Dear Future President,

Have you ever thought about what it might feel like to lose an important person in your life to drugs? Have you thought beyond and tried to feel the pain and the guilt of feeling like you could have done something to fix it all? Unfortunately, these are the types of questions many people have to ask themselves these days. There are many minors these days that have been using and abusing drugs from over the counter, from sellers and maybe from people in their families. The main reason that I feel this is important is because it has caused many minors to possibly get kicked out of school if the principles, teachers, Dean or school board find out. In major cases, if the family finds out, the child/minor could get kicked out or even disowned. These families try so hard to keep them out of trouble and in check but some just do not understand the consequences doing drugs comes with. Some of these drugs these days can make them go so insane that they can get depressed or, even worse, commit suicide for the feeling of being left out.

The usage of heroin increases by the year more and more. And it's more than just heroin, it's a bunch of different type of drugs that have been used among minors. Among 8th and 12th graders, the use of cocaine has been steady through the past years. But in the past year of illicit drug use it was reported by 23.6% of 12 graders. The past year use of alcohol has been totaled up to 58.2%. 34.9% for marijuana, and even though hookah might not seem bad, it is and the percentage is 19.8%.(drugabuse.gov) The worst part of it is that the drugs are among 17 and 18-year-olds. As said before, heroin is not the only harmful thing to teens. Study shows that more teens die from prescription drugs than heroin and cocaine combined. One third of teenagers who live in states with medical marijuana laws get their pot from other’s prescriptions. (dosomething.org) 28% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15% smoke cigarettes, and 16.5% have use marijuana just by the eighth grade. The reason being is that minors have been so attracted to it and are so into the rush of it all that they think it's a good thing so they try it for themselves.

Though there are many solutions, there are a few that I would like to mention. One of them being an intervention. An intervention can help in many ways by having a group of people who have went through the same thing come together to help the person struggling get over there problem. Another solution can be rehab which of course we all know can help in multiple ways. One final solution that I think can play a major role in all of this, is having the family come together to help out with any difficulties that may be in the way of the well-being of the minor/adolescents.

So please next president, hear me out on this. Try to at least get drug laws enforced because as the days pass, more and more families are slowly losing important blessings the Lord has passed onto them. Help join the movement to stop all of this chaos that has struck upon the families of these minors.

With love and care,

D’Ahnise J.

Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School