Drug Trafficking and Police Corruption Overview

Police corruption is an issue that must be addressed, but a pivotal preliminary question is how do we know that corruption occurs? The trafficking of illegal drugs is outlawed and watched very closely, yet trafficking still occurs. It is not the corruption of one officer in one district that contributes to trafficking, but hundreds of officers in many districts. There is no answer to stopping corruption because the problem is so widespread but there ware ways to reduce it.

Drug trafficking occurs in various ways and forms but always involves the moving of drugs from one hand, to another. Trafficking allows drugs to move across a region or nation faster than anyone can track. Because the business is illegal, the monetary gains are exponential and provide a great motivation for those who want to traffic.

- Jacob and A.J.

Peer Influence on Illegal Drugs

When facing the challenge of someone offering an illegal drug, we all have a choice to make, and we all need to be careful about it. Someone may say that if you don't take the drug, then they won't be friends with you or they will spread terrible stories and rumors about you. But don't be fooled. If you want to be friends with those people, then you have to live with the consequences of their behaviors. Peer pressure is a hard thing to encounter, but if your "friends" are going to say bad stuff to you and do bad stuff that you don't think is right, you'd be better off without them. Remember to keep your friends close, and know not to be influenced by someone offering an illegal drug.

Callie and Paige, Lahser High School

Passive Smoke or a second hand smoking

Today secondhand smoke is one of the major sources of indoor air pollution. In Italy nearly everybody has tried or smokes frequently and the percentage of passive smoking is high. Usually parents smoke in front of their children and it’s not a good thing to do, they get dependent and they are influenced and drawn to try. I personally hate when people that are in my family smoke in front of me but I’m used to it and I hope that I’ll never fall in the black hole!
Eleonora Grio
International school of Treviso

International School Of Treviso

Pupils from Media 3 of The International School Of Treviso will soon be posting their own Blogs and responding to your blogs based on our recent studies relating to Drug Awareness. As English is a second language for them please excuse any minor grammatical errors on their part and feel free to comment on their blogs.
Thanks
Dave Henriksen
Media teacher
International School Treviso Italy

Personal Choices: Do or Die

Making choices is very important when it comes to illegal drugs. To start, it can be the friends we choose that will affect our choice whether to do drugs or not. If you have friends that either take the drugs themselves OR are major suppliers of the drug, it is very likely that you would join them in taking the drugs like cocaine or marijuana. Also, the media has a big role play in influencing the use of illegal drugs. Some good examples include the movies (If there is a scene in which they do drugs, there's a possibility you would want to try it yourself to act like that character) and the news (Talks about the harmful effects of doing illegal drugs which could influence you that it is NOT worth taking the risk). In the end, it's all up to you whether you want to take part in drugs or not.

Eddie and Mahmudur

Lahser High School

Good Parenting

Good parenting is important for many reasons. One reason is so you can keep your childeren off of hard drugs like cocaine, crystal meth, or heroin. With good parenting you can make sure your childrens intrest are in productive things and not in things that are bad. You can also have good communication with your children, so they will be able to talk to you about things that are pressuring them, such as drugs. If they make the idea of doing drugs seem wrong at a very young age, kids will more likely stay away, knowing that it is wrong. Good parenting is important in making sure your children don't do drugs.

Police Liaison

Police Liaison officers are employed by the township and maintain a positive relationship with the schools. I think that Police Liaison programs are a good thing because apart from real officers they are there to provide peace throughout communities which can help them to grow. They are also good because they can help officers to understand the culture of their community, specifically with what is going on with their young adults, and also help people can feel safe and protected.

By: Louis Y. and Michael P.
From: Lahser Highschool

High School drug testing

Hi there. We are here to talk about school drug testing. Did you know that 16.5% of school districts have random drug tests? An interesting fact about drug testing in high schools is that most of the positive results do not show long term benefits, because as soon as students left high school, they were actually more likely to start using drugs. I think that there should be drug testing because you don't want drugs in school. Sometimes I worry about people on drugs. I hope you make the right decision and never get addicted to drugs. Well, I hope you learned a lot. Bye

The job of a liaison police officer is to ensure communication between two entities. In this case, the job refers to an officer who ensures drugs aren't used illegaly. They could be used in schools to help intercept the flow of drugs to and from schools, especially students. They can also help educate students about drugs and help the community and the police cooperate in monitoring illegal activity. They can also help the community to use prevention strategies to eradicate drugs from the area. In addition, they can improve peoples' access to police in order to crack down on drug operations. In conclusion, police liaison programs can help keep a community drug free by helping the communication between the community and the police.

Peer Influence

There are some ways that we can stop illegal drug use. One way to stop this is to do different activities that would take your mind off of drugs, like basketball or other sports that involve running and exercise. Another way is to make smart descisions when it comes to smoking. For example, if you are out with your friends and they ask you to smoke with them don't feel like you have to. Just say NO or say you don't smoke. These are some ways that you can prevent smoking. Stay healthy my friends. :)

By Dayvion Pressley and Martez Jones

Athletes learning from Mistakes

Often, you hear on the news about athletes who have used certain drugs that help boost performance. These drugs, called performance-enhancing drugs, allow players to get the edge in their certain sport. For example, Mark McGwire, a famous baseball player, admitted earlier this year to using steroids and other supplements such as HGH to help his game. He has admitted to his mistakes and has promised that he will try to promote anti-steroid policies in high schools across America. He is a great example of a player who is learning from his mistakes. Another great example from an athlete who took an illegal drug is Josh Hamilton, all-star from the Texas Rangers. Hamilton, who is a former crack-addict, has learned from his mistakes and is now at his peak in baseball. In 2003, Hamilton was admitted in and out of eight drug rehab centers, and through his hard work and perseverance, he got his life back together. These two athletes are great examples of hope and the fact that after you make mistakes regarding your health, you can come back if you really want your life back in order.

Sibling influence in illegal drugs and teens

Sibling influence can be a major part in a child's life. A siblings behavior can determine whether or not their younger or older siblings will do drugs. If a sibling is a straight "A" student who hasn't ever touched a drug or alcohol, their siblings are more likely to not be addicted to drugs. On the other hand, someone who is failing school and does drugs, their siblings are more prone to being addicted to drugs or alcohol. For example, if a senior in high school is skipping school and doing drugs, his younger sibling is more likely to do that. An older persons influence is extremely important to those who look up to them.

Steven, Kevin, and Nathan

Drug Sniffing Dogs

Dogs that are taught to sniff out drugs are specially trained. While training, trainers have to teach the dogs how to distinguish between different odors. They also have to make sure the dogs don't consume the drugs. Dogs are trained by learning to identify the odors, finding them in different situations and how to signal the presence of drugs when found. The dogs are not taught to grab or bite the drugs, to ensure the saftey of the humans and the dogs themselves. Marijuana is usually the first drug the dog is taught to identify - the next usually being cocaine. The dog must be skilled first, because cocaine can cause health problems if consumed. These dogs are only trained for drug sniffing and detecting and are not used for any other situations.

Emma and Esther
Lahser High School

Drug Enforcement Agency

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) helps people stop using drugs by following the law in the prevention of drug use. They arrest and prosecute offenders of drugs. We think that the DEA is one of the main reasons people do not use drugs because they are scared of the law and being arrested. If someone is caught by the DEA they may be facing several years in prison. The DEA has also had an impact on the drug trade in increasing prices and making drugs less affordable.

We think that people should not use drugs because drugs can have many harmful affects on the body. Drugs can damage your brain, lungs, and heart. They may cause seizures or even death. Drugs also make you feel down and depressed. So our message to everybody out there is don't do drugs!!!

~Heba and Danielle~

Dogs busting the drugs

Next year we will be starting to have dog sniff out drugs. This will be very effective. We will have less users useing drugs and have a safer enviornment. This will also help Schools know that they will be safe and so coaches will know that they have no drugs to deal with. I think that this is a very effective and interesting way to find drugs.

Orion and Carl

Drug Testing in Schools

Drug testing in schools is a very effective way to cut down drug use in teens. By having random drug testing in schools students cannot prepare for the tests and have to become sober in order to pass tests. Failing these tests would result in an automatic suspension from school and a possible expulsion. Students who fail drug testing will be forced to enroll in rehab programs if they wish to return to school. Student atheletes will have to pass drug tests in order to participate. By having these drug tests athletes stay clean and keep the sport fair. Random drug testing is very beneficial to keeping drugs out of schools and keeping teens sober.

Shivam and Jackson
Lahser High School

Drug Sniffing Dogs

Mark, Alex, and Joey
Lahser

Friendly Dogs on the Way
Police dogs help society to nip drugs in the butt. They sniff out drugs to catch people with illegal drugs. These actions can be seen at airports and train stations. They are specialy trained from birth to be the best at what they do. They are 99% accurate at finding drugs in luggage, bags, and on people. At our school they have had dogs come in and sniff lockers. It was a big wake up call for some kids and many changed the way they think about drugs and drinking.

Border Patrol or Undercover Drug Cartels?

The job of the United Staates/ Mexican border patrol is to keep the people of their country safe and to stop illegal substances into or out of their country. Unfortunatly, some of the people on the border patrol of Mexico are being payed off by drug cartels to traffic illegal drugs into the U.S. How are we supposed to cut the drug supply in the U.S. if the people responsible for keeping the drugs out are the ones that are letting it in for money? This problem must be adressed if the supply of drugs in the U.S. is to drop. There should be a background check on the people that are hired to patrol the borders. The United States Border patrol as well as the Mexican troopers need to tighten up security and make sure that drugs do not get in.

Personal Choices

There are many things that influence your decision to do drugs, but the most influential is your own personal choice. The things you do everyday affect you in many ways that you don't even know. Your parents can influence your personal choice. The sports you do can also influence your personal choice. Peer pressure can influence you to do drugs. But it is your own actions that cause you to do drugs.

Monroe and Paul

Lahser High School

Good Parenting

Good parenting is the root of all safe descions in your life. They help to raise you the right way and most make it known that they are there for you whenever you need them. My parents have raised me to stay away from drugs, smoking and alcohol. They are my examples to live a healthy and safe life. Good parenting as it pertains to illegal drugs, is that if you talk about them with your kids then they are more likely to know the risks of them and not use them. There is a reason why kids have parents and it is because the parents need to act as mentors and set a good example for the loved ones and help raise them corectly. Many parents are scared or don't know how to start a conversation with their children. This is very important to do because you don't want drugs to reach them before you do. The love your parents have for you is passed down to the love you have for your children. This is why good parenting help to make a safe and happy lifestyle for children.

Austin & Vinnie

Lahser High School

Celebrity Support

Celebrities have many influences on substance abuse, some negative and some positive. A celebrity that has helped many celebrities is Dr. Drew. Dr. Drew is a person who helps many celebrities fight their addictions to substances that they are abusing. Dr. Drew had been in many other things other than his famous show Celebrity Rehab. He was the author of Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Back Together Again, which was a book about the hardships of addiction to cocaine. Dr. Drew has helped countless people get over their drug abuse problems and he has also talked about deaths in celebrity's lives. For example, Dr. Drew had talked about the death of Michael Jackson and how it was related to drugs to better educate the public about the seriousness of drugs. Hopefully someday soon Dr. Drew and many others will be able to eliminate illegal drug use altogether. - Max and Bryce, Lahser High School

Medical Marijuana

Recently in the United States, Medical Marijuana was legalized (in some states). In Michigan, marijuana was legalized as long as the person of possession has a medical marijuana card. Although it is technically legal, the medical marijuana card holder still has restrictions. A card holder cannot drive or operate potentially dangerous machinery while under the influence of marijuana. Since May 1st of last year, smoking was banned in all public places and the same rule applies for marijuana. The card user cannot use marijuana with anyone that does not also have a medical card. You can apply for a card if you have cancer, HIV/AIDS, or medical complications involving unresolved pain, because marijuana is a pain-killer. If used correctly, marijuana can help people with serious illnesses, fight through pain. The legalization of marijuana for those who need a pain relief was a well made decision by the goverment.
Ben and John---Lahser High School

Individual Peer Influence

How can you reach them before they do drugs? Peer influence can affect our decisions every day. Your peers can affect you in a negative or positive way. Especially with drugs. if your friends do drugs they are most likely to ask you to do it with them.But when they do, if you say no they are likely to respect your choice. By respecting your choice it will raise your self- confidence in not doing drugs and you may realize that you are actually better than everyone who is doing it. DON'T DO DRUGS. Live above the influence.
Jamil
Libby

Individuals

Jo and I have made many steps in our lives to avoid drugs. Many kids our age decide to take the wrong steps, in doing drugs. There are many reasons that kids our age do drugs, and many of them can be avoided. One is Peer pressure; Many kids our age around their friends feel the need to fit in to be "cool", and when they are offered drugs, they feel the need to take them to "fit in". Jo and I have really taken a personal stance on this, we do not care how people judge us, as long as we are doing the right thing. We ourselves are educated in the effects of drugs, and even experience around people who do them. We feel that being educated about drugs, and even knowing drug addicts will sway you away from doing drugs.

Written by:
Michael
Joseph

Lahser High School

medical marijuana and legalization

We think that medical marijuana is a very good idea because it helps people in pain. If marijuana was legalized there would be less people going to jail for it when there are more serious crimes and more serious drugs than marijuana. The drug can't be that bad if it is prescribed for medical purposes. So in conclusion we think that medical marijuana is a good idea and legalization wouldn't be as bad as everyone else thinks.

-Josh and Nathan (LHS)

Sibiling Influence

Sibling influence is a positive way to avoid drugs. Often younger siblings will look up to their older brother or sister and do exactly what they are doing. If an older sibiling is focusing on school, and avoiding drugs and alcohol the younger sibiling will want to the same as, they realize that it is working successfully for their older brother/sister. But, this could work in a negative way also. If a child notices that a "role model" is drinking and has alot of friends they will try and do the same because they think it makes them cool. So if you are an older sibling I advise from personal experience to always do your best and to provide a positive influence for the younger adolesence.


- Cheyenne, Paige, and Briana. Lahser High School

Preventing Substance Use (State Advertising)

In the United States of America, President Obama declared December as Drunk Driving Prevention month. Michigan senator, Jason Allen, took initiative and constructed a 27 second holiday PSA to promote it. Since then, more and more people have been taking action, against preventing substance use. The state is using new methods to promote this awareness, attracting teens to become more interested.
In the Teen Antidrug Campaign that is now aired in Michigan, and then across the nation, the campaign focuses on instead of intimidating, they exaggerate and make it funny. Teens these days are more attracted to the ads that relate to their own lives. Since the ads have been aired, 83% of the teens that have seen them have reconsidered substance use. Although a commercial can only do so much, it's really making an impact on teens, which is a small step to a big cause.
Mary & Katie Lahser High School

Family Discussions

My family and I have multiple discussions about illegal drugs. We talk about why teens do illegal drugs, and the consequences they have. We talk about this at the dinner table, when we have some free time, and when we are watching T.V. Its really important to know about illegal drugs because alot of teens do illegal drugs and don't understand the consequences. If your parents don't talk to you about it, then teens automatically think its ok because my family has never discussed it. Teens usually regret doing illegal drugs afterwards, but you can't regret it if you don't do it.


Lavrena and Christina
Lahser High School

Drug Testing in Schools

Schools are allowed to have random mandatory drug tests without informing the students before the day of the tests. This allows schools to catch many athletes in the process of taking drugs which helps in the erradication of drug use. Not only does this help catch athletes that take drugs, this helps catch other students as well. This also gives the students a reason to stop taking drugs because they would no longer be able to play their sport. Even though this prevents students from taking drugs, they should at least mention it beforehand. So the students that know they're going to get caught can at least talk to their parents about it so they're prepared. Over all this is a good thing to do in schools, but they should allow the students that want to come out with it before they destroy their relationships and trusts with the people they care about.
By: Sherin and Cody.

Sibling Drug Influence

Family can have a great influence upon the choices you make. One of the biggest decisions you can make is whether or not to use illegal drugs. Your brothers and sisters can be the biggest influence on your everyday lives, especially your older siblings. They know what you are going through and can give you valuable advice. Likewise you should be a strong and positive influence on younger siblings because whether you know it or not they look up to you, and will follow in your footsteps. When it comes to illegal drugs, some people make good decisions and some make bad, be wise in what you choose and make smart decisions in your everyday life, especially when it comes to the choice of using illegal drugs. The choices that your older siblings make will give you an idea of the consequences that come from both good and bad decisions.

Maria and Lindsey

The Legalization of Pot

One of the main reasons for the motivation to smoke marijuana is the fact that it is illegal. Such a law only makes smoking much more intense as a challlenge to teens. The reason we believe this is because when teenage adolescence are given something they are not allowed to do such as drugs they are curious of what it does and how it works. We believe that if a student is not given the permission to do what they want they will obviously rebel and go against what is correct. As an example, the debate of making Marijuana a drug is a controversy by both sides of the political view point. So if given the chance to have marijuana legal there are great reasons for this to happen, it would improve the economy significantly and allow the people to not use drugs legally but under supervision of the government. This is why we think that some drugs should be legal in areas of the world because it would allow the people to do what they want without it being illegal. Obviously, there will still be people who will become addicted and may require treatment, but the drug cartels will be put out of business.
Sam, Paul, Abdul
After speaking to this group,

Personal Choices

B.J.- What makes me not want to do drugs or make other bad decisions is my sports. I know that doing drugs and playing sports are two horrible combinations. When playing sports and doing drugs it can cause you to be fatigued and the last thing anyone who plays sports wants to do is come out of a game because they are tired.

Brenton - I don't do drugs because, they can ruin your life, they are an unnecessary expense, and my parents would kill me. Not to mention the fact that most drugs are illegal and if you get arrested you could pay thousands in court fee's and lawyer expenses. Not to mention jailtime and being considered a felon. Except weed, that's legal now.

Katie- The personal choices I make to avoid substance abuse are surround myself with a good friend group and focus on my education and future. With good friends, they help me avoid peer pressure and the chance to use illegal substances. Focusing on school work helps me realize that my future is important and I can't let something stupid like drugs get in the way of that.