The calendar may say November 30th, but make no mistake: today will forever be known as National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. How do I know? The President Bush put out a press release and cast a spell or something:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 30, 2006, as National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
AND ABRACADABRA, Schlemiel, Schlemazl, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! Everyone pay attention to meth today! (Don't worry, you don't have to be aware of anything tomorrow.)
But what kind of "appropriate programs and activities" should we do to observe this day? The President's press release mentions this website but, frankly, it's pretty boring– especially if you've seen this website, which presents the meth epidemic as a colorful teen magazine, with headlines like "Growing Old With Meth: Is the romance gone?" (Which is an effective strategy because, you know, teens read teen magazines, and they like being talked down to.)
But I can't think of a better way to observe Meth Day than with a sobering look at not only what the drug can do to you, but how its damaging effects can linger even years after you've stopped using it. Below, you'll find video of one cautionary tale:
Simply put: Meth will make you think a rip-off of "Supersonic" with lyrics like "I'll be up in the gym just workin on my fitness/He's my witness" is a good idea. You've been warned.