It is wonderful to live in a nation where you are free to exercise your rights. It is nice to have a government that establishes laws that protect the overall population. It is nice to know that you could be born and raised in one of the worst city ghettos or country swamp land and end up living in high class urban society or suburbia. However, with all of these freedoms come consequences for those that will ‘push the envelope’ for their own gain.
Many have learned the system that was created for good and use it for evil. Thus, America has a hard time making sure that all laws are enforced. Many of the problems are of a domestic situation such as illegal drug use and alcohol consumption by minors (those less than twenty-one years old). Illegal drug and alcohol use are a huge problem in America for several reasons:
Latch Key Children Coming Home Daily to an Empty House
Not Strict Enough on the Mexican Boarders
Making of Fake Identification Cards
Easy Access to Legal Drugs and Abusing The Use of Them
The terminology, “Latch Key Children,” in America refers to school aged children that come home daily to an empty home instead of a home where adults are home. The key is typically on the person of the child or left in a hidden place that only family members know about. After school hours, the child simply lets himself in to his home with no restrictions whatsoever. Sure, the legal guardian or parent may have, “laid down the law,” orally or even written it down on paper. However, nothing takes the place of hands on daily guidance. Thus, many with up to four or more hours before their guardian is to be home has much time to complete their homework, and get themselves into unfortunate situations using liquor and/or drugs where none is the wiser … until it is too late.
Many drugs still enter the United States of America via the Mexican Boarders, such as through Texas and San Diego. America has made it very easy not only for Mexicans to enter the country without the proper credentials by not having the necessary military in place to protect the land from intruders. This being the case, bringing in illegal drugs to sell and use is as easy as taking a trip to the tobacco shop and buying a pack of cigarettes.
The ring of fraudulent identification card makers make it very easy for minors to gain access to alcohol. The average twelve year old American can easily pass for a twenty-one year old in most cases. For whatever the reason (hormonal products in our food, etc.), preteens and teenagers have a much older appearance than they did back in the 1950’s or 60’s. It is nothing for them to purchase their own alcohol and go home to an empty house and drink it … or worse, invite their friends over as well.
One of the latest crazes amongst our youth is abusing legal prescription drugs or household products in such a way that they can “get a high” off of the chemicals. Something as common as a can of hair spray has been inhaled to get a high, instead of on the hair to create a style. Who is at fault? Whoever is consistently leaving that child alone to fend for himself or herself. Idle time with no provision is bound to lead to problems in most cases ... and it has been proven.
These are highly unfortunate circumstances that happen daily in America from city to city … suburb to suburb and rural to rural areas. It doesn’t matter where you live. What is missing is a human being in the home of these youths exemplifying a lifestyle that would desire their children to execute, and not just told what to do in their absence. An idle mind gets weary of being idle and will eventually find “something” to do. More often than not, it ends up not being a good thing. Alcohol Awareness Education is certainly a good place to start.