and Lacey arriving at the apartment of Cheryl, the mother of the deceased teenager, Todd. They learn from her that Todd was a straight-A student and a star athlete who had no prior history of drug use. The only thing Cheryl knows about the circumstances surrounding her son's death is that he had been with a group of friends at a nearby abandoned warehouse.

The detectives begin by interviewing Todd's friends, but they all deny knowing anything about his drug use. Lacey, however, finds a small bag of a suspicious substance hidden in one of their backpacks. She takes it to the lab for analysis, but it turns out to be a common pain medication.

The next day, Cagney and Lacey attend Todd's funeral where they meet his father who had been out of the picture for a few years. He expresses his frustration with not being there for his son when he needed him the most and agrees to help the detectives in any way he can.

With Todd's father's help, they are able to track down a lead on the drugs that Todd had taken. They discover that the hallucinogen was being distributed at a local nightclub by a man named Leo, who had a history of drug trafficking.

Cagney and Lacey visit the nightclub to investigate further, but are turned away by a bouncer who refuses to let them in. Determined to get to the bottom of the case, Cagney and Lacey decide to go undercover as club goers to gather more information.

Once inside the club, they observe Leo making a drug sale and follow him outside to his car. They take him into custody and bring him in for questioning. Leo initially denies any involvement, but eventually breaks down and confesses to selling the drug to Todd and his friends.

Cagney and Lacey work with the district attorney to make a case against Leo for drug trafficking and involuntary manslaughter. Meanwhile, they also try to track down the source of the drugs. They discover that the drugs were being imported from an Asian country and were smuggled in through one of the country's consulates in New York City.

With the help of Todd's father, Cagney and Lacey are able to get a warrant to search the consulate. They find a stash of the drugs and arrest the person involved in the smuggling operation.

In the end, Leo is found guilty and sentenced to prison, and the consulate is shut down for its involvement in the drug smuggling ring. Cagney and Lacey are left to reflect on the tragedy of Todd's death and the devastating effects that drugs can have on young people.