Drug violence should be blamed on the 21st century

EVER since my mind was opened to the awful side of drugs, many questions have been posed. Intriguing questions such as, “Did we adopt drug consumption from our ancestors? Is it a culture borrowed from the 60’s or even 40’s? Or is it a pillar of the new trend in the 21st century?” Stories of the past always crossed my mind and drugs were never a part of them. My grandfather used to tell me stories of his time. Stories about how they danced till late in the night at the neighbours, the locally made wine that they only sipped occasionally especially at parties and of course how they chased the girls! However, he never once lamented on something to do with Marijuana smoking or any other drug for that matter. If our ancestors had all these drugs at their disposal but never even got to use them, I can only assume that drug abuse and its influences are the result of the 21st century. My version of the 21st century’s definition is misguided happiness. In this era, there is a lot that will lure you into engaging in drugs and if you are weak, you will engage. Television, movies and the internet are all responsible for this outburst. Just last week, I visited a friend and there happened to be a 10-year-old watching rapper, 50 Cent’s music video on TV. Such videos expose kids to drug use, nudity and profanity of sorts and the worst part is that they think it is cool. In the video, 50 Cent is puffing smoke all over the place. The first line in the song’s lyrics goes like this: “Ahha, I’m a gangster, yeah I’m a gangster, smoke weed and stay gangster…!” Seriously! Before I could even butt an eyelid, this young star had wrapped small papers to make them look like a cigarette or cigar of some sort. What was worse, he was nodding his head to the tune. It was quite obvious that the kid wanted to be a gangster. Parents or guardians out there, you might want to look out for what your kid is watching. I call the internet the friendliest destructive, influencing friend you will ever meet. The internet is extremely influential and contains all sorts of information, including directions as to where to find the drugs. Moreover, the biggest consumers of these drugs are the very people most friendly with the internet, teens! Additionally, “Facebook” has done more than connecting us with friends because you can also be connected to drugs nowadays. In order to develop positively, we need a drug free environment. Stay drug free, and have the freedom to stay clean. bolivewanted2010@gmail.com