PARENTS MUST DARE TO FIGHT DRUG ABUSE

Drugs are readily available in high schools across America and in High
Point. But blame for teen drug use belongs more to parents than to
educators. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University released a study last week showing scant progress has been made
in efforts to overcome this problem. And it specifically faulted the most
popular prevention program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, as providing
"little evidence ... of any extended impact."

DARE is offered in High Point-area school systems, but to fifth-graders.
Some students say its benefits fade by the time they reach high school, or
even sooner.

Worse, its influence may be negated by messages conveyed through popular
music, movies and television programs. Many teens are more in tune with MTV
than with lessons learned when they were 10.

Drug-abuse resistance education must be reinforced continually - especially
by parents, who have primary responsibility for the health, safety and
well-being of their teen-agers. That is not a job they can delegate to
teachers.

Of course, parents can enlist help in this task. Scouts, church youth
groups, boys and girls clubs and other organizations provide positive,
character-building activities for youngsters. Kids who stay involved with
those groups are less likely to use drugs and alcohol or engage in other
risky behaviors.

At the same time, high schools remain the central gathering place for the
community's teen-agers - and the places where most say drugs are used, kept
or sold, according to a National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
survey.

That's a frustrating finding, given the presence of police officers on
campuses and the emphasis on safety. Ironically, safety seems to be a
factor aiding drug availability at school. Many teens are afraid to buy
drugs on the streets in high-crime neighborhoods, and school gives them a
more secure environment to make their transactions.

One significant revelation of the national survey was the level of denial
by school administrators. Sixty-six percent of students, 35 percent of
teachers and only 11 percent of principals said drugs, alcohol and tobacco
are used on their campuses.

High Point high schools have access to tools to combat drugs on campuses,
including use of a police dog with a nose for narcotics. Perhaps that
resource should be employed more often.

Most needed, however, are strategies aimed at reducing demand for drugs.
Those can consist of educational programs in middle and high schools, but
the best approach requires active participation in the lives of young
people by alert and caring adults. Teens who show signs of trouble should
be rushed into counseling or, if needed, treatment.

The people in the best position to observe teens are their parents. If DARE
and other efforts haven't worked, it's because they haven't been backed up
by parents.