...In reality it has become a pop-culture joke. It seems that today it has become educators and parents vs. the media, and the ever influential pop-culture phenomena where television and internet reign over developing minds. In today’s world drug problems are increasingly worse and are indeed having a negative effect on America’s youth of today. To help combat this problem, as a society we should first, improve communication with parents, secondly, implement a better strategy within our educational system, and finally, hold the youth of today accountable. First, parents, whether they realize or not, have a major impact in their children’s lives. Not only is communication dwindling between parents and teens, but their mere understandings of the subject of drugs are generations apart. A new survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America has found that 12 percent of today's parents have never talked to their kids about drugs and the risks they pose. That's twice as many as just six years ago. If we keep going at this rate, parents will have to rely on other sources for their child’s knowledge on the subject of drugs. Rather risk exposure to the contradicting dangers of popular culture- parents need to talk to their children, especially teens about the dangers of drug usage. At the same time, parents are significantly underestimating their kids' use of and exposure to drugs in schools and communities. The parents understanding of drugs are generations apart from their teens. “But it's also because this generation of children are facing a new drug-abuse landscape, where once-hip drugs like marijuana are being complemented by a variety of pharmaceuticals - from cough suppressants to painkillers - many of which can be easily found in their parents' medicine cabinets,” as Alexandra Marks, a journalist points out to the Partnership of a Drug Free America. The use of drugs is evolving and at an alarming rate. In this era of television and internet, information is literally at the youth of today’s fingertips- it’s just a matter of who influences them first. Once a year at my high school we have red ribbon week. This consists of dressing up each individual day of a different topic and that is all we do, and an occasional drug free bracelet with the emblem of ‘just say no’ is passed out. It is often said that children spend more time at school, with their teachers, more so than at home. Since that is the case, educators can have a major impact on the youth of today and especially on the fight against drugs. This brings me to my second point, that as a society we should implement better strategies in our educational system. Not only should educators dedicate more time to drug awareness, they should also become more aware of this new drug society. Middle School children in Dallas certainly surprised teachers, when a new substance of cocaine was introduced on their campus. One teacher reportedly told CNN news that she would have never known that her students were using drugs on campus, simply because the students were calling the substance ‘cheese’ and hiding in emptied out highlighter containers. Not only should teachers be educated on the ever evolving drug world, schools should be advocating drug awareness, not just for one week, but for everyday. Since the time I have been in high school, I haven’t gone to see one speaker on the life altering effect of drugs, it’s almost like our schools have given up on us. It is never too late to save someone from these perilous dangers. Promoting the dangers of drugs should start early, in grade school and really be impacted in the developing years of middle school. If schools could promote anti drug organizations like D.A.R.E., maybe we can really answer teen’s questions on drugs. If parents aren’t communicating, and the youth of today are just listening to the pop-culture, then we have a problem. We need to establish a positive relationship between the teacher and student, this is essential when dealing with drugs. Finally, the youth of today needs to wake up and show some accountability for their actions. Parents and teachers can only go so far. As Frank Clark points out, “The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them.” When teens remove themselves from dangerous situations and show responsibility, they, the youth, can regain their reputation back- not by being the first generation to have an ever expansive drug problem, but by fighting back and using the tools that parents, guardians, and teachers provide for us. In Daniel Gilbert’s book, Stumbling on Happiness, he gives insight not only about happiness, but how people influence others. “Gaps in thinking, ultimately lead to unhappiness, because people are influenced by others around them.” Teenagers and young adults need to realize the power of other people. We are influenced by many things, and teenager’s friends or peers might just give that edge, that little incentive to try drugs. By removing ourselves from the situation we can reduce that risk and find a positive influence in your life. As Galileo Galilee notes, “We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.” We can not force people, youth, to change, but we can provide them with the tools to make some smart decisions. We can’t force them to say no, but we can give them the tools to say it. The youth of America needs realize that part of the blame is on them also, others can only do so much. Drugs cause problems. Not just in local communities, but on such a broader level. Drug abuse affects everyone around us and causes serious damage. Countless stories have been told, countless lives lost. We hear statistics everyday, but we can’t think of them just as statistics. These are real people, real problems, and real lives lost. If I can change the life of one person, the rest will follow. As the humanitarian Mahatma Gandhi states, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If we become the change, we can see change happen. So Snoop Dogg isn’t a personal hero of mine anymore, because I realized not only should I surround myself with a positive influence, I should listen to my parents and teachers. It does take more than just saying no, it takes strong will, a supportive community, and people to talk to. Let’s rewrite history and regain our reputation back as the generation that did more than just say no.