The official web address for the Museum & Archives is franceswillardmuseum.org
National Woman's Christian Temperance Union
"Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,
perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
2 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV)
The Mission of the White Ribbon Women is to organize the motherhood of the world for the protection and exaltation of its homes.
2025 NATIONAL WCTU
1st PLACE ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS!
Division I - Essay
Is Marijuana a Safe Alternative to Tobacco?
Ansley Pearl Bardwell
6th Grade - Age 12
Illinois
Marijuana is not a safe alternative to tobacco. It is not a good idea to ever use marijuana. Smoking is always bad for your health. There are other things to do instead of using marijuana or smoking.
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Marijuana is never safe! Clear evidence exists that marijuana increases the risk of physical and mental health problems addiction, and learning disabilities. The brain heart, and lungs ae negatively affected by marijuana. It impairs learning, attention, memory, and decision-making. Choose to not use marijuana.
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Smoking is never safe! It is a leading cause of lung cancer as well as many other things like throat, bladder, mouth, esophagus, and kidney cancer. Damaged blood vessels, increased risk of heart attacks, and strokes are consequences of smoking. Choose not to smoke.
There are good alternatives to using marijuana and tobacco. You could go golfing with your friends. A trip to the library is a good idea. Bike riding with your sibling is always fun. Playing a board game with your family is a great thing to do. Having friends for a sleepover would be nice. It would be enjoyable to do a cookie decorating contest with your family and friends. So many activities are great ideas to do instead of marijuana or smoking.
Division II - Essay
What Are the Dangers of Fentanyl?
Richard Nielbarger
7th Grade - Age 12
Illinois
FENTANYL
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DEADLY ADDICTION
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Fentanyl is an opioid drug used to relieve pain. Fentanyl can be used legally and prescribed by doctors but most often it is sold off the streets by drug dealers. When in its legal form it can be used as a shot or a patch that you can apply to your skin. When you get it illegally and off the streets from drug dealers it is made in candies, nasal sprays, eye droppers, as powder, and even as pills made to look like prescription drugs.
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Fentanyl is 50 - 100 times stronger than prescription morphine making it very dangerous. Drug dealers make illegal fentanyl in labs. They mix it with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine methamphetamine, and MDMA. Drug dealers mix it with other drugs so it makes a quicker high and is cheaper. Due to this most people don't even know they are using fentanyl. Seventy-five percent of drug over doses are because of fentanyl and a great portion of those because people did not know that they were using it. These unnecessary deaths are why you should just say no to drugs.
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Since fentanyl is an opioid it is commonly used to treat pain and numb the brain. Like other opioid drugs fentanyl binds the opioid receptors in the brain. After continual use fentanyl eventually numbs you from feeling emotion. Along with these negative effects fentanyl also causes nausea, confusion, problems breathing, drowsiness, and even unconsciousness. One thing most people don't know is that fentanyl is much stronger than other opioids.
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Fentanyl is easy to get addicted to because of its strength and its ability to cause a quick high. Once people become addicted to fentanyl, they find it hard to stop. Most drug addictions are this way because people's brains become dependent on it. Once a person develops a dependency, they find it hard to concentrate and lead a normal life.
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Fentanyl over dose happens when the drug causes adverse effects on the brain. It can also happen when it causes breathing to slow or stop, this then affects the amount of oxygen that flows to the heart which then stops blood flow. Another serious problem with fentanyl is that it can cause a stroke that some people do not recover from and end up dying. Unfortunately, some people do not realize these life-threatening problems before they use fentanyl. Fentanyl is now being used more and more and law enforcement is working around the clock to stop its spread.
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National Institute of Drug Abuse Director Nora D. Volkow said "Fentanyl has continued to infiltrate the drug supply in communities across the United States and it is very dangerous to use drugs even just occasionally because illegal pills are made to look identical to real prescription pills., but can actually contain fentanyl." This is why it is our job to expose the hidden secrets of fentanyl and to say no to drugs. Thank you,
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Division III
Alcohol is NOT for Me!
Melinda Dhas
12th Grade - Age 18
Illinois
Marijuana is not a safe alternative to tobacco. It is not a good idea to ever use marijuana. Smoking is always bad for your health
NO ALCOHOL FOR ME
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Every day, we make millions of choices. Each choice affects our future, either positively or negatively. One option given to all people is whether or not they will consume alcohol. While at the time of consuming alcohol, there may seem to be benefits of fun and happiness, the longterm health and social risks associated with drinking are far greater than the temporary benefits.
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Studies have found that for people under the age of 21 in the United States, alcohol is the most used drug (About Underage Drinking, 2025). Underaged drinking poses many physical and mental health risks for those who engage in it. Some physical risks included not growing physically as expected, slower brain development, which could cause memory problems, and disruption of sexual growth. There is an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases due to unprotected sex after the consumption of alcohol. "Excessive alcohol use can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, stroke, alcohol use disorder--this affects both physical and mental health, digestive problems, and weaker immune system--increasing your chances of getting sick" (About Underage Drinking, 2025). Risks for cancer, including liver cancer and breast cancer in women, are present. Those who engage in underage drinking have a higher risk of binge drinking as adults.
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Underaged drinking affects the way that teens interact in their societies. Issues include getting arrested for driving under the influence, getting bad grades in school, missing school often, social withdrawal, and physical and mental violence. These issues impact not only the teen drinking but their community as well. Studies show that in 2024, around 1,300 people died from car accidents, 900 from homicides, 180 from alcohol overdose, falls, burns, and overdone, and 650 from suicides (Underage Drinking in the United States (Ages 12 to 20) | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), n.d.). All of these tragic events caused harm to all of the people involved, including physical, emotional, and mental damage.
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Underaged drinking is a significant problem in our society, and kids are starting to drink at younger and younger ages. "At age 12, only 1 in 10 children say they have tried alcohol, but by age 15, 1 in 2 have tried it" (Professional, 2024). Many children are often turning to drinking to solve problems of stress, for example, from grades or puberty changes, peer pressure, and difficult transitions such as the divorce of their parents or moving to a new school. Some children turn to alcohol after looking at the example set by the parents around them, and often, those who binge drink learn from the adults around them that they trust. "A 5% increase in adult binge drinking leads to a 12% increase in the chances that the children or teenagers around the will drink" (Professional, 2024).
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It is crucial that adults and parents especially discuss with their children and children in their community the risks of underaged drinking and alcohol consumption in general. Children need to know what their parents think about alcohol and that they do not want the to participate in underage drinking. As Christ's followers, we should encourage the children in our community and our families not to turn to alcohol for comfort and peace but to Jesus instead. In Philippians, Paul writes, "And the peace of God Which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). God gives us the true and unexplainable peace that our hearts long for. However, we cannot obtain this peace from anything in the world, including alcohol. All the hurt and damage done to people's lives through drinking and children's lives through underage drinking is not worth the alcohol. Today, choose to say no to alcohol and yes to God's unexplainable and extraordinary peace.
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