Pulling up an old post! Abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costly to our Nation, exacting over $600 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and healthcare.
drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
____________________________
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
217 Broadway, Suite 712 , New York, NY 10007 | Phone: 212-269-7797 | Fax 212-269-7510
Every dollar that goes to drugs fuels the killing. As long as there are Americans willing to buy drugs, there will be people willing to sell drugs, and people willing to kill as a cost of doing business. There's a connection between the suppliers and even occasional or weekend users that can never be forgotten. Casual drug use is responsible for the casualties of the drug war. From the city streets of America to the street bombings of Colombia, even dabblers in drugs bear responsibility for the blood being spilled. And unlike those of you in school this fall, those killed by the drug trade never do get a second chance. Drugs are rightly called an equal opportunity destroyer. They have no conscience. They don't care where the money comes from. They just murder people. Young and old, good and bad, innocent and guilty -- it doesn't matter. For too many, drugs mean death.
I keep this badge -- I keep this badge in my desk to remind me of that. It was worn by a young rookie cop named Eddie Byrne. Twenty-two years old, not much older than some of you. He was out trying to stop the drug trade, protecting a witness so that a dealer could be brought to justice. Eddie Byrne had three brothers, a girlfriend he'd known for 4 years. He loved fishing and football, was a running back at Plainedge High School in New York. And he had a lot of friends in his neighborhood. And Eddie Byrne had dreams. But in the early hours of a cold February morning, sitting in a police cruiser, Eddie was blown away at pointblank range, killed on the orders of a drug kingpin -- cold and calculated.
I've heard some say if you do drugs now and then, why, you're not hurting anybody. It's no big deal. Well, the next time you think about using drugs, I want you to think of Eddie Byrne, and I want you to think about the family that lost him. To me this badge is a constant reminder that Eddie Byrne's life was not given in vain. This is a promise: The killing must and will stop. Where you're sitting right now, where you're sitting there in school -- I know you've got your dreams, everyone does. But out on the streets, a nightmare for America is happening every day, every night.
Somewhere a teenage girl who ought to be in school is giving birth to a baby already addicted to cocaine. And that baby is coming into this world shaking and twitching from withdrawal, so sensitive to the touch that it can't be held or fed properly. How can drugs cause so much pain? How can they lead brothers to kill brothers and mothers to abandon children? And behind all of the senseless violence, the needless tragedy, what haunts me is the question: Why?
I have one answer. Drugs are still a problem because too many of us are still looking the other way. And that's why I wanted to talk to you today. I'm asking you not to look the other way. Maybe you're in trouble, or on the edge of trouble. Maybe you know someone who is. Maybe you've got younger brothers or sisters -- you know they're looking up to you. Don't risk your life, or theirs. And if you're struggling with the kind of problem that can truly be the toughest, if you have parents who have problems with drugs or alcohol, find someone you can trust. Talk to them about it. You know -- all of you in a classroom know -- who's got a problem. Today I'm not just asking you to get help. I'm asking you to find someone who needs you, and offer to help. I'll say it again: If you're not in trouble, help someone who is.
