[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  RECOGNIZING RED RIBBON WEEK AND ENCOURAGING AMERICA'S YOUTH TO STAY 
                               DRUG-FREE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2001

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, earlier this fall I was invited to share a 
Red-Ribbon Week Message with students in Missouri's Eighth 
Congressional District. Although my congressional responsibilities 
required me to remain in Washington, I wanted to share with our 
students why I believe its so important to learn from your parents, 
teachers, community leaders and your peers about the danger of drugs 
and why you should stay away from drugs--now and forever.
  I know that it seems like parents, educators, and grownups have been 
telling you forever that drugs lead you one way--the wrong way. You 
might even think that you've heard it all before and that we are 
nagging you because we keep bringing it up. I mean you get it from 
everywhere right? Your parents tell you at the dinner table about the 
dangers of drugs. Your teachers tell you at school that drugs lead you 
to a life of loss and destruction. And others, like your local law 
enforcement officers tell you that drugs lead to death and destruction.
  Well, you know that? They are all right. And believe it or not, they 
aren't hollering at you just because they have to, they are hollering 
at you because they love and care about you and they want you to have 
productive, happy and healthy lives.
  Now, even though I think parents, teachers, and other grown ups are 
doing a good job of warning you about the dangers of drug use, I 
believe kids can help keep other kids from using drugs. In fact, I 
think that each of you can lead the way in the fight against drugs by 
teaming up and sending the rest of America a message. The message is 
this--not everyone is trying drugs and using drugs is not normal. And 
to prove that point, you aren't going to use drugs--and neither are 
your friends.
  It works like this. Imagine that you are at a party or just hanging 
out with a group of kids after school. Someone, maybe even another 
student, starts smoking marijuana. They ask you to join in. They tell 
you it's great, that it won't hurt you and that you are a loser if you 
say no. What would you do?
  You know deep down that the best thing to do is say no and walk away. 
But as a mom, and believe it or not, someone who was once a kid, I know 
that it's really tough to be the only one that says no. You feel alone 
and you feel like everyone else won't think you're very cool.
  But you know what? If you, as friends make a pact to be a team--to 
say no and leave--then you have made a real statement. Not only are 
drugs not okay for you, but they aren't okay for your friends either. 
These tips and suggestions were developed by students like you. They 
call it, ``keepin it REAL.'' And for them, REAL stands for:
  R: Refuse--a simple ``no'' goes a long way--but it goes even further 
when you all say ``no'' together.
  E: Explain--You can say, ``I am not that kind of person, or that is 
not for us.'' And if you are forceful, your ``no'' will go a very long 
way.
  A: Avoid--You know just as well as the police and others, that there 
are places where the likelihood that drugs are around is more prevalent 
in some places than others. If you know where those places are, then 
you'll know to avoid them. In other words, stay away.
  L: Leave--Like the story I mentioned earlier, you can leave--and you 
should leave.
  You can keep it real, and you can get some of the support you need in 
that effort from your parents, your teachers, your teammates and others 
in the community. One of the organizations in your area that is helping 
out is PAWSPT/Narc with a Bark. PAWSPT or Prevention Awareness With 
Students, Parents and Teachers is a unique program using trained 
canines to sniff out drugs in your school. They also come into your 
schools to teach you about the danger of drug use. The program is run 
by Rosa and Doug Wallis and is a great effort on their part to open up 
the lines of communications about drugs and drug use prevention. I 
encourage every one of you to learn more about what they've been doing 
to help keep drugs out of your schools.
  Mr. Speaker, before I go, I want to leave the children of Missouri's 
Eighth District and the children of our Nation with one more thought. 
You students are the most valuable and important resource that we 
have--you are the future leaders of our country. But this year, more 
than 2.4 million students just like you will try drugs. But if you all 
team up and stand together to refuse, explain, avoid, and leave drug-
related situations, then you have a REAL chance to have a wonderful 
life full of promise, hope and success. I believe you can do it and so 
do your teachers, parents, and your community leaders. We're depending 
on you and if you need help, then I hope you know, you can depend on 
us.

                          ____________________