Teen Drug Use
It's Friday, the beginning of the weekend. For some people this means finishing off school work but for others it means partying, drugs, and alcohol. There are more teenagers doing drugs now than ever before. In my homeroom alone, 42% of students asked have tried drugs at least once. It's not just marijuana; it's L.S.D, pills, cocaine, hashish, and heroin. All of these drugs cost money, something many teenagers don't have a lot of. Teenagers, armed with breath mints, Visene, and perfume, head off to get drugs from a dealer. Drug money usually comes from teenagers' parents' pockets and, sometimes teenagers have to dodge police to get their treasure. Why would people want to spend money on things that can hurt and potentially kill them? Police are a major problem to drug dealers and users but I don't believe that the police in St. John's are approaching the issue of drugs the right way. I think that the police should try to bust bigger shipments rather than the smokers. I found out that in St. John's, if you are caught dealing drugs, you only get charged with trafficking which is only a minor offense, which means dealers are only getting a slap on the wrist. I wanted to know what was so good about using drugs, and why people like it so much that they do it every day. I found a sixteen-year-old student whom I met through friends, who would talk to me about drugs. He told me that he has been using drugs for two and a half years, and it all started with someone offering it to him. He has since stepped up to acid, valium, demerol, codeine, gas, and mushrooms. I asked him why he enjoyed getting messed up. He told me it's because it's a release and fun. He told me that he goes to school on drugs every day, and has never been caught by his parents or by the police. I asked him if it was a waste, and he said only when it becomes excessive. He told me that he has been trying to quit for about two months and he is making good progress. I feel bad for my friend and other users that get into drugs because of peer pressure and then become hooked. It's scary to think about what the world will be like in the future with a lot of the next generation using drugs. It's scary!
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