The Question Of Teens And Drugs Requires Our Utmost Attention

Drug abuse among teens has reached epidemic proportions. It Doesn’t matter how on top of it you are, your teenagers will definitely be exposed to drugs at school, the very place you believe to be a safe environment. Mrs. Reagan’s ‘Just say no to drugs’ campaign fell flat on its face. The truth is that teens perceive adults as old stupid people that don’t know their head from a hole in the ground. Parents, try as they may, face a bitter battle in protecting their kids from the ravaging effects of drugs.

The battle is made tougher by the fact that most of us have prescription drugs in our bedroom drawers. When confronting the issue of teens and drugs, you have to present a rational argument that differentiates between necessary medications and illegal drugs. This isn’t easy. Some common prescription medications are being peddaled in schools as a way to catch a buzz. Teens don’t realize that these prescriptions are issued in duplicate or triplicate, as a method to control the use of specific narcotics. Without having experienced a real need for such drugs themselves, they may well conclude that their parents are enjoying some high that they are for some reason being forbidden.

Another problem with teaching kids about the issue of teen drug use is that this society does not make any distinction between drugs. Some pharmaceutical drugs are needed, but when it comes to teens and drugs, we say that every drug is bad. This is a deception. Some kids require medications for a legitimate condition. Used improperly, that medicine can get a child high who doesn’t need it. Sometimes, that drug can have disastrous consequences when used as a ‘recreational’ drug.

Children are not capable of making those distinctions. For example, a patient with unbearable pain because of arthritis or cancer, may be prescribed codeine or another opiate to manage the pain. Children don’t understand that this patient doesn’t get high. That drug only dulls the pain. However, in the world of kids and drugs, this narcotic becomes an opportunity toget high. They don’t know the difference.

One major deception that encourages teenage drug abuse is the fable of pot. This street drug is made out to be the first step to drug addiction, thrown in the same category as heroin and crack cocaine. The second that grade school kid tries weed, the kid sees that even though it makes them feel good, they can hide this new habit from their parents and it doesn’t make them crazy. They come to the conclusion that the rest of the warnings about teenagers and drugs are deceptions. That’s the reason why they step into the trap of the really dangerous drugs.

As a nation, we need to teach our teenagers. Explain the effects of drugs. Lsd, crack, heroin and drugs like ‘ecstasy’ can devastate their lives or kill them. Tell the truth. We can defend our teens.Addiction is a serious problem in our society today but with the “proper” education we can teach our future generations the realities of addictions and drug abuse.