"And really, will one teenager’s voice in a student paper outweigh the constant chorus of public-service announcements, D.A.R.E. programs and parents shouting, “DON’T DO DRUGS!”?"

Yes.

Apparently the chorus has already failed since there were students available to be interviewed who had done drugs to begin with.

And the Willamette Week bringing it to light by a sideways remark about rougishly ensuring a balance further strengthens the chorus of subconsicous approval.

Opinion is the most questionable of jouralistic devices. It is fueled by personal agenda and built from selected facts.

Freedom of speech is a great thing. To say something to ones friends is small and casual, to print something has a wider impact on the minds of the unknown.

Opinion carries a social responsiblity that many seem unwilling to consider before printing. Balancing the opinion with a pro and con could shed light on other ideas that may encourage people to chose the responsibility of forming thier own opinions.

 

D.A.R.E. lost ALL credibility to speak on any issue when it continued to openly support President G.W. Bush after his drunk driving conviction was revealed.

 

B.Dillon: The point is the student opinion IS the balancing statement. Kids never hear positive stories about drug use. As Bill Hicks would say, if nothing good ever came from drugs, take all of your music and throw it away. You trying to tell me the Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Springsteen, et. al. weren't high on drugs? Get back.

 

"Freedom of speech is a great thing." That's probably why it doesn't exist in schools. I subconsciously approve of free speech, and students are allowed to think as loudly as they like ... just so long as we understand that their opinions NEVER count.

DARE lost all credibility the moment this half-assed idea came along: "I dare you not to take drugs." It would have worked, maybe, in the first 30 years of the 20th Century. Oh, wait, wasn't that when all the drug laws were passed? After the War on Drugs was declared by Nixon, drugs didn't have a chance, and that's why they're so inaccessible to kids today. Pass a law, make a school policy, declare a war, problem solved.

I feel most for the teachers in the trenches, who have to deal with the fallout of our failed national drug policy. And for the students, who don't dare print a controversial opinion, because the administration decides what's controversial.

By all means, let's try to protect our young from substances that can harm them. Shall we do it intelligently, or the way we've been doing it for decades?

 

Go Pacers! I know that our Lakeridge High School Newspaper is always held to high scrutiny, and demonstrates excellence in journalism. Each issue works to present topics facing students and our school's reality. We are proud of our peers and our community. I believe our Journalistic achievements in the paper are in good taste, and well presented.