WANT TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS TO TEENS? SIMPLE -- GROSS 'EM OUT

Casting Words

"The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort?
Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is
there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized
that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?"

- -- Jim Morrison

It's like an ocean wave hitting a jagged shore and taking every bit of
fun off to sea. That's how teens today must feel every time they hear
the yes's and no's of drug and alcohol use. It's a message that's
falling on deaf ears because its repetitive gibberish does no good.
Rather, it make kids curious about the taboos of drinking and drugs.

Useless anti-drug and anti-drinking word messages aren't working and
never will. Organizations think they are doing wonders by shoving the
ill-effects of substance use down teens' throats when really all they
are doing is making a rebellious generation out of an already defiant
bunch. Thankfully, not all teens fall into this category. Most likely
the respectful ones don't frequently strive for the intoxicating
pleasures drugs and alcohol bring. They're more focused on getting
good marks to get a good job.

Many who believe these anti-drug messages work will oppose this
opinion. But look at the findings of a recent province-wide youth drug
survey and you'll see kids today partake now more than ever.

Across the province, 6,616 students in grades 7 to 12 participated in
the survey last spring. The Ontario Student Drug Use Survey shows
marijuana use is on the rise -- surprise, surprise -- as well as
cocaine and crack use. This is primarily due to the availability of
these drugs throughout the province - a reality local OPP drug cop
Dean Steinke of the Kawartha Combined Forces Drug Unit sees every day.

"Cocaine is in the area and on the streets," he says. "Marijuana is
the drug of choice because it's a mild, soft drug."

Even though the survey says ecstasy use amongst teens is down, from 6
per cent to 4.1 per cent in two years, Detective Sergeant Steinke says
many kids are still popping the pills because the high lasts longer
than that afforded by most drugs. That coupled with the growing rave
scene makes policing the drug next to impossible.

In addition to drugs, youths continue the long tradition of drunken
parties and binge drinking, according to the survey. This age-old
practice will never go away because alcohol is a means to becoming
socially accepted. There's a standard teens must live up to and the
amount of beers chugged in one sitting without puking is something to
be proud of.

Det. Sgt. Steinke believes the massive amounts of education kids are
bombarded with works, even though he admits that getting the message
through is getting tougher.

"Youth I talk to are educated and know what their limits are and know
the drugs," he said.

The reality is most teens drink and/or do drugs. The trick is to get
them to understand the risks without jamming the message down their
throats.

Stiffer jail sentences for big-time users and dealers that start
setting precedents in our all-too-forgiving courts will work. Show
teens the gritty reality of prolonged and excessive use of drugs and
alcohol instead of telling them. If we can see a set of rotten teeth
on a cigarette pack, why not plaster about pictures of some skinny,
strung-out junkie stuffing a dirty needle in their arm in their
back-alley home?

Grossing them out is the only way to get the attention of today's
youth who are already desensitized to most things.

It's a medieval approach to a modern-world problem that will work.