“Come on, smoke it. It’s no harm, It’s a plant. It’s all natural, doctors even prescribe it,” says your friend Matt with a blunt in his hand. You take a hit, thinking it’ll all be okay.

Day after day, you meet up with Matt to smoke. The days turn into weeks, and the weeks turn into months. For the next two months you are continuously broke because you are spending all of your money on weed. Your friends, that do the same, invite you to parties every weekend. These parties guarantee that everyone has a good time, and can just lay back to forget the world; to go into your own “happy place”.

At school, Matt comes up to you inviting you to another party, which is hosted by his friend Phill. Being all anxious, you agree to go and plan to tell your parents that you are staying at Matt’s, while Matt says he is staying at yours.

With a blunt in your right hand, and a cup of beer in the left, you are enjoying the night with your friends. As the night gets later you get higher, you, Matt, and others suddenly stop acting like yourselves. You throw furniture, Matt starts being inappropriate with girls, and Phill suddenly passes out.

You then realize that something is wrong with Phill, he’s not responding. In a panic, you call 911. The ambulance shows up and rushes Phill to the hospital, while the police investigate.

It turns out that real cause of Phill passing out is that he overdosed. He was so high, he did not realize that he took a shot of heroin.

Not only is Phill’s life on the line, but everyone else is at risk. Who provided the weed? Who provided the heroin? Everyone was underage, and doing drugs, so everyone is guilty.

Phill’s parents are on vacation in Florida. While enjoying themselves, they get a phone call saying that their son might not live. They get phone calls saying that they could be in serious trouble since it was their house that hosted this party.

Now, not only may they lose their son, they may lose everything else.

You, Matt, and many others get charged with underage drinking, and drug possession.

The future is ruined all because you wanted to lay back and “have a good time”. But, was it really worth it? Was smoking and drinking worth losing a friend? Was it worth losing trust from your family? Was it worth ruining your entire future for a party?

According to www.dosomthing.org 60% of seniors don’t see regular marijana use as harmful, but THC (the active ingredient in the drug that causes addiction) is nearly 5 times stronger than it was 20 years ago. By the 8th grade, 28% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15% have smoked cigarettes, and 16.5% have used marijuana. Teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t.

People lose lives, friends, and even future opportunities. There are other ways to have fun than smoking weed or sniffing cocaine. Be smart, and lead yourself and your friends to a better and happier life. Let’s be legit and let’s say no to drugs.