Look closely at your best friends. Do you know whether or not they are doing drugs?

Thanks to programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, we are conditioned to associate drug addicts and users as having apparent physical features.

For instance, someone who smokes marijuana is supposed to look like a hippie — long hair, ripped jeans and laid-back demeanor. Someone who does the club-drug Ecstasy is supposed to carry glow sticks around and listen to techno music.

The problem with these associations, however, is that they are not always right. As most of us should be aware by now, drugs aren't always sold or used in dark back alleys, and still present real problems in places that aren't usually associated with heavy drug use — like suburbs.

Lauren Jolly, a 17-year-old from Birmingham, was found dead at about 11:15 p.m. on May 24 in a car parked near 8 Mile on Detroit's east side. Jolly's death was caused due to a drug overdose, police said.

In response to her death, Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition sent letters to about 4,500 families of students within the district. Its message read, "We have failed."

While drug usage is not uncommon among Americans, it is generally not associated with certain populations of society.

Unfortunately, in Detroit and other urban areas, deaths associated with drug use just happen. There is no surprise, and it seems to be just another part of life.

In suburban areas like Birmingham, on the other hand, affluence is more common than stories of drug use.

The home of The Townsend Hotel and the Uptown Palladium 12 entertainment facility, Birmingham brings thoughts of luxury cars and fine dining. The truth about the town, however, is that a young girl died of a drug overdose.

Drug habits and addictions transcend society. They do not discriminate. Where there are drugs, there will be people to use them. The problem within our society has been our lack of acknowledging this.

Although there is no clear-cut way of addressing the issue of drug use among teenagers, at least the Birmingham community is addressing what happened the best way it sees fit. The letter may not bring Jolly back, but it is acknowledging the tragedy, which should hopefully promote discussion within the town.

If we keep associating drugs with the homeless-looking man on the side of the road, we will forget to think about those who appear to be okay on the outside.

Not everyone does drugs or is addicted to them. There is a high chance, however, that people want to talk about it. Knowledge is key for people to understand the dangers that come along with drugs. Just because the person shelling out the drugs may look like you, doesn't mean it's safe.

It's easy to get around the topic of drugs with your friends and those close to you. We must remember, though, that drugs do not discriminate, and so neither should we in asking about it.