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Collateral Damage from the War on Drugs

I am spending my morning in court. As I listen to the cases presented they all are bound by one string; the war on drugs.

A popular link this week has been former president Jimmy Carter's call to end the war on drugs. I am typing from my phone so no links. The war to end drug usage is creating more damage than good. Instead of a war on drugs we need a national campaign to teach people how to handle life's challenges. We are teaching at a young age to tuen to drugs. I am the parent of a child whose is ADD(I refuse to say hyper for he is not) & has Tourettes. When I started giving medication to him for control, I informed him the medication was a temporary tool we would use as he trained his mind to control both the ADD& Tourettes. It has not been easy but at age 14 he is not on medications. He is not a straight A student but he is able to learn the concepts taught in school. It is not easy but it is possible to reach a child when you stay present(aware )in his/her life. When parents are absent then you see the true collateral damage in our war on drugs; families.

I grew-up and live in a town that is best described as Mayberry with 10+ citizens. It is a town in Mississippi. Drugs are doing more to destroy families than gay marriage and alcohol combined. In court today I thought it was time for the rapture. There were parents v child, sibling v sibling, grandparent v grandchild, and several other relation cases. All of the cases had a defendant using drugs causing harm to other family members. It is a small town and county. The Jude was more than likely related to half the cases. This morning I could not imagine being a judge over these cases. Knowing the real issue is drug usage but unable to hold a trial on the drug usage. Having to sit and to listen to the tales of death and destruction because of drugs. "he/age bit the same person", was a common quote all morning. "I love him /her. I do not know what to do ", was another quote of the morning. It is sad when families seek jail as the only solution for the drug user.

We need to end the war on drugs. It is senseless, costly, and killing our families. We need to bring about harsher judgement on those who commit offenses while knowingly abusing drugs. Most importantly we need to start teaching children how to process their emotions in a manner that is positive and productive. Our society does not need to become some lawless society. We still have time to create peace on Earth.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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