Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jun 2005
Source: Medford Transcript (MA)
Copyright: 2005 Medford Transcript
Contact:  http://www2.townonline.com/medford/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3622
Author:  Brittany Blasetti and Paul Doheney
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

ELKS HOST SPECIAL D.A.R.E. DAY EVENT

The Medford Elks Lodge #915 is proud to announce that two winners were 
chosen to represent Medford from the many entries received by the 
Massachusetts State Elks Association for its D.A.R.E. essay contest. 
Paul  Doheney and Brittany Blasetti, both of Saint Joseph's School and both 
eighth-grade students, won a bike and a helmet for their essays. They will 
receive local awards at the Elks D.A.R.E. Day celebration on Saturday, June 
4 at the McGlynn Middle School.

The  following are their essays: Why I'm  Drug-Free I am 13. I  sing, dance 
and hang out with my friends. Do I sound like I have enough time 
for  drugs? No. I am a drug-free-teen because I know they kill. They ruin 
your lives,  not your teeth, make you smell bad and make you delusional.

I don't  want that, I want to live my life to the fullest. My friends and 
family matter  to me. Why would I want to give that up for marijuana? Once 
you  think about it, this decision is quite smart. So many young kids do 
drugs  because they are bored or "Everyone is doing it." Peer pressure is 
also a big  role model on this.

Almost  every kid can be pressured to do something he or she feels is not 
safe. It takes  an intelligent and common-sensed being to stand up and take 
action and firmly  say "no."

I want to  be that person. I want to be the girl that people will remember 
as a leader, not  a follower. You have the right to choose what you want to 
do with your life, no  one should choose for you. This is why I am a 
drug-free child. Why I am  Drug-Free Drugs ruin the lives of many people, 
old and young; but drugs don't just ruin lives, it  kills them as well. It 
starts to control your life just by inhaling it once and  makes you keep 
wanting more.

Even the  intelligent people, if they take it, will deteriorate from it. 
Then the more you  take the more you want, so people's lives then become 
all about getting more no  matter what the cost.

What makes  it sadder is that some people take it because their stressed, 
depressed or think  it's cool, but it makes their life worse and no one is 
immune to its effects.

I am  drug-free for the main reason that I don't want to through my life 
away because  I want to live my life to the fullest and I want to 
contribute my part to the  world.

Another  important reason is that I wouldn't want to disappoint my parents 
who have  raised me and gave me so much. Also I want to grow up and have a 
family and I  would not want to be addicted to drugs because I wouldn't 
want to ruin my  families lives.

Also  because I've been told through out my life not to do drugs and I've 
been told of  their harmful effects and I wouldn't want that to happen to 
me. Another  important reason is because I wouldn't want to hurt God. He 
put me on earth and  loves me beyond imagination and I wouldn't want to 
hurt  Him.
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MAP posted-by: Beth