CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM

Meth Use Among Americans Is Declining

Last Friday in Portland, White House drug czar John Walters made
several good-news announcements. According to a survey done by the
University of Michigan for the National Institute for Substance Abuse,
in the past six years there has been a 50 percent drop in Americans'
use of methamphetamines, a 21 percent decrease in steroid use and a 25
percent decrease in marijuana use among teenagers.

Not so fast, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, insists when it comes
to that first statistic. Baird founded the Congressional Meth Caucus
in 2000 and has been one of the leaders in the anti-meth battle. He
does not dispute Walters' contention about the decline in meth use,
but he warns against jumping to conclusions that could backfire later.

"The decline is said to be based on self-reporting by students and
increased drug testing by employers," Baird said when contacted by The
Columbian. "But reality tells us that kids using meth aren't inclined
to self-report. As for meth users out of work, many aren't looking for
jobs, and the ones who are looking are not going to apply where
there's a drug test. So we need to be cautious about any premature
celebration of a decline in meth usage."

Baird is right, and he brings up a couple more good points: "I'm
concerned that this is a temporary decline in meth use, and that when
supplies increase, the use will go back up. And if the purity of meth
increases, the problem could get even worse."

Aside from Baird's concerns, there is cause for optimism nationally.
Walters, director of the National Drug Control Policy, said about
840,000 fewer teenagers are using drugs than in 2001. But he also said
that 19.7 million Americans reported using at least one illegal
substance in the month preceding the survey, and the abuse of
prescription drugs remains a problem second only to marijuana.

The best approach by the federal government is to identify areas of
progress but also rely heavily on extensive monitoring. That can be
accomplished by detailed studies such as the one conducted by the
University of Michigan.

It's good to see progress in the crusade against illegal drug use and
drug abuse. But let's not grow complacent by the encouraging
statistics.