Drugs Are Straight Wack, Yo.

Before you read this, take a quick look at http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/straight/cover.htm

This is the cover of the DEA's online educational (in this context, educational means anti-drug) magazine for students, "Get It Straight." Seriously, I'm not making this up. Should you choose to read it, you will find the main reason that our government's drug policy is not taken seriously by anyone under the age of 40.

"Get It Straight" is part of the U.S. government's drug prevention campaign, and its message is familiar. Like many of its predecessors, including the D.A.R.E. program, it aims to educate kids about the dangers of drugs in order to prevent them from making uneducated and potentially dangerous choices about drug use. This is a worthy goal, and it should be taken more seriously by the government, and by society in general.

Unfortunately, no one could possibly take this effort seriously. With phrases like "here's how the pages shake down" and "the posse's lowdown on drugs" (that's right, they call themselves "the prevention posse"), there is only thing missing to complete this pathetic parody of what was popular in 1991: a celebrity endorsement from Vanilla Ice. Just look at the pictures, and you will see exactly what I mean.

This may seem funny, and it is, but it is also a perfect example of what our government, our schools, and even our parents do not seem to realize about drug education: anti-drug efforts will never be cool, and they do not need to be in order to be successful. Drug education should inform kids (without exaggerating) about the dangers of drugs, and encourage them to make responsible and safe decisions regarding drug use. It should not tell them that drugs are "totally bogus, dog" and that staying drug free is "straight kickin', yo." Attempts like these to speak to kids on their own level invariably come off as insulting and embarrassing performances. They also compromise the integrity of the authority figure, and with that, any chance that the advice will be taken seriously.

So remember, adults, kids are not your "homies", and they will not be convinced that drugs are "wack" by fake rap music recorded by studio artists. If our government and our schools really want to keep kids away from drugs, maybe they should respect their intelligence and stop treating them like baggy-jeans-and-backwards-hat-wearing, MC Hammer-loving stereotypes who don't know how to "Get It Straight."