In the transition summer between grade school and middle school, I had this discussion with both of my sons.<\/p>\n
A friend, someone youve played with and hung out with will try drugs and may even offer you drugs, I said.<\/p>\n
I did so theyd understand that drug users were not foreign invaders, or evildoers lurking in the shadows. Theyd be people they played baseball, basketball or soccer with, or maybe attended a birthday party. They might even be their buddies.<\/p>\n
I recalled the shock I felt in junior high when Jack, a kid I knew from youth football, was assigned the locker next to mine. Jack and I always got along at football. We spent a lot of time on the sidelines together, sharing similar anti-authority views. The school was massively overcrowded so I was happy to see a familiar, friendly face.<\/p>\n
But the first few times I said hello, hed grunt and turn away. Kids changed in junior high, slipping into different skins, angling to be part of the cool crowd. Knowing I was doomed to never accomplish that (my hair refused to feather and my wardrobe consisted entirely of pastel-colored Toughskins), I let it go.<\/p>\n
Then one day, Jack said, Hey, just thought Id let you know Im selling drugs out of my locker.<\/p>\n
He stepped aside and let me see the shelves absent any sign of school materials but displaying an assortment of drugs and drug paraphernalia.<\/p>\n
Ill be selling after the last class, he said. You may not want to be around you know in case something goes wrong.<\/p>\n
Walking to the bus that day, I remember feeling relief that Jack still thought of me as a friend and sadness that wed never stand together on the sidelines commenting on the idiocy of football coaches ever again. It felt like one of those moments when childhood ends.<\/p>\n
I dont know why Jack got involved in drugs, or why any of a number of close friends turned to drugs as junior high led into high school. People who know that are much smarter than I, but I did know that how society treated drugs and drugs users at the time was horrifically wrong.<\/p>\n
The War on Drugs. It was declared but as far as I know never ended by an official cease-fire.<\/p>\n
Who were we declaring war on? It had to be someone faceless and far off. It couldnt be the people I knew consuming the drugs. They were my friends sweet-natured and goofy and prone to making some really bad choices.<\/p>\n
Of course, the War on Drugs implied there would be casualties. Those people I did know, like my former brother-in-law who ODd on heroin while in the parking lot of a methadone clinic.<\/p>\n
Were these acceptable loses some unknown number of lives sacrificed to achieve the greater goal of victory declared and the forces of evil rebuffed?<\/p>\n
It would be nice if we had learned from the missteps of the 1970s-80s, but here we are in the summer of 2021 watching young people in our community die from drug overdoses.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the drugs are deadly literally poison. Why would someone consume that? I did not know in 1976 and I do not know today.<\/p>\n
I just know the loss, everybody feels the loss. Where does this empty feeling lead us?<\/p>\n
To understanding, maybe? Drugs (of the illicit, street variety) are bad. Drug users arent bad. But theyre criminals, right? Its illegal to possess and consume drugs weve deemed illegal a shifting distinction over the years.<\/p>\n
Illegal is hidden until the outcomes cannot be ignored. The drugs consumed are of unknown origin and ingredients. It makes all our mistakes not just costly, but potentially fatal.<\/p>\n
The path forward has to be different than the path weve followed, otherwise, we will continue to wonder why with each life lost.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original here: <\/p>\n
Nation of Mike: Searching for a path forward - Daily Record-News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the transition summer between grade school and middle school, I had this discussion with both of my sons. Continue reading