Kari Willis and Carter Diers of the Wright County Court Services spoke to the class about the dangers of using drugs and driving under the influence, especially at a young age.
“The cost for getting a DUI [in Wright County] can be between $12,000 and $15,000,” said Willis. “And even without an attorney it’ll still cost more than $5,000.”
The effects of alcohol don’t just cause people’s checkbooks to become smaller, they also result in personality changes.
“Oftentimes we’ll have people come in in their 20s or 30s and behave as if they’re 15 [years old],” said Diers. “This is result of a person drinking since they were 15 and not allowing the brain to develop naturally over time.”
Compared to past guest speakers, the class appeared more participatory than past speakers; asking questions ranging from ‘which drug is the most addictive?’ to ‘should we decriminalize marijuana?’.
The latter question on paper had “huge argument” written all over it, but the class for the most part remained respectful to the speakers and classmates as they listened to what they had to say.
“A juvenile caught with possession of marijuana receives a less harsh punishment than one with possession of alcohol,” said Willis.
