Drug History Of Palau

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PALAU SPEECH All life is dependent. Each specific dependency differs between each country. Whether it be oil, clean water, or any other substance, man is constantly striving down a life threatening path, in order to obtain this element and keep himself alive. The path that the citizens of Palau take is not only ruining their bodies, but their country as well. At the age of 13, a Palauian will come to a road of diverging paths, and take the one more traveled by. 98% of the country takes this same path, one that leads too much more destruction and economic stress than the traveler originally intended. This path is the path of a drug called methamphetamine, which is commonly known as ice. This icey path, easy to slip into but even harder to slip off of, not only can end in severe medical problems but also death. The spread of illegal drug use, along with the existing problem of marijuana, is growing because of Methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant drug, which much like cocaine, activates certain systems in the brain and causes the user to suffer from confusion, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, aggressiveness, psychotic behaviors and addiction. The drug user can apply the addicting methods of snorting, smoking, or injecting the substance into their bodies. Each of these methods is a dangerous way to intake methamphetamine, leading to the transmission of HIV and other diseases. The effects of this drug are both long-term and short-term, increasing the risk of liver damage, lower resistance to illness, severe brain damage, and a greater chance in acquiring strokes and blood borne diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and AIDS. Not only are these diseases rife in Palau, but they are also abundant in almost every country in Africa. As many countries battling avid drug use have a team of certified, well-trained police offers whose
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