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Jan. 4, 2005 Drug use among the youth of this country – from as early as middle school and carrying on through high school and into college – is the problem. At the time I wrote my previous piece, I had intended to solve this problem by increased enforcement of drug laws and arresting the most basic user. As I research this possibility, I do not see it as feasible without first attacking the roots of the problem. At the very base is a fundamental failure to properly educate younger and younger Americans about the hazards of drug use. From marijuana to heroin, there has been a breakdown of communication from adults to children, and this is horribly apparent in the public school system. What may prove to be even more effective and realistic than simply jailing the user would be to increase the drive to educate children effectively and comprehensively. Teachers in the public school system have had their hands tied by under-funded programs and a restricted list of “talking points” that leave the anti-drug program a simple shadow of what it ought to be. If students are simply told that drugs are bad but are not motivated to listen by any meaningful discussion of their effects and repercussions, children – especially young children, which is where the program ought to be funded at the highest level – cannot be expected to be fully aware of the dangers. Because of budget problems, complacent and disconnected legislatures at the state level, and a disinterested connection between the parents and the schools, many school drug programs aimed at the elementary and middle school level have undergone harsh budget cuts or faced complete removal. This is a sacrifice we cannot afford to make. Keeping our children safe ought to be of the utmost importance in the community. The War on Drugs has at its core the same problem as Vietnam: it is more a war of cultures, where we must adapt to win, than it is a war of brute physical power. I spoke with passion over logic earlier, and overlooked the point I most wanted to make: positive reinforcement of a solid anti-drug message at school, coupled with an active and aware home life, is the best method of fighting the roots of this illegal epidemic. The effect the parents have on the outcome of the child, which I will go into detail about later, cannot be overstated. As students must be made aware at a young age in schools, so must parents be made aware of what is happening at their child’s school. Records of drug related incidents – a child possessing drugs, or selling them on school grounds – must be kept and used to inform the parents in a newsletter or other school announcement. If people will not expend the energy themselves, the school must act to keep parents aware of the environment their child is learning in. So long as drug use is illegal, we must keep the fight on to control its spread into our cities and schools. An advanced education initiative is an important first step to combating this elusive and tricky crisis. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is a 17-year-old Democrat with moderate, centrist ideals. He blames John Kerry's 2004 loss on John Kerry, and is authoring a pamphlet on how to refine the Democratic Party for Victory in 2008 and beyond. For more information, check out The New Democrat. Read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". Email: DeMBurns@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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