Harmonie Jackson: My is Harmonie Jackson I'm an 8^th grader at Wheeling Middle school and I'm here with Laila Clark.

Laila Clark: I am Laila Clark also an 8^th grader at Wheeling Middle School.

Harmonie Jackson: What was your pitch like for the project?

Laila Clark: I did the drug use thing because I recently experienced drug use at a party.

I wanted know how they would get punished if they were caught using drugs because I have an older brother that has friends that are into drugs and things like that and I just didn't want him to get involved.

My brother plays a lot of sports and they tend to drug test him a lot. If he did get caught with a drug test there would be changes that he'd never be aloud to play that sport again

and I don't want to take any chances.

Harmonie Jackson: I also have an older brother and my brother goes to a Catholic school so

when they do drug test him for a sport. He could get kicked out of school not only the sport.

So you mentioned you had some experience with drug use. Could you give some more detail about it?

Laila Clark: I went to a party with one of my older friends and when I got there I noticed a distinct smell that was pointed out to me by a parent a long time ago and I wanted to leave and she insisted that we stayed longer and chose to.

Afterwards I was told that was drugs at the party and it was obvious from when I went there and I started thinking about my choices and things like that.

Harmonie Jackson: Looking back at the party would you make the same decision?

Laila Clark: Yes. But once again I stayed at the party because of peer pressure or else I would have left if it was not for my friend and I think that peer pressure talks a lot of people into doing things and if you see a lot of people around you doing, you start to justify it.

Harmonie Jackson: We invited Ron Scott Jr in to talk about drug use in middle school and high school

He is a former counselor at youth serviouses here in Wheeling.

Is there any thing that sticks out to you that he may have said or talked about?

Laila Clark: A lot of things he said stuck to me but peer pressure was a big one because I experienced peer pressure at the party and I think that is a lot of the reasons why teen drug uses starts.

Ron Scott: I have seen that scenario happen a lot before I like to call it the mirror syndrome.

Like lets say me and you grew up together. We were always hanging out doing cool stuff.

You started becoming a star. Wether it's sports, singing, dancing what ever it is. You started getting noticed. But I know you and me kind of came up together. But I started making different decisions then you. So now every time I start looking at you.

I see all those great decisions that you made and I didn't So there is part of me when I look at you now. I'm like, You know what, Why don't you smoke a little bit hang out with me a little bit. Come down to my level a little bit. Because you're moving farther away from me and I need you to be closer to me so I don't fell like such a bad guy.

Harmonie Jackson: Just lie me you have older siblings and younger siblings. Are you concerned about

their actions in the future? Like i'm concerned about one of my little sisters. Are you?

Laila Clark: Yes because my oldest younger sister is going into middle school next year and thats when I first experienced drug use and teenage things and I just don't want to get caught up in. So yeah I'm worried.

Harmonie Jackson: Do you plan on talking to her about it or anything like that?

Laila Clark: My younger sister is like my best friend and we already had the discussion about it and she tells me she is not going to use, But at times she is a follower so I do still worry.