Teens candid about drug problems in Hannibal

While parents seemed surprised by the talk of drug activity by the teens in the neighborhood, the young people themselves were not.
Basically, they said, they know what’s going on, and try to resolve their own issues.
“I know a lot of kids are doing drugs,” Victoria Simms said.
Rosha Williams, 15, said, “Kids live for the moment. They worry about what’s happening now.”
Young people at the memorial service spoke of teens who use heroine, who are supplied crack by their fathers, who take their sister’s birth control pills and who smoke weed.
And sex is another pressure they encounter. “One of our 13-year-old friends just had a baby boy by a 17-year-old boy.”
While the teens who discussed the societal problems Wednesday night said they try to help their friends who are abusing drugs, they did not talk about asking adults for help. The common sentiment was, “We tried to help ...”
So what can adults do to help youth understand the dangers of drug use?
“If I told you to write something,” Taylor Stovall said, “that doesn’t mean they’ll listen.” She said even at the community DARE dances that are held monthly, kids are talking about drugs.
“The cops are there and they (the kids) go behind the cop car and do drugs,” Victoria said.
In the meantime, the young people will remember their friend lost too young. “She had a good smile. She was always there for me,” Kylie Taylor said.
“The kids are grieving for a friend they didn’t want to lose,” Denise Holman said.