Anti-Drug Assembly

In The 70S It Was "Only Dopes Use Dope." In The 80s It Was "Just Say No." In The 90S, "This Is Your Brain On Drugs." But When Teachers, Drug Counselors And Law Officers Organized This Assembly For Ninth Graders In Area Schools Early This Month, They Wanted To Offer Something More Than A Slogan. Gabe Garza Of The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council Says That They Are Finding That Theyre Needing Attention, Theyre Needing Love. Theyre Needing Someone To Care For Them. And If They Dont Get It From Their Parents Or Their Friends, Theyre Seeking Artificial Means Which Is The Drug. Methamphetamine Provides That. It Releases The Dopamine, And Theyre Getting That High From It. The Day Was Also To Learn About Alternatives, Instead Of Hearing More Sermons On The Dangers Of Drugs. San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez Says That The Shock Factor Is Something The Kids Hear All The Time. And In My Opinion, When You Hear A Speaker Come In And Say, "You Know, I Did X-Y-Z, And Look At Me Now, Im Recovered. And These Kids Get This Idea That Its Okay If They Experiment. Its Okay If They Get Hooked On Drugs For Ten Years Because Theyre Going To Get Out Of That Mode. And Its Not Okay. The Message Here Was The Future. Motivational Speaker Aric Bostick Of San Antonio Challenges High School Students To Think About What They Want To Do With Their Lives, And To Consider How Drug Use Could Get In The Way Of Achieving Those Goals. Educators And Law Officers Say Nowdays Drugs Are More Easily Available, And Some Segments Of Society Are Becoming More Accepting Of Drug Use. So They Say, The Goal Now Is Catching Young People At An Early Age And Trying To Teach Them That Theres Something Better.