It is human nature to look the other way. The other day, Karen and I encountered a homeless, bearded, drooling man at a local coffee shop. When he asked for a glass of water, the folks behind the counter couldn’t have been nicer. But when he sat down, a young woman next to his chosen chair bolted upright, proclaiming he had no right to be in her proximity. She didn’t hesitate to turn away. This behavior isn’t an uncommon phenomenon; it is all too often a part of human nature to reject the unknown or undesirable.
 

A week earlier, I found myself at a bar waiting for Karen. Next to me sat a young man I’ll call Daniel, with tattoos running up his arms in shades of red, green, and blue. I struck up a conversation, which turned out to be very revealing, with this contradictory gentle person whose life’s experiences had tossed him a bad bone. He used to fight in the ring and was on his way to getting his brown belt. He proclaimed that there was nothing more exciting than embracing an ability to thrash out a final knockout. But his desire to become a champion was stopped in haste a couple weeks earlier when he discovered he had contracted Hepatitis C. In boxing circles, the very infectious nature of Hep C would not allow Daniel any more opportunities to transfer blood. So he sat there, looking into the mirror across from the bar and swallowing shots of tequila -- even though he shouldn’t have been exposing his liver to any alcohol. After a moment, he shared how he had become exposed to Hep C.
 

The dollar-driven economy has converted the agrarian society of northern New Mexico into a society confronted by contraband and its grip of addiction

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In Daniel’s opinion, heroin is rampant in Española. He had gotten his dose of Hep C while injecting himself with a contaminated needle offered by a very young “friend” who had spent too much time in juvenile prison. Daniel had become infected at a local community college, where he had been attending a continuing education class.
 

***

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, New Mexico's largely open and unobstructed border with Mexico is a passageway for illegal drugs. The broad, unpopulated expanses have far too many unprotected holes to count. Another stress, according to the DEA, is Arizona’s recent enactment of an immigration law allowing for more frequent searches of questionable people. The DEA believes that, as a result, the cartels will shift their efforts to smuggle contraband to New Mexico. The DEA also claims that our courts and jails are already under stress.
 

But the larger truth already exists: the contraband is already here, and has been for quite some time. The dollar-driven commodity of drugs has converted the agrarian society of northern New Mexico into a society dependant on this contraband and its grip of addiction. The stress on our communities is real, and it needs to be understood for what it is.
 

The obvious question is how we can protect our children and neighbors from this exposure.

I strongly believe we need to bring this issue home and apply our humanity to the equation. For years, we have allowed our governments to control the conversations. With weakening state budgets, the availability of care is becoming more strained. Additionally, the need for care is increasing as the economy continues down its present path. The federal government has, in fact, pushed more money into their budgets for illegal drug control. However, there is twice as much money allocated for incarceration than for treatment. By the time a person is incarcerated, the problem is already established, and individual care is much more difficult to address. Also, the incarcerated are likely to become embedded in the nightmare of this darker system.
 

Parents need to become proactive with regard to the issue of drugs. Schools, civic organizations, and citizens need to bring more drug-awareness programs to all of our people. A few words expressed before a sports game — where parents rally in crazed support for their offspring — can open doors for more information sharing. Brochures spreading positive solutions for young-adult development issues can give parents, who have nothing else, something to grasp onto as they confront changes brought on by their children’s transition into adulthood. Enlightened neighbors can take action when confronted with questionable situations involving drugs.
 

By "enlightened," I mean constructively educated. Modern drugs such as ecstasy and its derivatives can have negative effects on the people exposed to users. Users can emotionally unfold for no apparent reason, and these emotional outbursts can be very upsetting to non-users. Lower or weaker doses can cause effects that are very difficult to detect. Non-users may suddenly find themselves confronted by exaggerated emotions without a clue as to their source.
 

It is important to believe that we, as willing citizens, can recognize and begin to alleviate drug issues if we talk about addictions in a proactive manner. Sharing with our neighbors is the best thing we can do. When drug use is denied and buried by our own resistant behaviors, we will never understand it. We will then maintain our fearful approach to the unknown. Fear feeds on itself, and can very easily have ugly ramifications. Through compassion, a willingness to understand, and a bit of knowledge, we can begin to heal this problem from within.

Don’t be afraid, and don’t run and hide from an individual in need. Recognize your own fear of issues that have been portrayed as evil, and make the decision to not be afraid anymore. Accept the truth that our whole society is susceptible to addiction, especially our youth. Try and keep an open mind, and trust your own judgment. You may not be able to answer all the questions, but with a strong heart you can lend an open hand and not a closed fist. Replace your fear with a desire to understand. And finally, bring patience into the drug situation, for no matter how hard we try to fix them, addictions will not end tomorrow or next year.
 

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• A word from the wise: be careful when researching drug addictions. There are many organizations promoting their own agendas and non-constructive remedies. During the 13 years of Prohibition, organized crime syndicates nationalized and didn't want alcohol legalized. From what I’ve seen, there are powerful interests who are very much involved with using fear as a motivational tool. Question anyone using fear to promote an agenda.
 

• Johnny Walker established its brand-name whiskey as a medicinal during the Prohibition years. There was a handy loophole in the 18th Amendment that allowed many alcoholic products to be used for medical purpose. Sound vaguely familiar? I hope so, for there are true remedies out there that we don’t fully understand, and we may all too often denounce them before the final verdict is in.