10/30/16

Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington DC 20500

Dear Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump,

My second cousin, Michael, is a heroin addicted and it has been a horrible and scary road for our family and his friends. He too got addicted though pain medication, like many other teenagers throughout america. And I don't want it to happen to anyone else so I would like to bring it to your attention. Although I am just a teenage student and I haven't had lots of experience with prescription drugs or any drugs at that matter, but i have done my research and i have first hand experience with the problem so you can trust me when is say; prescription drug abuse and Heroin use in teens is a growing problem in America because of how accessible it is to teens, and the effect on teens.

First, prescription drug abuse and heroin use in teens is a growing problem in America because of how accessible it is to teens. Tyler Campbell was a division one football player out of Akron, and he was a heroin addict. It started when he had a shoulder surgery and was prescribed 60 Vicodin, then he got hooked. “Pill addicts like Tyler often switch to heroin because it's a cheaper opiate, with a bigger high” (Bill Whitaker, Heroin In The Heartland, CBS news). Because many teenagers like Tyler want a cheaper alternative, especially coming off a surgery, they turn to heroin. Heroin is much more accessible to teens because the drug can get to the teen just through a simple injury. Many teens get injured from sports or just accidents, and a lot of them don't realize how addictive it can get if you abuse the prescription. So maybe one day after you've been prescribed the pills you take one or two more than you should it feels better so the next day you do the same, and on and on until you're hooked! Its that simple. I think it is a terrifying phenomenon that is so easily accessible to just about anyone, and that it should be brought to your attention.

A Second example of how accessible prescription painkillers and heroin is to teens is an island in New York called Staten Island. Three times more people overdose on painkillers in Staten Island then the rest of the city. In Staten they call the pills blues because they are blue, these “blues” are the most popular in Staten, they are being sold on street corners and mall parking lots. “Unlike street drugs more than three out of four people who abuse painkillers get them from someone who has a prescription from a doctor to take them” (Matthew Williams, Is Prescription Drug Abuse a Big Concern?, KQED). It is very accessible to teens because you can just ask a friend for a few pills or go into your cupboard at home and take a few of you mom's pills, it’s that easy for kids in Staten. It is a horrible epidemic that is continuing to grow and expand, and you are the most influential person who can help put an end to the issue. With that kind of accessibility to teens it's easy to get addicted, which can lead to a horrible lifestyle and cause many problems down the road, which can be seen in the next paragraph about a perfectly normal girl out of Minnesota who got hooked on heroin.

Ashley out of Minneapolis Minnesota is a perfect example that shows how prescription drug abuse and heroin use in teen is a growing problem in America because of the effect it has on teens. Ashley used to be a perfectly normal and good student in high school and college, until she her friend tricked her into smoking heroin which she later got addicted to. “a desperate search for the more than $100 a day she needs to pay for her addiction” (Andrew Sullivan, Addicted to Heroin: 'I'm Literally Just Rotting', ABC News). The effect addiction has on teens like Ashley is horrible, it causes the to somehow come up with one hundred dollars a day which is a terrible way to live. A couple of her friends also are addicted to this foul drug and one of them has prostituted themselves to come up with that kind of money every day. This is an absolutely horrific epidemic that has ruined many lives and affected many families, and no one should go through these kinds of things which is why i would like you to help.

I think about my cousin all the time and it is depressing and frightening how it can and did happen to any normal kid, male or female. So if you are like me and would like to put an end to this epidemic think about this; prescription drug abuse and Heroin use in teens is a growing problem in America because of how accessible it is to teens, and the effect on teens.

Sincerely yours,

Rodney