IDLENESS, n. A model farm where the devil experiments with seeds of new sins and promotes the growth of staple vices

- - Ambrose Bierce

Shock, disbelief and dismay were our reactions to the headline announcing that the kids of Nevada County had the highest percentage of drug use in the entire state. No, not here! How could that be? Many of us moved here to escape the gangs, drugs and crime of the big cities. But don't just shrug your shoulders, and grudgingly accept this news with the dismissive attitude of "It's not my problem." These statistics are a wake-up call, and we had better wake up. There is nothing, absolutely nothing more important than protecting our kids. Whether you have kids or not, even if your kids are already grown, as mine are, it's our most pressing problem, and we had better do something about it - all of us, working together. Let's explore the four principal elements.

[continues 1098 words]