D.A.R.E. Graduation and the Harrison Act...Meet Paige!

Last night Paige graduated from D.A.R.E., a rite of passage that many of us have had the pleasure of participating in, however; her graduation almost didn't happen.  Every D.A.R.E. student is asked to write an essay about what they learned throughout their time in D.A.R.E. Paige, viewed the assignment a different way and decided to question what she didn't learn.  

Paige is, by nature, the type of child who questions EVERYTHING.  I love that about her.  She is not complacent in what she is told, she needs to know 'why.'  While watching a show regarding drugs in America on the History Channel she became acutely aware that she really didn't know the whole truth about the drug culture that she will face in the upcoming years.  When it came time to write her essay she did her research.  I should have known that the gears in her head were grinding when she asked me about the Harrison Act...and so it started.

I guess it didn't strike me as odd when she asked me to tell her my thoughts on the Harrison Act as Paige went through a phase this past spring where she was obsessed with strange laws and could repeat them whenever it fancied her mood.  I am not big on imparting my viewpoints on my children, I am the type of parent who really wants them to find their own way in life and stand firmly in what they believe...so I told her to look it up, but not to use Wikipedia.

A couple of weeks later I received a call from Paige's teacher regarding her essay.  I will save you from the boring details and get to the heart of the matter as this is a long story...to put it in a nutshell Paige prefaced her essay by saying that she 'would never do drugs because she wants to do big things in life' but continued with questions regarding what she was taught in D.A.R.E., specifically, why she wasn't taught about prescription drug abuse and methamphetamine.  She continued her thoughts by explaining that marijuana is illegal because, and I quote:

"of a poorly written law that was enacted to prevent black men from raping white women (which BTW is so totally racist) and to prevent the hemp industry from taking over the timber industry."

I probably should have been horrified, but to tell you the truth, I have never been so proud of her in my life.  I know that Paige will do AMAZING things in life and that I have been entrusted to guide her into adulthood.  So, whatever it is that she decides to do...right now she aspires to be a "paleontologist, geologist, physicist, rockstar, lawyer", I know that she is going to be fine and that is all a parent can hope for. 

CONGRATULATIONS PAIGE!!