I Blame Nancy Reagan

By Gunther Hemmer

When Ronald Reagan was elected President his wife Nancy started an anti-drug campaign titled "Just Say No!". This campaign was mostly made up of scare tactics. Not only did it not work, it caused the increase in hard drug use and the ill- earned title of marijuana as a gateway drug.

When I started drug awareness in school "Just Say No!" was the current anti-drug campaign. It was taught that that all drugs are the same. Pot was no less harmful or addictive then cocaine or heroin. "It will ruin your life." Nancy said on national television. So when I gave in to the peer pressure and smoked a little weed I didn't see the connection between what I felt and what they told me it would do to me. I smoked more. After a few years I was neither addicted nor "strung-out on weed" actual quote from VH1 Behind the Music of mall pop star Tiffany). "Now wait a minute." I thought. "If they lied to me about this, what else did they lie about." Talk about a gateway. So of course it led to other things. Now I'm not saying that there was no free will involved in all this, but what am I to think as a young American with teen angst oozing out of every poor in my body? Telling me to just say no was like challenging me. So, I was left to relearn about drugs on my own. I had to find out for myself what they lied about and what was the truth. "Just Say No" actually caused me to do more drugs. Thanks Nancy.

The current add campaign against cigarette smoking, "Truth", is perfect. Though they take extreme actions in getting there point out there, they do not say anything about cigarette smoking that is un-true. The effect: Teen-age smoking is on the decline and big tobacco is scared. When I see the commercials it makes me hate the fact that I'm a smoker. Truth, never thought of that one did you Nancy.