DRUG USE

County Losing Ground In Ongoing Battle

While fewer students across Maryland are using drugs and alcohol, those in
Allegany County are posting alarming increases in both categories. Ever
increasing numbers of young people in the county, like their counterparts
statewide, are also experimenting with the dangerous drug Ecstasy.

The latest Maryland Adolescent Survey found increases virtually across the
board for high school seniors in the county. While drug and alcohol abuse
is down among younger students, the report indicates that much work remains
to be done in steering Allegany County's youth away from the dangerous lure
of drug use.

According to the survey, use of the "club drug" Ecstasy has nearly doubled
among seniors to 14 percent. A synthetic drug, Ecstacy is often used in
dance clubs and has the characteristics of both stimulants and
hallucinogens. Along with an initial amphetamine-like rush that boosts
energy levels, the drug can increase heart rate and blood pressure and
damage brain cells. Long-term use can produce mood swings and memory loss.

Seniors in the county are also increasing their use of the traditional "big
three" of youth drugs: Alcohol, marijuana and tobacco.

Among Allegany County 12th graders, the percentage reporting that they have
used cigarettes is a staggering 65 percent, the highest in the state. Every
day 3,000 young people in the United States take up smoking. One third of
them will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses like lung cancer,
emphysema and heart disease.

Many young smokers are setting themselves up for a lifelong addiction.
Nearly 90 percent of adult smokers took their first puff at or before age 18.

The results aren't much better for alcohol and marijuana, with local use
among seniors ranking third highest for alcohol and fourth highest for
marijuana.

Health and education officials are encouraged that the survey showed
declining rates of drug use among younger students in the county. However,
that silver lining should not deter the community -- parents, schools and
health officials -- from aggressively tackling this problem, which cuts
across all socio-economic levels.

Too often we view the war against drug as a far-off conflict waged at our
nation's border. The latest report on adolescent drug use serves as another
reminder that the front lines of this campaign are in our schools and homes
and on our streets.