Pubdate: Tue, 23 Dec 2003
Source: Ledger, The (FL)
Section: Local & State
Copyright: 2003 The Ledger
Contact:  http://www.theledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/795

PREVENTION PAYS IN DRUG WAR

Good news from the muchmaligned "war on drugs." A new study shows drug use 
among American teenagers has dropped markedly in the past two years. It 
wasn't uniform. Cocaine and heroin usage leveled off between 2001 and 2003, 
but it had previously dropped considerably from where it was in the late 
1990s. But marijuana usage was down 11 percent, and some other drugs -- 
including LSD, Esctasy and amphetamines -- also dipped.

The study was sponsored by the federal government and conducted by the 
Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Lloyd Johnson, 
who administered the survey for the institute, credited the reductions to 
the realization by more young people that drugs are dangerous. The 
government has sponsored a strong antidrug media campaign to deliver that 
message.

"This survey shows that when we push back against the drug problem, it gets 
smaller," John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control 
Policy, told reporters when the survey was released last week. "Fewer teens 
are using drugs because of the deliberate and serious messages they have 
received about the dangers of drugs from their parents, leaders, and 
prevention efforts like our National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign."

Even the use of legal drugs is slipping. The number of students in the 
survey who said they had ever been drunk dropped 11 percent, while those 
who had ever smoked tobacco was down 18 percent.

Clearly, something good is happening, and a logical place to look is 
government policy. According to The Washington Post, the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy, said the decline in teen drug use shown by the latest 
survey exceeded the first of two goals set by the Bush administration last 
year. President Bush's first National Drug Control Strategy in February 
2002 called for reducing youth drug use by 10 percent in two years and 25 
percent in five years.

"This is a siren call to drug dealers and the naysayers out there who say 
we're losing the drug war," said Karen Tandy, head of the Drug Enforcement 
Administration.

It's hard to argue with that. the so-called war on drugs has been fought 
unevenly over so many years that many have despaired of it ever succeeding. 
The latest evidence proves that prevention efforts are essential. If 
there's no demand, there's no supply.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman