Pubdate: Sun, 09 May 1999 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html Author: THOM MARSHALL DRUG ABUSE FIGHT COULD USE CASH FIX Almost Everywhere Drugs Go, Money Follows Money is why farmers produce plants to be processed into illegal drugs instead of cultivating crops of less-profitable food or fiber. Money is the motivation driving drug dealers. Stealing for money to buy drugs is behind that big percentage of crime attributed to substance abusers. Fighting drugs is but the flip side of the same coin. Seizing assets from suspects in drug cases has proved quite lucrative for law enforcement agencies. This is on top of the vast sums of public money the government continues pouring into its so-called drug war year after year, despite an appalling lack of progress to show for it. Even when it comes to treatment of drug abusers, some high-cost private facilities have gleaned great profits by keeping drug abusers until their insurance coverage is exhausted and then releasing them. Money, however, is in short supply at Houston's Palmer Drug Abuse Program, or PDAP, which offers free, outpatient substance-abuse recovery services for youth, using methods based on Alcoholics Anonymous. Beth Alberts, PDAP executive director, and some of the organization's trustees, said they have been frustrated by recent fund-raising efforts. Raising funds a challenge PDAP was started in 1971 at Palmer Memorial Church. It boasts a success rate of 65 percent, meaning 65 out of 100 of those who come for help manage to achieve sobriety during their first 90 days. The organization has grown to six locations in the Houston area and has spread to 10 other cities. Alberts is working to expand to more Houston locations and said the only roadblock has been a lack of money to pay counselors to run the programs. She said PDAP has many longtime loyal contributors and conducts a few fund-raisers, such as an annual golf tournament, but coming up with new sources of funding is difficult. Helping kids with drug problems is one of those things most of us had rather not think about, unless we have to. It makes us uncomfortable. It is one of those problems we want others to take care of. Some of the city's major contributors to charities have let Alberts know they had rather put their donations into worthy causes that are more pleasant for people to ponder, such as the city's many arts programs. So recently, for the first time, Alberts went to City Hall requesting a $100,000 grant for PDAP. It seemed a reasonable request, considering the $3.7 million per year the city pays to finance the much-criticized DARE program. Many studies over several years show DARE to be, basically, an expensive flop in cities across the country and here at home. A better approach than DARE Some $3.3 million of that DARE budget goes to pay salaries and benefits for 63 police officers who teach the program. Much of the rest is spent on T-shirts, bumper stickers, pencils, and other promotional items. When you consider that the kids PDAP helps are the kids that DARE had failed to steer away from drugs, doesn't it seem fair that the DARE budget should be cut enough to fund the PDAP grant request? Actually, considering DARE's dismal track record after more than a dozen years, doesn't it seem that we might be better off doing away with DARE altogether and finding and funding programs that show better results? That isn't likely to happen, though. Police officials wouldn't give up control of all that money without a big battle. Whenever it is suggested, DARE advocates promise improvements and suggest the real problem is that they don't have enough money. And whenever the discussion turns to money for drug programs here in Houston, we should remember to factor in the politics. Mayor Lee Brown was Houston's police chief when DARE was started, and he has led the federal war as the nation's drug czar. He isn't likely to break ranks and abandon any government-controlled programs, regardless of how many studies show they are ineffective. Mayor Brown also is listed as an advisory member of the PDAP board, but that hasn't yet counted for anything in the quest for funding. The funding request before City Council is pending. Meanwhile, if you know kids who could benefit from PDAP and would like to know more about the program, you can call Beth Alberts at 713-507-5354. Thom Marshall's e-mail address is --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea