Introduction

My topic is drugs. The importance of my project is that if drugs weren't around then there wouldn't be as much crime because no one would need money for drugs. This effects us all because the people who are dependent on drugs will rob a bank, convenience store, old lady on the street etc. The bad thing is that people, who are on drugs, can't get off and sometimes don't want to because of bad situations that have happened. The drug they are on makes them feel better about themselves for a short time but when the effect wears off they feel even worse and want more of the drug. Soon they are broke but still hooked on the drug and will try just about anything to get money for it. The worst thing about it is that many of the people hooked on drugs are the kids of today. If we don't start now to stop drugs then maybe the kids of tomorrow will be hooked on drugs too.

The reason that I have picked drugs for my topic is that when I am a father I don't want my kid out there getting into trouble for drugs. Also I have seen movies about kids hooked on drugs and occasionally I have seen someone who is hooked on drugs. I believe that if we start now that tomorrow we won't have to pay for what is happening today.

Research

News Article 1 - Man Stabbed for Owing Money to Friend and Fellow Drug Dealer

Last February a 21 year old man got stabbed while walking though the hallways of his school Monarch Park for owing money to his drug dealing partner Abdi Salaam (who stabbed him). There was nothing being done in this article trying to stop violence for owing money. What can we do? I think one way of stopping this kind of violence is to have more teachers or security walking through the halls making sure this doesn't happen again.

News Article 2 - Teen drug use low in Metro

A new survey that was just put out, say's that immigrants are helping keep the average of teenage drug use in Metro down. People say its because their parents are stricter. The latest survey says drug use has stabilized in Canada and in the U.S.A. Out of the 3,990, 75% of the people surveyed said they have never used Marijuana. The percentage has gone up since 1995 by 2%. In the late 70's, early 80's, the percent was 32, which shows since the 70's and 80's are society has improved with drug use. The survey also says that very few students are using crack, PCP, or heroin.

News Article 3 - Needle Program a Must say Experts

The Health Department of the new unified city says that there should be a better needle exchange program for drug users because too many people are getting infected with HIV. Surveys say that only 10% of about 15,000 drug users are HIV positive. In Vancouver it's about 40 to 50% of all drug users are infected with the aids virus. Its not only aids that is being past around by using drugs but also hepatitis B and C are also being past around through needles. Facts: The city of Toronto spends 450,000 to fund needle exchange programs at nine different sites.

Article 4 - Marijuana Doesn't Cause Damage????

All the coroners came to an agreement that marijuana doesn't hurt most of its users mentally or physically.

Article 5 - More Teens Using Steroids

Girls know that there is more athletic scholarships for girls. They feel that they should be doing what a lot of guys are doing to increase their chances of getting a scholarship, by using steroids to help them achieve this. A Study that was taken a Penn State University says that as many as 150,000 high school girls have taken steroids.

 

Response

In the following few paragraphs I will tell solutions being used and if they are working. Then I will give my own suggestions. The government uses many methods to stop drugs: under cover cops try to infiltrate the gangs to shut down the source of drugs, police stop anyone believed to be carrying drugs, police stop anyone smuggling drugs at the border, schools tell kids about drugs, community associations have drug awareness rallies.

The police will stop anyone they think is carrying or selling drugs. If you have drugs on you then you are most likely to have to hand them over to the police. If you are selling drugs then you can be put in jail. I believe this is working half and half because the police are taking the drugs away and sometimes throwing people in jail but what about the other drug addicts and drug dealers that don't get caught.

The police and border agent's are getting tougher and being more thorough in checking for drugs, as people enter our country. If the police catch you smuggling drugs you can be put into jail or sent back to your own country. I believe that this is working very well because, that way, drugs are kept to a minimum in our country.

Most schools teach the kids about drugs and tell them about how they can damage your body and ruin your life. I believe that this is working a little because some kids listen but others might think that their life is really screwed up and can't get any worse so they decide to try drugs and before you know it they're addicted to the drug.

The reasons I think conventional methods are not working is because we aren't stopping the drugs at the source, the community is not as aware as it could be, and we aren't stopping the addiction. People who are addicted and want help will go to a rehabilitation clinic but what about all those people who don't care that they are addicted? Here are some of my suggestions: If the police catch someone addicted to drugs then they should be put into a rehabilitation centre until they have overcome their addiction. Also, the consequence for having drugs on you should be stricter, that way less people would buy and sell drugs. Another thing would be to have a conference with all the countries (like when they wanted to ban land mines), this would be to burn all the crops that make drugs and to ban drugs everywhere with a very severe penalty except for medical reasons. I think that in schools there should be a mandatory course that talks about drugs and their effects on the human body.

Here are some of my suggestions to increase awareness in the community: We could have a drugs awareness day at our school. We could have a police officer come in and talk to the kids in the classrooms. We could take posters saying drugs are good and go out in front of our school and burn them. Then we could sprinkle the ashes all around the school as a sign that our school is drug free.

 

by Cory, Stephen and Davin

Class 8-4 Milne Valley Middle School
North York, Ontario, Canada

e-mail us at: milne84@ipsystems.com

 

 

Introduction

I chose this project because I want to learn more things about drugs and how they work and what they can do to you and how they affect us.

It's important that I am researching drugs because I want other people to read my project and see what drugs can do to you and how we could stop abusing drugs. Too many people die from drunk driving, heroin, crack and sometimes it's not even the person who takes the alcohol or drugs that suffers...sometimes it's the other people who suffer.

Drugs affect us because one of our relatives or good friends could die because of drugs. Some homeless people spend all their money on drugs and alcohol and when they make money off the street, they just buy more alcohol and drugs.

 

Response

Possible Solutions:

• educate young children
• professional counselling
• more strict checks at border crossings
• institutions
• people who grow drugs should get bigger penalties
• more severe penalties for dealers

Professional counselling is already going on, but teachers aren't really teaching children that much about drugs. Institutes are already there but there should be way more. People don't get big enough penalties. People do check for drugs when they cross the border but users hide it in places where people would never check, so I think they should check more carefully.

When you educate children they'll listen at the time but eventually they will get curious and want to try drugs. (mostly cigarettes and alcohol) Professional counselling works but sometimes people want to go back because they're so addicted, and they'll forget whatever the counsellor said. Institutions work because they put you through tests and won't let you leave
until you're ready.

I think people who do drugs should get help and people who sell drugs should just give it all away but seriously we both know that people won't do that. But people who sell drugs should have the drugs taken away and be thrown in jail. Convince whoever is taking drugs (family members, friends or neighbours) and tell them about how dangerous drugs are and how you feel and how you're suffering.

1st Step: To make sure your friends and family aren't taking drugs.

2nd Step: If they are smoking cigarettes you could give them a patch or the special gum. If they do crack or heroin you can put them under supervision or counselling.

To increase awareness I would go to schools around the country and tell them about what drugs are, what they do to you and how they affect your life.

 

by Laura

Class 8-4 Milne Valley Middle School
North York, Ontario, Canada
e-mail us at: milne84@ipsystems.com

 

Click here to tell us your thoughts on this issue.