SHOULD PEOPLE JUST SAY NO TO ILLICIT DRUGS?

Kedar Hiremath, 15, San Ramon

One needs to consider why illicit drugs are used. Some use them to get
high, some to enhance performance on playing fields. Others get carried
away by curiosity. Each election year, drugs make headlines, just as do
other social issues, such as guns and tobacco. But the solution to the drug
problem is elusive. We must take a firm stand to eliminate drugs which
destroy the fabric of our society. That means educating our teens to stay
clean, rehabilitating the current drug users through treatment and bringing
a social awareness to the drug problem. Flow of illicit drugs must be
stopped at the borders and stiffer penalties issued for dealers. Just
saying "no" is not enough.

Alexander Juhn, 15, San Mateo

People should say "no" to illicit drugs. Why forfeit life for just one
moment of unfocused, diluted "fun" when playing basketball with some
friends? There is no need to risk killing our body and mind for drugs. I've
read too many stories where young athletes are caught using illicit drugs.
Their reputation is blemished, and they lose respect of admirers. Life is
short enough already; why should we shorten it by using illegal drugs?

L. A. Eldemir, 36, San Francisco

The answer depends on the person, the drug and the situation. The easy
answers are the corner cases; the hard issues reside in the gray middle.
Classic corner cases are kids and sick people. Should kids use illicit
drugs of any sort? No. They will, but that is a separate issue. Should
people suffering from cancer, AIDS and glaucoma avail themselves of
marijuana? You bet. Prohibition, Native American shamans, and Deadheads
show that illicit drug use has its place in segments of society. Saying
"yes" to drugs, legal and illegal, is acceptable if it is mature, informed,
culturally contextual decision. But for the remainder, particularly
situations involving children and adolescents, the answer is a blanket no.

Kara Parsons, 36, San Francisco

Twenty years ago, I might have endorsed experimentation, assuming
moderation and that a nonaddictive personality type was doing the testing.
I was more sympathetic then to the argument that viewing life through a
drug-induced haze can broaden perspectives and stimulate artistic
creativity. Twenty years ago, drugs were not as deadly and violent
drug-related crimes not as prevalent as they are today. Even marijuana is
exponentially more potent today than the homegrown weed of the '70s. Today,
heroin is stronger and more accessible.Cocaine and crack are pervasive, and
more lives have been lost by drug use than ever. The consequences are too
costly to endorse experimentation.

I cannot imagine who would reflect back on their lives and say that drugs
and addiction added value or brought achievement, accomplishment and happiness.

Daniel LaFever, 38, San Francisco

You can say "yes," but there are myriad responsibilities and cautions that
go with it. First, you have to know and trust yourself to be able to handle
it physically, emotionally and spiritually. Second, you have to know and
trust the source. Third, you have to be able to afford it and not partake
if you cannot afford it. Too often, addictions arise and usage goes up,
resulting in bills not getting paid because you'd rather get high. Your
work suffers, if you don't lose your job. You end up losing friends because
you've borrowed without paying them back. Control and responsibility, my
friend.

Dot Ingels, 52, San Rafael

As a labor-and-delivery nurse for many years, I have seen all too closely
the havoc that drugs of abuse level on parents and their children. Our
legal system and social mores have given us a large latitude of individual
freedoms. Unfortunately, it seems that many people cannot set limits for
themselves. People should say "no." What we do does impact others. The line
between individual rights isn't always straight and often horribly
intersects someone else's rights. Get to know yourself and you will know if
you can dabble in dangerous waters without drowning. Most of us can't.

Cheryl Thibodeaux, 54, Burlingame

In theory, people should say "no" to illicit drugs. Reality says otherwise.
The "just say no" campaign has failed abysmally. Pointing a finger at our
youth and saying "just say no" is at best laughable. Adults should say
"no"; many do not. The "do as I say, not as I do," attitude coupled with
the lack of law enforcement for those adults who are able to afford legal
representation if arrested for illicit drug use, negates personal
responsibility and accountability. I, you, we, should say no to illicit
drugs. I, you, we should insist that our judicial system enforce laws to
the fullest for those who say "yes!"

Ken Norwood, 76, Berkeley

Originally a Nancy Reaganism, this tired rhetoric should be laid to rest.
Just saying "no" to drugs - whether illicit/illegal, prescription, herbal,
experimental, or for recreational use, such as alcohol or tobacco -
represents naivety and ignorance of the economic, social, cultural,
emotional, physiological and perhaps genealogical basis for the so-called
"drug problem." In California, the voters want treatment, not
incarceration; a new consciousness, not the simplistic mantras of the last
century. There is confusion perpetrated by the "war on drugs" special
interests about what is "illicit," "improper" or "unsafe." People are
increasingly saying marijuana is not dangerous, and are recognizing its
many beneficial uses. We should begin the third millennium saying "yes" to
socially responsible alternatives, and "no" to the moralistic and knee-jerk
"just say no" era we have hopefully passed.

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