Teen Time: Is Scotts Valley really drug free?

This week is Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon posters are hung throughout our town saying that Scotts Valley is drug free. Is it really, though?
I discussed this issue with officer Paul Lopez from the Scotts Valley Police Department. I asked him about how many middle schoolers get caught with drugs and the consequences, drug-use rates in public versus private schools, and how to get kids to say “no!”
Officer Lopez informed me that he catches middle schoolers with drugs quite a bit. In middle school, kids are experimenting and trying out new things, but that doesn’t mean it should be with drugs.
He told me he mostly finds kids with marijuana. Calling it marijuana, pot or any other name for this drug doesn’t change what it is and the effects it will have on your body.
I also wondered what the consequences were when kids got caught with drugs. Officer Lopez said the police have a diversion program to give kids a second chance.
“All actions have consequences,” said Lopez.
In the diversion program, kids have to meet the officer’s standards and write reports on the drug they used, meet their curfew and behave well. He said he calls the parents for a meeting, and they set ground rules. If the child behaves well for three months, the police will drop the case and hope that the kid has learned their lesson.
If the child won’t listen and can’t last the three months, they will go on probation and have to go to their court date. The police department’s goal is to just get kids off the system of drugs and stop the use of them.
The rates for drugs in public versus private schools are pretty even, and drugs are mostly dealt with in small groups.
“Misery loves company,” Lopez said.
The kids who are hooked just want to attract more kids to the drug, so they have a bigger group to support them. The kids who are hooked on drugs need them for confidence and to make them feel better. It’s sad that those kids can’t stop once they start.
“Think before you do drugs, because they will have consequences,” Lopez said.
We all know that drugs are bad and can hurt our bodies, so why do people do them? Are drugs worth risking your family and happiness? No. Think about these questions and make sure you know what you would be getting yourself into if you started taking drugs.
Say “no” and be confident with your answer when you say it. It’s horrible to say that one day you might be in a situation where you have to say no to drugs. They will be there throughout our life, but just know how to handle them and prepare yourself to make the decision.
Really, be drug free and celebrate the rest of Red Ribbon Week!
Olivia Doherty, a seventh-grader at Scotts Valley Middle School, writes about issues facing middle school students today. Olivia can be reached through the Press-Banner by emailing pb******@pr*********.com.