A drug is a substance that affects the way the body functions. If a drug is classified as “illegal”, this means that it is forbidden by law. Illegal drugs have different effects on people and these effects are influenced by many factors. This makes them unpredictable and dangerous, especially for young people. -DOH
I’ve seen many lives changed because of this. I’ve known many people who turn into someone I didn’t recognize or know anymore because of this. Good people who turn into someone who is capable of doing bad things and other crimes without a second thought.
Recently, there have been so many happenings here in our barangay, particularly in our neighborhood. Police and barangay officials were coming and searching everywhere for specific people. I used to remember this neighborhood as a happy and peaceful one, but it’s not the same anymore now.
When I was little, there are only limited houses here in our place and most of the people living here were relatives and close family friends. Children my age can run and play all day in a wide-open field and our parents won’t mind if we go too far from the house since they knew all of our neighbors and they are confident that nothing will happen to us.
As the year goes by, the little children from before already grow up. There are also new buildings, new houses, new people, and there’s only limited space for the children now to play. It’s really far from the neighborhood that I grew up with. I am not even familiar with some of our neighbors and sometimes there’s even a fight with some of our neighbors.
And one of our neighbors just transferred here last year. Their house is just next to us, and what I don’t like is that since they transferred here many troubles appeared. Strange people and men keep coming to their house, stay there for a couple of hours, then leave with their eyes red. I really don’t like it to be honest. Some of them even cat-call me and it makes me scared. That's why I usually stay in my room all day and I never want to go out of the house or wander around the neighborhood.
Since then there are also crimes arises. Someone was raped and the suspect is one of the people who keep on coming to our neighbor’s house. Later, I found out that our neighbor’s patriarch sells and uses illegal drugs. Now I wonder why they transferred here, maybe it is to ruin more people's lives.
One of my uncles, not a biological uncle, but just someone whom I know since I was a kid. He’s a good man and their family is a close family friend of ours. He’s a seaman and every time he comes home he never forgets to give us some treats and chocolates. He is someone whom you never imagine to do bad things, but last Wednesday, cops and some of the barangay officials came and caught him.
We are very shocked and his mother and wife are crying because they couldn't believe that he will be engaged with illegal drugs. I recalled him telling me to never engage with those things because it is the instrument of evil. That once you start it, you can’t find your way out. It can’t bring you any good so never tried using one.
So now I realized why I often saw him coming in and out of our neighbor’s house. It is because he himself engages with illegal drugs that he describes as an instrument of evil. What makes me more mad is that our neighbor wasn’t captured and acted like nothing happened. He must be captured too and sentenced a life-long imprisonment for ruining someone else’s life.
I know that he never forces those people to use illegal drugs but if he’s making it as an earning way to feed his family then what makes his family then? How about those people who ruined their own lives because of illegal drugs?
Actually, it is not the user’s fault. It is the seller’s fault for taking advantage of someone's weakness and needs. People won’t buy drugs if no one sells them. People won’t be interested in drugs if no one makes it. If we want to stop illegal drugs, we must stop those people who make and sell them.
