Dear upcoming president,

Drug abuse has been a problem in this country for years. It's a topic that is somewhat over looked. Everyone assumes that if you do drugs you're an addict and need to be thrown in a rehabilitation center. Police think only drug dealers provide these addictive substances. Doctors think a chemical is always the cure. I am here to set things straight.

The definition of the word “drug” is “A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body” (keyword: medicine).

These drugs did not just find their way into the streets, they came from somewhere. Do you know where your “medicine” is coming from? Well, most medicines, such as pills, are being manufactured overseas. Most pills have more than one API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) in the substance. For example, the painkiller “Vicodin.” It has acetaminophen plus hydrocodone in it, making it “Vicodin.” It is an opioid that relieves moderate to moderately severe pain but messes you up in the long term. Patients are prescribed this medicine after surgery, usually, but there are definitely other cases when this is prescribed. Most people will take this for a while if they are in a high level of pain for a long time. Vicodin has some negative effects when taken for long periods of time. It will make the consumer feel the need to take the medicine all the time, even if there is no more pain. Not only that, but it may even damage one's liver. This is only one example of thousands of prescription medicines. A lot of them will help one problem then cause three others. Doctors need to stop prescribing chemicals.

I am not saying everyone who uses medicines as such will get addicted and die, all I'm saying is that there is a very high percentage who will. I’ve done my research and come to realize that the percentage of people who have died from drug overdose has skyrocketed since 2001. More and more teens are being exposed to drugs and more and more are ending up in the hospital. It is so easy to get your hands on pills in today's society. This could mean from a dealer or your everyday doctor. A doctor will prescribe you Alprazolam if he talks to you for one appointment and comes to the conclusion that you are “depressed.” Most people I know these days say they are depressed because their doctor told them they were. My doctor even told me I was depressed just because I filled out a survey and that had 5 questions on it. He told me that I need to be on medicine and go to therapy to get rid of this “sickness.” I believed him until I got a little more information on the topic. I am not depressed and do not need drugs and therapy to make me “normal.” There is no such thing as normal. We all have our ups and downs. That's life. For those who have this feeling of sadness and no hope every single day, you don't need chemical medicines. You need natural cures and meditation.

What I am asking from you Mr./Ms. President is to make these natural cures more affordable. Not everyone has billions of dollars lying around. Health insurance does not cover alternative medications to pills/syrups/etc. I am asking you to make this possible, please. We are only slowly killing ourselves by taking prescription medications. We need people to be both mentally and physically healthy, not just one or the other. That will never work out.

Sincerely,

Lana A.