The pale-cream larva of the ichneumon fly on the back of a spider looks harmless. Though its sharp, hooked little teeth have pierced the skin, the spider continues to spin its web, devour its prey, and lay its eggs. But it is no longer healthy and free. Its doom is sealed, for the tiny larva steadily gains strength and size from the vital juices it sucks from the spider. Not until the larva is almost full grown does the spider show visible signs of weakness. She begins to make sudden, aimless rushes around her web, becomes listless, neglects to repair her web or does the job badly. Indifferent to the juicy insects caught in her web, she doesn't bother to eat them. The end is near. Finally, the larva, now fully grown, murders its host and eats the corpse.

What a horrible way to die, yet many youth choose equal horrors. The spider can't help itself. These young people can. For the thrill of a "trip" away from the real works, a "kick" or a "high," many become dependent on drugs. Friends urge them to experience pep pills, marijuana, or "crack cocaine." They do it from curiosity or perhaps to escape unpleasant reality, thinking no harm will result. Already the sharp, hooked teeth have become imbedded. If they have a tendency to run away from life's problems they find delight in this easy way. Soon, like the spider, they are unable to make decisions, unable to concentrate or get up in the morning, without ambition, become lazy, and lose their appetitive. They drop out of school; their personal habits and appearance begin to change. They become emotionally unstable, lose their jobs, and develop a "so what" attitude to authority. All this from marijuana, the drug that was supposed to bring delight, but instead brought progressive deterioration mentally, physically, and morally.

Young friends, you are slaves to whom you obey. If that slave is sin, be it drug abuse or something else, the result is death sooner or later. That momentary delight is a vicious delusion.