2. Drug Awareness Pencils

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This may be one of the stupidest ideas ever to come down the pike. In their presumed efforts to keep kids off of drugs, pencils were handed out to elementary school students in New York that had the words “Too Cool To Do Drugs” printed on them. Their efforts to make kids believe staying off of drugs is “cool” backfired a bit when the kids eventually did what has to be done with every pencil sooner or later. They sharpened them. As the pencils decreased in length due to sharpening, the anti-drug message printed on the pencils took on a different meaning. Eventually the printing on the pencils evolved, or perhaps devolved, with use. First the message became “Cool To Do Drugs,” followed by, “Do drugs” and then simply “Drugs.” Red-faced officials were prompted to recall the pencils.