Pubdate: Fri, 19 Oct 2001
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiwinnipeg.com/winsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Laurie Mustard
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUG USERS ENRICH SLIME

G'day. Some thoughts on drug abuse by teenagers.

As described in yesterday's Winnipeg Sun, the Addictions Foundation 
of Manitoba (AFM) earlier this week released a survey of substance 
abuse among high school students in the province. Of the 4,680 
students from 32 schools throughout Manitoba who responded to the 
survey, 40% said they used drugs in the last year.

The AFM says they don't think students see drug use as immoral, and 
in fact the study revealed that 49% of the students surveyed think 
its OK for people to use drugs as long as they are in control of 
their use.

The AFM has been countering escalating drug use by combining its 
abstinence message with what it calls a "harm-reduction" approach by 
informing students of the health risks, and encouraging students to 
engage in more responsible behaviour through better education 
(concerning the risks of drugs).

Didn't Stop Me

With all due respect to the AFM (God knows they accomplish some 
wonderful things), neither of those messages ever stopped me from 
doing anything when I was in my teens. I felt invulnerable, and 
mistaken as I was, was absolutely positive I wasn't putting myself or 
anyone else at risk because I was in control, and I knew what I was 
doing.

Now, because I have great respect for the youth of today, and know 
that most of them are very moral, intelligent people who will do a 
dandy job of running the world some day, I'd just like to toss this 
out to those of them currently doing drugs, and maybe looking for 
reasons not to.

Ponder this: 99% of the kids doing drugs today are probably very 
decent, moral people. But if you follow the drug money out of the 
province to its ultimate destination, you'll find the people you are 
supporting, making filthy rich in fact, are people who don't care 
whether you or your friends die, as long as they get their money.

A Winnipeg Police Services spokesman says that to the killers who 
supply drugs: "You (the customer), are merely a vehicle by which they 
derive their profit."

They don't care when a Winnipeg student ends up dead, lying on a cold 
slab in the morgue, after taking their poison ecstasy.

Talk about terrorism. We think bin Laden's bad? At least in his own 
sick, demented way he believes he's fighting for a noble cause, and 
is willing to put his own life on the line to accomplish his goal.

The slime running the organized crime groups who sell kids drugs, 
kill a lot more people than bin Laden, and actually get the victims 
to pay for their own murder.

Young Lives Tragically Lost

They don't care who dies. And we all know that many young lives are 
tragically lost each year to illicit drugs.

So, what the heck, if some of you teenagers out there are looking for 
a reason to resist doing drugs, maybe this'll help. Financing child 
killers isn't something most of us would willingly do.

Just something to think about.

The article included this as well: The AFM realizes kids are going to 
do drugs and alcohol no matter what.

At least when you buy alcohol, you're supporting legit businesses, 
but most importantly, buying a government regulated product that 
allows you to be sure of the contents, so its effect on you is 
predictable. No surprises.

You know it'll take the same amount of vodka to get you puking every 
time. You won't have one drink and die from an overdose.

Abstinence for all may be the ideal, but as the prohibition era 
revealed, is completely unrealistic. So please party moderately, take 
care of yourself and others, and reconsider handing over your hard 
earned cash to the kid killers who run organized crime.
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MAP posted-by: Josh