Let’s say you’re challenged to select a project for yourself or your scouting group or boys’ or girls’ club and you need a theme to work on. Maybe you want to earn a Scout badge for yourself or you want to choose a theme that you and your club can work on, have fun and also add money to fatten your treasury, allowing your friends to start other future projects.

Seriously consider working on distributing anti-drug information that is REAL and TRUTHFUL. You can provide printed literature that answers the myths and falsehoods associated with the drug culture scene. You’ve heard (and your friends) that “a little marijuana won’t hurt you.” Mistaken. You’ve heard that “any side effects of drug use are only temporary. The effects of the drug in question will wear off soon and your life will return to normal after the ‘high’. Wrong. You’ve heard that “drugs don’t affect your mind, only your body, or vice versa.” Wrong.

In fact, its effects stay with you for the rest of your life. Street drugs stay in your body and affect your mind for your entire life, unless they are treated. That’s just one of the many pieces of information you can share with your friends and others to whom you distribute print literature as part of your project.

How much damage are drugs doing to our school, our community, our state, and our nation now and in the past?

The answer is “many”. Consider that more than 200 million people worldwide use illegal drugs and that as far back as 2003, surveys showed that more than 19 million American children ages 12 and older were users within a month of the survey. That’s more than 8% of the population. During that same year, more than 119 million Americans ages 12 and older were current drinkers of alcohol (alcohol is also a drug). Fifty-five million of them participated in “binges” at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey.

In addition, alcohol-related car crashes were the second leading cause of teen deaths in the US. Additionally, when teens and others get involved in a “party scene,” they are often tempted to mix drinks with other drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine (fill in the blank, whatever it’s called), the results can be disastrous. It can lead to physical and mental breakdowns and even death. Happens all the time. The FACTS are that even a single use of drugs, under the right conditions, can kill. That fact alone puts the ki-bosh in the statement that “go ahead. Try it. It won’t hurt you.”

Overdose is a serious problem, don’t let anyone talk you into using street drugs. Eventually, you or your friends will overdose. Consider that getting to a hospital on time may be the only thing that will keep you alive. Imagine an overdose when the handful of people around you are already “high”. They will be a great help. You’ll find out how many friends you really have when they all scatter in fear of being found out.

Consider the almost daily headlines you see about stories of how drug traffickers are taking over even governments like Mexico and Colombia. Recent stories have related how gangs are killing innocent families who unfortunately have someone who has been in a gang and is suddenly in trouble. Imagine seeing the horror of seeing your loved one murdered before your eyes or seeing dead bodies strung up from bridges so everyone can see what happens to those who turn the world of drugs on fire. I hate to be graphic, but the world of drug culture is gruesome, involving murder, suicide, and other crimes.

As a person who wants to do something about drugs, you can start a project distributing The Truth About Drugs. The foundation of any effort to create change is EDUCATION. And you can be a change agent. You and your friends can share the truth about drugs in your own world, and you can earn some money doing it.

There are many programs you can start, including class sessions on how to avoid drugs, how to deal with the dark influences of drug dealers, and what to say to them when they approach you. You can also expand the school project beyond one class and include the entire school or community. There are many people who will help you.

Join the war on drugs NOW. The battlefield needs you as a soldier, whether you are a student or an adult. It’s your problem. It’s not just the other guy’s problem.