Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

I am a resident of Albuquerque, NM and I am writing today to express my feelings on drug abuse. I spent seven or eight years living with an alcoholic and his family of alcoholics. I also have a family member who has been in and out of jail due to his heroin addiction. In my opinion, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse are causing our country to be single-minded and has made things more about drugs than creating more jobs and focusing on family. There have been countless times in my city alone when I have heard police reports of teens and adults in trouble with major drugs and alcohol. I understand as President, you have many other things to work on, some much more important, but I think this is a major issue that needs governmental interference.

In 2013, it was estimated that in one month 24.6 million Americans ages twelve and up abused at least one drug, including alcohol. The fact that there are twelve year old kids even thinking about drugs is extremely painful. The youth of this nation are the future of our country. If we are not taking care and looking out for our youth now, than how are we expected to take care of them in ten or twenty years from now? Not only is this issue an issue about youth abusing illegal drugs, but it is also about our safety. Approximately 60% of people arrested for most types of crimes test positive for illegal drugs. Also, in cases involving domestic violence, 500,000 cases involve a drunken abuser. It's sad to think 500,000 of these cases were caused just because the abuser had a little too much to drink. It's almost like the domino effect, first illegal substances or alcohol hurt the person themselves, then family members, others around them, and lastly our country. In fixing this issue I think that we should have more strict laws on buying alcohol and major drug possession. In my opinion, major drug and alcohol abusers are causing a big problem in America. People who have had one DWI should no longer be able to purchase alcohol because studies have shown that most people who have had one DWI, they are likely to get another DWI. 

In conclusion, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse are becoming a huge problem in this country. I appreciate your dedication to this country and the effort to make America a better country is great. I hope that you can make drugs and alcohol less of a problem throughout the country. Some people may agree that drug abuse is not the biggest issue in our country, but maybe we could work on more affordable options for help with becoming sober. We need to spread awareness, especially within our youth so they know the effects of drug abuse.

Best of luck to you,

Tatum