Gateway drugs

Last week when I was cleaning the toy room I found a stash of cough drop wrappers unwisely hidden under the couch cushion.  It seems we have a drug problem on our hands so I did what any rational parent would do... 

I called the girls to the living room.  While they stood in front of me not knowing why they were currently in trouble, I slammed the pile of wrappers down on the table like they do on those detective shows.  I was feeling really tough. A1's eyes became huge, filling with guilt.  A2 quickly glanced at A1 but remained straight faced.  I started the conversation. "What are these?"
A1 was quick with "Wrappers."
I was impressed with her quick answer but I didn't want to let her know so I pressed on. "What was in the wrappers."
A1 quietly said, "Cough drops."
Now we were getting somewhere, "Who has a cough?" I waited as they just stared. "No one has a cough.  Did you know these are medicine?" Both girls shook their heads without talking.  "Did you know that when you use medicine when you don't need it you make it become a drug?" Now I really had A1's attention. Because she just finished 1st grade, she had been through 2 years of Red Ribbon Week.  I was using scarey terms that she understood, kind of.  I continued, "So now you are putting drugs in to your body.  What happens when you put drugs in your body?"
A1 began to hyperventilate.  Her color changed: normal, to white, to green back to white and then splotchy red.  Then the sobbing started. In between sobs she managed to answer, "You... will... die.. or... go... to jail.  Do you think I will die?"
A small part of me was wanting to laugh but I pulled it together.  "You are lucky that you only took cough drops and you probably won't die from those but you need to stop before you become addicted and you can't stop."
A1 nodded.  Still struggling with her breathing, she questioned me further, "Do you think the police will come and get me? I forgot that the camera is in the toy room and the people in the alarm saw me take all those cough drops and they probably called the police."
Again I had to fight the laughter, "The police have an important job to keep people safe.  If you are doing something that will get you hurt they might have to come arrest you.  Good thing you will get 1 warning for breaking their rules.  This is your 1 chance. You better not break anymore rules."
A1 had a slight look of relief cross her face.  She gave me a giant hug and promised she wouldn't break anymore rules.
A2 proved that my tactic had no affect on her.  As they walked away she asked A1 if she would get her another one because they "just taste so good, like candy." A1 started crying and told her, "No way I am not doing that stuff again.  I can't be on drugs."

Cough drops the gateway drug.