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The Issues That Matter |
Substance AbuseI know someone who works in an Idaho mental hospital. She is horrified and shocked at what she sees: teenagers who have grown up using meth because Mom and Dad did it, and encouraged them to do it, too; 15 year olds who have been pimped out by their parents to get money for meth. When I was younger, I thought that repealing drug laws was a really good idea -- that the drug laws created an enormous market opportunity for criminals. Well, that's true. They do. But unfortunately, I have seen way too many lives severely damaged or ruined by substance abuse -- both alcohol and illegal drugs. Stricter enforcement of drug laws is not going to do a great deal of good (which is an area where Idaho seems to work pretty hard already). I do have some hope that hard hitting ads like the ones that Idaho is currently running about meth can make a difference. They won't persuade everyone; they only have to persuade some people not to get started down a path of destruction. The problem isn't just illegal drugs. There are a lot of Idahoans who have alcohol problems. Drunkenness plays a major part in murder, rape, child abuse, industrial accidents. I would like to see Idaho put the same effort into alerting both adults and young people of the dangers of alcohol abuse, and premature use of alcohol. |