A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY ISSUES : Youth / OPINION ON ANTI-DRUG PROGRAMS

PHAN DUONG, 17. A senior at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, Phan is her school’s student liaison to the Board of Education.

I think the various anti-drug programs are not very effective because even peer pressure is more influential than the current anti-drug program. If a person is drug-free, his attitude will affect his friends. But if a person is on drugs, he can pressure his friends to use drugs as well. Also, a person using drugs will use drugs no matter what others say. I think anti-drug programs are not useful to people who are drug-free. We need interesting programs that capture the attention of both the people who are on drugs and people who are drug-free, not the current dull and monotonous programs. We need programs that start out strong and make a statement, programs that will exist 10 years from now.

The drug problem is very severe. Most of them (the abusers) think that using drugs is cool. Some of them have problems and to get rid of these problems, they think they have to use drugs. I would say the majority of students have tried drugs. Either they didn’t like it, or they just don’t want to be messed up and die.