Pubdate: Fri, 12 Oct 2012
Source: Alaska Highway News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Glacier Interactive Media
Contact:  http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/716

TELLING TEENAGERS THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

Teenagers have been trying to get high since the dawn of time.

In some cultures, it became a tradition for youths to transition into
adulthood with the use of hallucinogenic drugs. However, other than a
couple of years in the late '60s and early '70s, this formal practice
has eluded our society.

Parents and educators, concerned about health and safety, have
discouraged the use of illegal drugs by our kids. This is reasonable
since many of them can inhibit the proper development of the brain and
some can lead to risky behaviour. Overdoses are not common, but are a
real concern in children who are still in the thrall of peer pressure.

The mantra of "Just say no" has been drilled into students year after
year, but it is a message that some of them just aren't hearing.

Marijuana and underage drinking are commonplace in British Columbia
high schools. While most students shun the harder drugs, some go to
extraordinary lengths to get high.

News that a boy has been hospitalized after smoking incense has
shocked the community.

The incense that he smoked with his friends contained the warning "Not
for human consumption," which is commonly found on packages of
synthetic marijuana.

Whatever the reason the kids picked up that incense, it should be no
surprise that rumours spread through the halls of a high school
contained more weight than warnings from the authorities.

Kids know that adults will "just say no" to any questions about drugs.
In an effort to protect them, parents will sometimes exaggerate or lie
about the effects of these substances. Yet teens can sniff out
hypocrisy a mile away.

If Sarah is given a lecture on Monday about how marijuana will ruin
her life but finds out on Wednesday that her parents were potheads in
their 20s, all she will have learned is that she can't trust her
parents when it comes to drugs. This is a time when Google is not the
best source of information.

Teenagers smoke oregano or catnip out of a misguided belief that this
will get them high. Others chug cough medicine, sniff glue or drink
hand sanitizer. Some even play the "choking game" where participants
take turns cutting off each other's oxygen supply to induce euphoria.

Teenagers want to get stoned and it is irresponsible for the adults in
their lives to close their eyes to this fact. That doesn't mean that
parents or mentors should endorse drug use. In this case, a little
education goes a long way.

Solid facts about how these substances mess with a person's chemistry
are often enough to turn kids right off.

Overdoses can cause death, but they can also cause permanent brain
damage that victims must live with for the rest of their lives.

Some of these drugs permanently change our neural pathways -- they
rearrange our brains and can change our personality. That is a
terrifying prospect for most people who like who they are.

Then there is the physical toll. Many illegal drugs are hard on the
body and can cause heart attacks, weight gain, strokes and other
unwanted side effects.

We need to teach kids about drugs so they get their information from a
reliable source and not the rumours in the school hallway. This means
giving them the unvarnished truth and trusting them to make the right
decision.

"Just say no" is just not enough.
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MAP posted-by: Matt