Unreality of "Just Say No"
What is the meaning of “Just Say Know”? The US government’s three-word phrase “Just Say No” was launched in the 1980s to urge resistance to drug use, especially among youth. A 1980’s War on Drugs poster portrayed a drug damaged brain as an egg frying in a skillet. The poster’s ominous message, “This is your brain on drugs,” was countered with a catchy call-to-action splashed across the sizzling egg – Just Say No.
Since the launch of the poster as a public service announcement by the Partnership for a Drug Free America in 1987, the War on Drugs has escalated from fried eggs to armed drones, tanks and SWAT team. Introduced in 1982 by Nancy Reagan, the mantra Just Say No, still inspires legions of anti-drug crusaders. The bad news is that, not only do brains continue to sizzle at more alarming rates, but that the dream of a “Drug Free America” is a mass delusion.
With a quarter century of hindsight and based on mountains of evidence from clinical studies in brain research spilling out of medical and behavioral research laboratories, Just Say No does not work. Just Say No is incapable of working. It should have been obvious even in the 80s that a fried brain can’t say No!
The reality of a brain damaged by chemical dependency is dramatically worse than a cracked egg in a pan. A heated pan can cool to room temperature in a few minutes. An addicted brain may be fried for life.
Since the launch of the poster as a public service announcement by the Partnership for a Drug Free America in 1987, the War on Drugs has escalated from fried eggs to armed drones, tanks and SWAT team. Introduced in 1982 by Nancy Reagan, the mantra Just Say No, still inspires legions of anti-drug crusaders. The bad news is that, not only do brains continue to sizzle at more alarming rates, but that the dream of a “Drug Free America” is a mass delusion.
With a quarter century of hindsight and based on mountains of evidence from clinical studies in brain research spilling out of medical and behavioral research laboratories, Just Say No does not work. Just Say No is incapable of working. It should have been obvious even in the 80s that a fried brain can’t say No!
The reality of a brain damaged by chemical dependency is dramatically worse than a cracked egg in a pan. A heated pan can cool to room temperature in a few minutes. An addicted brain may be fried for life.
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