I remember those words well, made famous by Nancy Reagan. We chanted the phrase at grade-school assemblies, and as prompted by Public Service Announcements during Saturday morning cartoons. It was a movement of epic proportions. Everyone born in 1980 and earlier was in some way effected by the war on drugs.
Despite the inspiring mantra, crack took the ‘hood by storm in the ’80s and ’90s. Now heroin is back after a crack-induced hiatus, and it brought with it meth, and other homemade crap. Then there’s the old favorite, marijuana, which I think has done more harm to the ghettos of America than the harder drugs because people still think that it’s harmless. All I know is that weed is a productivity killer, at the very least. And being unproductive in this country is one of the worst things you can be.
I ended up thinking about this because last night Devin and his grandmother were watching COPS together (only a grandparent can get away with this and not feel my overprotective parenting wrath). Inevitably the topic of drugs came up.Â
Grandma, being well aware of the horrors of drugs after living in the projects during the crack epidemic, told Devin to “Just say no to drugs. Drugs are bad.” Devin replied, “yes Grandma, I will always say no to drugs. Drugs are very bad.” (Mind you, the boy has no real frame of reference about what drugs are.) But of course my boy couldn’t leave it at that. He had to analyze it. “Grandma, what about drugs in the drug store?” Grandma thought about explaining the difference between street drugs and acetaminophen, and opted to change the subject. Smart move.Â
Just say no y’all!
so much to worry about, so little time! i think i’ll just keep burying my head in the sand for at least a few more years :}
Shows what I know. I’d have been concerned about leaving any dangling, loose ends when dealing with a bright, inquisitive mind like Devin’s.
Clearly, I’ve yet to learn the fine difference between an open opportunity and an open can of worms. Hopefully, I’ll get better before I’m a dad.
Your boy’s smart as a whip. I don’t remembering being so observing. I can remember eating the message up in the 80’s (that and anti-smoking). I also loss some family to dugs so it only strengthen the message in my mind.
-T
I thought about your son this morning, even before reading this, as I prepared school lunches for my children.
A bulletin announcing an open house for a private school had been placed on the counter, and I hadn’t really thought about attending…but Devin popped to mind.
That being said, and the two of us being on different sides of the continent, I was thinking of the independent schools, with one in particular in mind, and didn’t know what your politics were as concerns them.
Sure you’ve heard it all before, but the forms can be filled out until about the end of October, if you’re interested….
Yeah, only a grandma can get a pass on COPS. I worry about drugs so much with my boys. I know they talk about them at his school, even in kindergarten. They teach the kids to say no and to tell an adult. The only problem is that I know plenty of teachers that smoke week on a regular basis. Once you pass the initial drug test to get hired, you don’t get tested again unless you are just blatantly high all the time. Sure, people think it’s your own business what someone does in the privacy of their home. But, I always had a hard time dealing with the hypocrisy of the weed-selling kinder teacher that taught at the school I taught at.
HA! I’ve got one better…what about Pharming??!!! What is pharming…I learned it from watching multiple episodes of CSI Miami and Law and Order…its when kids take prescription drugs, throw them into a bowl (with whatever prescriptions their friends have also brought) and take the pills like candy….Seems to be affecting mostly affluent whites (as my parents would’ve tore my ass up if I wasted their expensive prescriptions), however if you move to an affluent area (you win the lottery or just plain move up in the world) it is something you would have to worry about!
Yeah your right…JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS!!!
I must be the old head as younguns like to say. You guys obviously didn’t have the parents who scared the living hell out of you with whippings and the LOVE OF GOD into you with church every Sunday. There was no saying no to them. Either you did what your parents told you or there was a strong possiblity of living outside. Parents used to know how to put fear into their children. (YEAH I KNOW, that is not PC), but very few of my childhood friends are dead and at least 90 to 95 percent finished high school and went to college or found jobs.
AA Dad and others, my grandmothers didn’t have televisions so we sat around and read the bible, school books and we LITERALLY PLAYED SCHOOL..*sigh*…What the heck is playing HOUSE?…lol…Maybe that is why getting an education and being smart was not an issue during my youth. Also, we didn’t ask grandma smart alecky questions. Especially if she had a switch in her hand!…Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha…It was better to go play than to ask questions which kept us naive for a few more years before we had the COLD WORLD slap reality into our butts.
Pharming is not NEW. It was called Drugging back in the day. White kids have been doing that for years, today we are following them into the madness.
I’ve always been on the fence about marijuana. While I know it’s much more dangerous than most believe, I do have a problem with all the time, energy, money invested to crack (no pun intended) down on its usage. Cigarettes kill many more than marijuana but they’re still legal.
Every good grandma knows how to change gears quickly. More tests for both of them on this end now that it’s summer break time (LOL)!
have a great holiday weekend.