Stop drugs or the U.S. will fail
As I read the local and nationwide news, I wonder what worries most people in the United States. Is it China, Russia, North Korea, Iran or terrorism? It is none of these. Only a fool would openly attack the United States.
Instead, we are such an easy opponent to attack and systematically destroy from the inside.
Back in the 1980s, there was an anti-drug advertisement on television that showed an egg frying in a skillet, with a voiceover warning that “this is your brain on drugs.” Drugs, both legal and illegal, are destroying our youth and creating a financial disaster for Washington County. I wonder how many recovering addicts become productive citizens again?
Programs intended to get addicts clean are fighting a very challenging battle because relapse is so common. We have been fighting this battle for close to 60 years and we are losing. It is not like Vietnam. We cannot leave and just go home.
If you have a relative or friend who is an addict, you are experiencing real terror. We need to be blunt with children and tell them that using drugs given to you by anyone other than your doctor is stupid. Alcohol should also be considered a drug, since so many crimes indicate that alcohol was involved. It is too late waiting until children are teenagers, because too many have already crossed the line into using drugs. We warn children about “stranger danger.” Why can’t we do the same thing when it comes to drugs?
The future of the United States is in the hands of these young people, and if something isn’t done to stop it, the fall of the United States will be our destiny.
Clyde Clendaniel
Washington