Tylenol, Excedrin, and Midol. Oh my! | Teen Ink

Tylenol, Excedrin, and Midol. Oh my!

November 24, 2009
By NoellePerry SILVER, Sussex, Wisconsin
NoellePerry SILVER, Sussex, Wisconsin
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Tylenol, Excedrin, and Midol aren’t usually comparable to heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. In the article Teen-age Midol Junkies by Wendy Kaminer, it tells the story of two eighth grade students were suspended for having Midol pills for their menstrual cramps. The punishments they received were ten and eighty day suspensions from school. The two girls went into the nurse’s office and took it without permission, and the school board considered it “drug possession”. A similar case occurred in New York, where a first grade boy kissed his classmate on the cheek and got suspended for sexual harassment. The article then went into further detail, posing the question, are law enforcers going overboard?

Peer pressure is a norm amongst young adults. It is believed by some to be the cause of many drug abuse problems. It is understandable that schools would want to try to prevent this, but if this is true, shouldn’t they be focusing on more harmful drugs? There are far worse substances out there: cocaine, heroin, meth, and the list goes on. Midol is an over the counter drug used to relieve pain. It isn’t commonly abused. The punishments for the “possession” were far too severe.


The amount of time and money that goes into apprehending drug pushers and users is ridiculous. With the economy in its current state, it only seems logic that our tax money be used to obtain more “damaging” criminals, such as murderers and rapists. In the article, it stated that over 60% of criminals in prison were arrested for only possession of drugs, marijuana being the most common. Would it be wise to have a twenty year old in jail for weed possession, or a sexual predator take his place? Taxes are high enough, and the citizens of this country should be paying for proper protection and wise budgeting decisions.

It is a proven fact that drugs can be harmful to the body. There are drugs that are much less harmful. Marijuana is the most commonly used drug in the world; it has been researched by scientists around the world, medical doctors, and the FDA. Many research projects show that the drug is not as harmful as it may appear. Doctor Leslie Iversen quoted, “Tetrahydrocannabinol is a very safe drug. Laboratory animals (rats, mice, dogs, monkeys) can tolerate doses of up to 1,000 mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram). This would be equivalent to a 70 kg person swallowing 70 grams of the drug -- about 5,000 times more than is required to produce a high. Despite the widespread illicit use of cannabis there are very few if any instances of people dying from an overdose. In Britain, official government statistics listed five deaths from cannabis in the period 1993-1995 but on closer examination these proved to have been deaths due to inhalation of vomit that could not be directly attributed to cannabis (House of Lords Report, 1998). By comparison with other commonly used recreational drugs these statistics are impressive”. Although it isn’t proven to be necessarily GOOD for you, there are much worse drugs that are legal. Anti-depressants and alcohol are all heavily abused, and have equal if not worse effects than marijuana and other illegal drugs. Drug laws have become so strict, pain medication that is sold over the counter isn’t even allowed. If a young woman can’t carry around common medication without severe punishment, then I think this country is going crazy.


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This article has 10 comments.


on Apr. 27 2016 at 7:47 am
xXc00paa117Xx BRONZE, Mansfield East, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
I certainly leaned a lot from this article, and I support you 100%. It is crazy how paranoid people are of drugs and don't even take the time to learn much about them to know what they're saying or jump to conclusions.

on Oct. 22 2012 at 1:50 pm
IGiveMyOpinion, Greencounty, Kentucky
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
YOLO

This article didnot really catch my attention, so i didnt finish reading it.

on Jan. 10 2012 at 7:29 pm
maizyiscrazy GOLD, Washington, District Of Columbia
10 articles 53 photos 261 comments

Favorite Quote:
I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe in miracles. ~Audrey Hepburn

That's actually a really intresting comment.

katie123fast said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 8:17 am
i SO Agree

on Jun. 26 2011 at 8:22 pm
WishfulDoer GOLD, Portland, Oregon
14 articles 0 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
If ignorance is bliss, why is our country so complicated?

Medical marijuana doesn't have any health benefits; it's used to dull the pain. Marijuana dulls the senses, which could cause accidents of any kind. 

on Jun. 26 2011 at 8:19 pm
WishfulDoer GOLD, Portland, Oregon
14 articles 0 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
If ignorance is bliss, why is our country so complicated?

I agree with you on most accounts. The only thing, and I guess this isn't really disagreeing but carrying on, is what you said about someone going to jail for possession. I completely agree that rapists and murderers should take their place; I have no second thoughts on that whatsoever. But what if the murderers and rapists were to be put in solitary confinement, and county jails and lesser establishments were to be used for the dealers and bank-robbers? I dunno. Just a thought.

on Apr. 21 2011 at 11:14 am
ashley1012 BRONZE, Glasgow, Kentucky
1 article 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
Come askin for it and you will get

i agree with this article complety how in the world could you get in trouble

noelley909 said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 11:08 pm
It's funny when I read comments from people like you. I appreciate the first part, but really? Please, go ahead and judge something you've never tried. Read up on things that actual doctors say about marijuana and then get back to me; the drug is not addictive, and it's less detrimental to your health than alcohol and cigarettes. And might I remind you that those are completely legal! A Large portion of my family are alcoholics. I am much more successful than them, and I reccommend that you research your facts before you judge it. There's a difference between marijuana and hard-core drugs like coke. Medical marijuana is proven to help those with personal issues rather than pills that make you feel like a zombie.Keep your comments to yourself if you don't know what you're talking about.

Sadie17 said...
on Dec. 10 2010 at 9:32 am
I agree with you completly! Any one who gets punished for over the counter drugs, or kissing a girl on the cheek should not be punished as bad as those three. The country should focus more on murderers, and rapists. We have to many of them who get away. And our country is going crazy

Jaquie BRONZE said...
on Nov. 30 2009 at 10:54 pm
Jaquie BRONZE, West Palm Beach, Florida
3 articles 0 photos 407 comments

Favorite Quote:
This is certainly one of my favorites: "I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." -2 Samuel 6:22

Well I do agree with the first part of your article that from the information given I would say those two girls were punished unfairly. But that's where you lost me. I understand your aggravation that all the sick-minded people in the world are not punished for they're actions while other more 'minor' criminals are punished. I just wish that you would consider the fact that these people who spend time behind bars for possession and drug use are the people that if left unhindered by law enforcement they would become the sex -offenders and rapists . They are trying to remove the weed before it sprouts. You say that marijuana isn't all that bad? Try telling that to my little sister who was abused for years before officials came in and changed the situation. Can you guess what drugs her mother and father were using? Think a little about what you are really saying before you post something like this next time...
God bless,
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