GIRL IMAGINES A WORLD WITHOUT ALCOHOL OR DRUGS

EDITOR'S NOTE -- Abigail Fairson, a fifth-grade student at Yucca Valley
Elementary School, won the school's Red Ribbon Week essay contest with
the following piece.

Wouldn't it be awesome if alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs didn't
even exist? Those things can physically and emotionally damage people.
Without them everyone in our world would be healthier and happier.
Drugs, tobacco and alcohol not only hurt the people who use them, they
also hurt the people around them.

It has been clearly proven by many scientists that tobacco is very
harmful. Unfortunately, smoking can cause lung cancer and people can
die. When someone smokes, the smoke from the cigarette is inhaled by
people close by (second-hand smoke). This is very bad for those
people's bodies.

If someone falls asleep with a cigarette in his or her mouth or flicks
a cigarette on the ground it can start a fire. Cigarettes pollute the
air and make it smell very bad. The air would be fresher and cleaner
if no one smoked. Also, adults and children would be healthier.

Alcohol may be legal, but problems occur when people abuse it and
become addicted. Many of the car accidents that happen have to do with
drunk driving. People can become angry and even violent.

They can also become sad and depressed. Families would be closer and
happier without alcohol. Our streets would be much safer if it didn't
exist. There would be less emotional problems for people.

Your life can be completely wrecked and you could even end up in jail
by using illegal drugs. These drugs are addicting so even if you want
to stop it's extremely hard to. People steal them and sell them secretly.

Drugs can cause big problems like losing your children or your job.
Just like with alcohol, without drugs families would be kept together
and happy. Crime rates would decrease considerably. Less people would
die and get sick.

Our world would be a better place without alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Everyone, even people who don't use drugs, would benefit if the world
was drug free. Families would not be pulled apart and lives would not
be destroyed. So, if anyone ever offers you tobacco, alcohol or drugs
- -- say "NO."