STUDENTS LEARN THAT DRUG USE HAS A PRICE

Growing up, I always thought people who did drugs were losers and
deadbeats. It was not until high school that I began to realize drugs are a
common element of the party scene and that it isn't just losers and
deadbeats who enjoy them.

Whenever I saw the bright, intelligent students from my honors classes at
school lighting up, I found myself wondering, "What are they thinking?" It
was not until a recent interview with one senior, a National Merit
semifinalist with a scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee who
was expelled in March, that I began to have some insight. At his request,
his name was withheld.

FlipSide: Explain the events that led up to your arrest at school.

Student: One monumental afternoon, [another student and I] decided to leave
Midland's closed campus at lunch to grab a bite to eat and escape the
superficiality that is high school. Unfortunately for us, the principals
were watching, and they proceeded to nab us as I was backing out of my
parking spot. And, contrary to popular belief, we weren't smoking.

At this point, I knew we were caught skipping, but as they began to search
my car, I realized something was fishy because, as we all know, catching
someone skipping is not grounds to search a car. After finding less than a
gram of marijuana in my console, a bong in the back floorboard and another
student's cooler with three beers inside, I knew my innocence was history.

FlipSide: How often did or do you usually do drugs in a week?

Student: More than you can even imagine. More so now, since the whole
probation deal is coming up. But for a year or two, it was me and the boys
- - and sometimes the girls - getting high every few days, but usually on the
weekends.

FlipSide: How did you start doing drugs?

Student: I smoked for the first time when I was 14, but some of my friends
had already been doing it. A lot of my friends were doing it, but that's
not the reason I started.

The reason I started doing drugs wasn't because they were "cool," but
because of the high. You see, in society there is an unbelievable hypocrisy
among nonusers. They want to dog me because they can't see why I like the
drugs, but then again, they aren't feeling the incredible high I'm feeling
at the time.

FlipSide: Once you're off probation, do you plan on doing drugs?

Student: Occasionally and only socially. This whole event made me realize
that doing drugs in moderation is acceptable, but bringing them to school
is not.

FlipSide: Describe how you feel about what happened.

Student: I feel that in light of recent marijuana legalizations in Canada
and California, depriving students caught with a little weed at school of
their senior year, of their last year of baseball, of their last prom, is
too steep. Especially considering that in less than a year this will be
expunged from my criminal record, I believe that neither I nor my friend
deserved the harshest punishment a school system can shell out.

The ripple effect

Not all of the people in this student's social circle do drugs. In fact,
many do not. Christine D'Auria is a good friend of this student and even
dates one of his friends. She said she finds it hard to watch them pay for
their mistakes.

FlipSide: How long have you been in a relationship with someone who does drugs?

D'Auria: Almost four and a half years - off and on, of course.

FlipSide: How does it feel to see someone do that to himself?

D'Auria: To be completely honest, it makes me feel sick inside. The guys
that do drugs don't understand and don't realize that they hurt the people
who really care about them. They just see it as "having fun," but it always
ends up hurting someone else.

FlipSide: What makes you stick with him and your friends who do drugs?

D'Auria: Our relationship is great besides the drug aspect. When he doesn't
smoke, he's so much fun to be around. I've learned that you can't change
someone just for your own sake. I also feel like the more time he spends
with me, that's less time he's apt to go "light up."

FlipSide: Do you think they're addicted?

D'Auria: Not physically, but mentally, of course. They love it. They love
the way it makes them feel, and they crave that feeling whenever they're bored.