Love the Drug

Governor Brown,

My name is Molly Goode. I am 15 years old, and I attend Mary Jane High School in San Francisco. I am writing you today because there is an issue that I would like to propose a solution to: the issue of teenage drug use. The problem is that not enough teens have access to drugs, and I think this should change immediately. Some drugs can calm people’s nerves and make it easier for them to get through the problems they face in their lives. Teenagers like me have to deal with pressures of school, relationship drama, trying to figure out our futures, and many other difficult things that can cause a person to lose their mind. Because of this, drugs can help us relax and cope with the struggles we have to face every single day.

For example, my parents are currently going through a divorce, and I’m getting caught in the middle. This situation is making everything, especially focusing on school, harder than usual. Using drugs would help me calm down and take my mind off of what’s going on in order to be able to pay attention to my schoolwork so I can keep my grades up during this hard time. One of the reasons I can’t do this is because it’s illegal for me to use drugs, but I don’t think this should be the case. I propose that drugs be legalized for people 13 years old and up, on the condition that minors will only use it to escape and avoid their problems. This will make life easier for teens who have a lot going on in their lives and need something to help calm their nerves so they can get back on track. For a lot of us, it’s hard to stay focused when everything around us seems so much more important than what we actually need to do. I believe drug use is the way for us to stay on the right track for our futures.

An example of the calming effect drugs have is shown in my 21 year old sister, Sherry. She recently informed me that alcohol is a drug, which I was unaware of. Sherry told me that whenever she goes through a difficult trial or setback in her life, such as a terrible breakup or a failing grade in college, she simply goes out and gets drunk. It helps her to forget about everything going wrong in her life, everything she has managed to screw up yet again, and it enables her to feel happy again, even if it is just for a few hours. Because of alcohol, my sister’s life is not nearly as miserable as it would be if she wasn’t drunk all the time. This is another reason I want drugs, including alcohol, to be legally available to teenagers.

If drugs are legalized, there should be a punishment for those who genuinely abuse drugs. This punishment should be a year long probation from anything worthwhile: school, jobs, basically anything that can cause them to lose sight of what is truly important, that is, properly using drugs and getting over addictions so that they can get back on the right track. Furthermore, if drug abuse does develop, a requirement should be that the abuser must start using a different drug in order to stop depending on the other drug. Once an addiction is broken, the abuser may go back to using the original drug they were addicted to, but it must be in moderation, and it must only be as a coping method to genuine life problems.

As you may know, there are many people who feel the same way I do. I have enclosed a petition in this envelope, signed by over 3,000 California teenagers, who also wish for drugs to be legalized for minors ages 13 and up. I hope you will take the time to consider this possibility, and make it a reality for all of us.

Sincerely yours,

Molly Goode