Teens tackle tough reality of illicit drug use
‘You Don’t Wanna Marijuana’ Teens tackle tough reality of illicit drug use In the past few weeks, the Parshall Family and Independent Living class has been working on presentations to educate students about what they think are important issues facing teens today. The students were asked to choose a topic they were passionate about and could prove was an important topic to educate area youth about. The class spent time researching on the Internet, designing display boards, and vocally preparing to give their presentations. Taylor Myrick and Noel Rensch chose to educate classmates and students throughout the county about marijuana. They chose this topic because they felt it is an issue both in the school and in the community. "It is scary to see the downward spiral our society is taking," said Rensch. "Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, and kids as young as 12 are experimenting with it." During their research the girls learned a lot about marijuana and the harmful effects it has. "We found umpteen amounts of photos, statistics, facts and real life stories. We discovered what it does to one’s appearance, health and relationships with other people. In the end the only thing it does is mess up your future," Myrick said. "Before designing the board and deciding what information we wanted everyone to be aware of, we discussed how students all over the United States have already seen a trillion presentations about drugs and listened to a million speakers repeat the facts. I am pretty sure it’s been drilled into the heads of youth that drugs are bad, do not do them, and just say no," Rensch added.
