If I were an advisor to the governor of Missouri, the issue I would encourage him to address is drug manufacturing and the use of drugs and alcohol throughout our state. The advice I would give him is to impose tougher penalties on those who manufacture drugs and to focus on prevention and, above all, rehabilitation of those who abuse alcohol or drugs. According to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, alcohol and drug abuse affects more than 259,000 Missourians and another 800,000 family members of substance abusers. That’s about 20% of affected Missourians. Drug and alcohol intoxication contribute to a large percentage of deaths statewide from burns, fires, homicides, assaults, drownings, suicides and motor vehicle accidents. I believe that very severe penalties should be imposed on those who manufacture illegal drugs. These people have no respect for human life. These manufacturers sell without shame or remorse the drugs that pollute and corrupt our society and should be severely punished. I believe another way to limit drug manufacturing is to make it easier to obtain a college education, thereby making honest, lucrative careers more accessible. The state of Missouri should reduce tuition at its colleges and universities and increase the amount of state money in financial aid, grants and scholarships. Although this measure will contribute to a loss of state money, I believe it will also save money by preventing would-be drug makers from entering prison cells and prison rooms. class. I believe it is also important to prevent people, especially children and adolescents, from using drugs and alcohol. Many children and teens throughout Missouri experiment with drugs every day. The programs already in place for children, such as the "Mo Says No" and "Take Hugs, Not Drugs" campaigns are great, but I think these programs should continue at the middle and high school levels, because the majority of drug use starts here, not in elementary school. For lower secondary students, schools should hold voluntary drug tests (with parental consent) every month and those who test negative could benefit from a pizza party, dance or an activity of this kind. This will reward junior high students who do not use drugs and encourage other students who may have tried drugs to do the same. The fourth stage of addiction is called the resignation stage. Characteristics of the resignation stage are moral, ethical and physical deterioration, suicide attempts and prolonged curvatures. It is at this stage that addiction can first be detected medically. The fifth and final stage of addiction is the helplessness stage. Characteristics of this stage are inappropriate and/or altered thinking, indefinable fears, paranoia, and obsessive drinking. The ideal is to get help, for yourself or a loved one, before this stage, but rehabilitation remains effective. Governor, I hope the things previously mentioned can be put to good use for the state of Missouri. The sooner we get potential drug makers into the classroom and the sooner we put addicts and/or alcoholics on the path to rehabilitation, the better off we will be. To the citizens of the State of Missouri, if you see any of the above warning signs in your loved ones, please seek help as soon as possible...