As students go through a week filled with lies and dishonesty, Red Ribbon Week has come to an end. Students celebrated the last week with spirit events and their annual pledge to stay drug and alcohol free. Although, the tradition of the event has been with students since elementary school, Lugo’s older population finds Red Ribbon Week to be nothing more than a sad joke.

One Don Lugo 11th grader states, “I’ve been using drugs for a long time so a silly event won’t change my mind.”  A recent Twitter poll revealed that 30 percent of Lugo students chose drugs over being drug free. The famous slogan,”Say No to Drugs!” is seen to be totally useless since everyone just throws it aside and does what they want.

A study shows that thirty percent of 10th graders and forty percent of 12 graders use drugs.”Most of my friends only participate in Red Ribbon week because they want to give off a persona of being drug-free,” a Lugo senior expresses. To me, and apparently every teen ever, Red Ribbon Week is a thing of the past. As awful as that sounds, it’s true! Nowadays kids of all ages will do drugs just to be cool and then they get hooked. It’s a never ending cycle.

Sure, there is the argument that Red Ribbon Week actually helps kids and teens to stay away from drugs. Red Ribbon Week appeals to elementary and middle school kids. Kids who are still innocent and who think writing a one page essay is difficult.

I don’t use drugs because I’m not dumb, but if someone truly thinks that drugs will help them, I don’t think a silly Red Ribbon slogan will stop them. Red Ribbon Week barely has students participating in it, anyways. Teens don’t find it necessary to dress up on spirit days for awareness, so what makes schools think the students will for something most of them don’t even believe in?