Pubdate: Tue, 05 Apr 2005 Source: Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) Copyright: 2005 The Cincinnati Enquirer Contact: http://enquirer.com/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/86 MILFORD DRUG BUST A BOLD MOVE Last week Milford Exempted Village Schools made it clear that they won't play dumb and passively abide teen drug use. School officials capped an eight-month investigation with the Friday arrest of 16 students on drug charges, stirring up a hornet's nest. Their use of an undercover private investigator who posed as a student is controversial and may trigger a legal challenge. But it's a bold rebuke of the denial and excuse-making that takes place in too many families, schools and communities. Milford took action on behalf of kids. We applaud the message and leave it to the Milford community to debate the means. Whatever happens to the case in the long run, it's a painfully obtained opportunity for all parents to discuss the dangers of drug use with their children. According to a study released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America just six weeks ago, that conversation doesn't happen often enough. The study showed 12 percent of parents of teens said they've never talked to their children about drugs - twice the number who avoided the conversation six years ago. Meanwhile, fewer than one in three teens say they've learned much at home about the dangers of drugs. An easygoing approach to substance abuse - with half of parents saying they wouldn't be upset if their teen experimented with marijuana - is not the message teenagers need. They need to know their parents love them too much to allow "experimentation" that comes at such high risk and nonexistent gain. Drug use is not a ritual teens must pass through. It's not something that marks their passage into maturity. Thinking that one has somehow enlightened teens - or more likely won their friendship or a cool-parent award - by allowing them to dabble in drugs is a risky and ultimately selfish approach by any adult. Some Milford High School students have lamented the undercover operation, calling it entrapment and worrying about the aftermath. "This is going to ruin some of our friends' lives," senior Amy Smith told an Enquirer reporter. As if the charges are the greatest threat these students face. Let's keep our eyes on the big picture: The worst thing that can happen to these students is not that they face the music if they were indeed dealing drugs. The worst thing is that they can die of drug abuse. Or live in the long, slow agony of addiction. Or contribute to the death of a peer. Or - almost certainly - contribute to an illegal, underground industry that makes the world a more dangerous, unpredictable place for all of us. Admire its method or not, the Milford school district has put some ugly and urgent issues on the table to be examined. We hope other schools will be as willing to wrestle with this topic, to be a full partner in raising healthy children and to take tough stands when needed. And we hope even more fervently that, no matter how they felt about Milford's approach, parents will partner with schools in this fight. - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)