Look around you. Are not you tired of watching our peers and the media makes it sound as drugs are no big deal? Too many of us have learned the painful lesson that drugs, even marijuana, can destroy our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Smoking a joint of today’s high-grade marijuana THC is equal to four tobacco cigarettes, say British researchers. Cocaine, meth, X, G, and prescription drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin take away too many lives each year.
It is time to take action and demand that our campuses put so much effort in anti-drug education, as they do with alcohol awareness. We know that scare tactics do not work, but we also know that the legalization and normalization of drug use does not help either. STAND is dedicated to promoting science-based education, which passes out the ecstasy information kits for raves. We also think it is time to challenge the tired notion that the “drug war” is the root of all evil. Are not drugs illegal because they are harmful, not harmful because they are illegal? Sure, some policies need change, but “drug policy reformers” seem to be less about reducing drugs and more to legitimize them. They should not call the shots. That really interested students, it is our job. It’s time to take a stand.