Hero or Heroin?

Published in the Braintree Observer Forum on March 22, 1970
Written by Donald W. Smith

During 1969, more than 800 deaths were caused by heroin in the state of New York. The average age was 24. Of these victims, 210 were between 12 and 19 years of age. Many of these were “hooked” inside the public schools. It is anticipated that within a year or two, 40 to 60 per cent of the students in the elementary and junior high schools may be on drugs. Here we are confronted with facts and well-founded fears. The facts are accomplished and irrefutable. Will the fears be realized or is there something to be done to avert this tragedy?

Heroin is a strongly addictive narcotic that has an extremely adverse and effect upon physical emotional health. It, of necessity, causes serious
deviations in behavior patterns with an emphasis upon theft in order to afford the drug. This being true, what can be done to protect young people from their ignorance, daring carelessness (lack of concern for self and others), and urge to conform in their use of heroin?

It is pointless to be concerned with the legal aspects of the problem alone. Its moral aspects which involve the well-being of people-children-must be faced. (To legalize the use of marijuana, which has a less serious and less addictive effect than heroin, is to accomplish nothing but to ease the burden on law enforcement agencies. Yet there are some who advocate this.

Granting the prior question of the morality of narcotic toxication, there is great danger in the principle of seeking solution to a moral problem through legal action–declare what previously has been considered wrong to be right and the problem goes “puff” -vanishes! NO SO! If the principle of legalizing the illegal because of the popularity of a particular practice, like smoking marijuana or going with the “gay” group, is valid; then why stop there? Why not legalize the use of heroin? The answer is obvious. To do so would destroy our youth. Thus we see the danger and absurdity of this principle.)

Another approach is to declare war on the victimizers while having compassion for the victims. This is good and ought to be. The law must bear down hard on the person who would profit on the possible death of another human being.

Still another way of seeking to save the minds, bodies and spirits of youth is drug education. This is also an indispensable measure of tremendous value. Its weakness lies in the hearers–so often young people listen but do not hear.

It is the conviction of this writer that the most basic and effective answer to this problem is voiced so often that it becomes trite and seemingly unworkable. It has to do with the relationship between parents and children.

We have witnessed the phenomena of the “generation gap’ and “teenage subculture.”

It appears that our children are telling us that we don’t communicate with them; that we’re broadcasting on a different frequency; and we seem to be buying this propaganda. A result of the youthful insistence that the parents are of another age and speak another language has resulted in a “teen subculture.” It’s as if our children have been piped from their homes (and we let them go) by the lure if the tune that says ”you’ll never make it, man, if you listen to those squares in the little white house with the green lawn. We’ve got to band together out here in the world where it’s at and make our own rules.” It seems that there is a “youth society” which has left parents at home alone with a look of dismay, in some cases, wondering what has happened to “the family”, and in other situations with a “glad to get rid of them” attitude.

The fact is that the family is ceasing to be the basic unit of society-the means of molding the minds of children. We now have two different worlds- “Parents”, alone in empty houses, caught up in the euphoric world of material pursuit; and “Youth”, bound together by a common desire to be released from the “drag” of the “system.” Two worlds–a chasm between, paths crossing, as home becomes a mere shelter from the elements with cheap laundry service and free “pad.” No longer do the hearts and minds of the “fathers” come to grips with the restlessness and willfulness of the sons and daughters; or if it is attempted, the shattered parents hear the foreboding voice crying out of the past, “Too Late!”

What is being said here? If a solution is to be found, there new beginning. really love, to whom God has given babies must reach back and touch God’s standards. They must begin in their children’s infancy to build for them a view of life which will result in the “hero” who, in the prime of life will declare
unequivocally to his peers that it’s absurd to tamper with the body and mind which God has given.

Your child? Hero? — or Heroin??