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Regional

Ed Ru on his waiata with a message - Ban The Burn

Reggae artist Ed Ru, also known as Sweet and Irie, is creating waves on social media with his song Ban The Burn. With more than 30,000 views on Facebook, the waiata warns watchers about methamphetamine and its effects on those who consume it. 

A line from the song: "Ban the burn, it's not a good thing to do" is a sentence that has resonated closely with Ru and his family for more than a decade.
 
"My uncle made a touch team and my whole family loved playing touch. We all play sports but everyone was fried, so the only way to be in this team was you had to get off P because the team was called Ban the burn and so there were no hypocrites. You can't be in my team and then go over there and have a puff and then come back on my team, so I used that as my title for the song Ban The Burn.

Ban The Burn was written and recorded in 2006 but the video was just shot earlier this month and the song was then shared on all streaming platforms and social media. Its purpose at first was to help Ed's older brother, who is now an ex-gang member and ex P consumer. 

"It started to work for the people, so I believe it was given to me from the man upstairs to share to the world because it wasn't anything I asked for. It was a gift. I never asked for this song - it just fell in my lap to help me help my brother. My brother got off P, he's off P, my whole family is off P. You won't see any of my family on P anymore. Why? Because they all look up to that song Ban The Burn"

Destroyer of homes

Ed is no stranger to this harmful drug. Neither does he keep his past hidden. He admits he was once a P user. He describes it as a destroyer of homes, a horrible and misleading monster

"I met P in 2003 and got off it in 200.6 I got off P because I love my kids and I love me and that was my way of getting off P. I looked in the mirror every day and I spoke to myself and I told myself every day that I am a pitiful excuse of a dad. And guess what? It worked! I told myself that I am a pitiful excuse for a dad and it worked, I believed myself. It made me go out there and made me change as a person."

Family comes first and the love for family second, he says. "Do whatever you can to ensure you don't let this addictive drug into your household."

"Crystal, crystal Met,h she destroys our homes, man, we all know it, but I don't think anyone is out there to say it. So I'm here to speak up for every brother and sister in their homes who is struggling, struggling with meth, fighting the battles of met,h who are being abused from meth because they have a habit that they can't get rid of."

And now the song is being used as a resource to help those who are on meth seek help!

"It's a resource for us that we want to share now with the world -take it and do what we did and listen to the song. Close your eyes. Take three to four minutes of your life to listen to the song, feel the pain of your family, feel the pain of yourself, and then you will realize that it's not a good thing to do."

That phrase from the song has been printed on to clothing as a constant reminder for people. "Here's my amour right here. The bro will come in, he will walk and look at it and go, "Chur my brother and you do whatever you have to do" and he will leave but he won't disrespect you. Why? Because I haven't disrespected you I've just put on my top to tell you, bro, not in my house, please!"