A FATHER'S ROLE IN COMBATING DRUGS

The fact that Mothers' Day precedes Fathers' Day on the calendar may be
appropriate because research confirms mothers tend to come first in
children's lives. For instance, twice as many teens say it is easier to
talk to Mom than Dad about drugs (57 percent compared to 26 percent).

While 45 percent of teens have discussed drugs with both parents, almost 4
times as many adolescents conducted these discussions with mothers alone
(15 percent) than just with fathers (4 percent). Likewise, the YMCA found
fathers are more disconnected than mothers from their teen-agers. Nearly
half of all dads (47 percent) want to spend more time with teens, compared
to 38 percent of mothers who say they need more time with their youngsters.

This Fathers' Day, we should remind Dad that when it comes to substance
abuse - like all educational issues - families will be more effective if he
becomes an equal partner with Mother in delivering critical messages.

Parents are the single biggest influence on kids' behavior relative to
drugs. A September 1999 study by the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) revealed that 42 percent of
teens who don't use marijuana credit parental advice over all other factors
in reaching this decision.

The CASA study notes that the quality of relationship determines a parent's
effectiveness in communicating. For instance, children growing up in a home
headed by a single mother with whom the youngsters have an excellent
relationship are 62 percent less likely to abuse substances than kids in a
two-parent family who have a fair or poor relationship with Dad.

The same report indicates that moms deserve the credit for much of the
ground gained with kids. Teens are 3 times likelier to rely solely on
mothers than fathers (27 percent vs. 9 percent) when important decisions
need to be made.

Even though talking about drugs can be difficult, dads and moms aren't
alone in spreading the word. Parents are supported by an array of
professionally researched and produced public service announcements.

In 1998, with bipartisan support of the Congress and the president, the
Office of National Drug Control Policy created the National Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign to educate youth to reject illicit drugs. The campaign
relies on ads developed by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. In less
than two years, this anti-drug information has become ubiquitous in the
lives of America's youth. With an unprecedented blend of public and private
partnerships, non-profit community service organizations, volunteerism, and
youth-to-youth communications, the advertisements have reached Americans of
diverse backgrounds wherever they work, learn, and play.

Parenting tips are available at the multilingual Web site
www.theantidrug.com, which is devoted exclusively to helping folks talk
with youth about illicit drugs. The site allows parents to receive biweekly
parenting tips by e-mail and download English or Spanish brochures called
"Parenting Skills: 21 Tips and Ideas to Help You Make a Difference." The
brochure can also be ordered online or by phone at 1-800-788-2800.

Although we have had recent successes in reducing juvenile drug-use rates,
they are still unacceptably high. The National Household Survey disclosed
that teen drug use fell by 13 percent from 1997 to 1998. Nevertheless, 1 in
4 high school seniors uses illicit drugs on a past-month basis. This data
underscores the difficulty of reversing drug use once it has begun and the
importance of keeping kids from experimenting with drugs. Children want
good relationships with parents and long to hear Dad's opinions.

Dads can have a tremendous impact on their offspring's use of illegal
substances. Research released by the U.S. Health and Human Services'
Administration for Children and Families found that girls without fathers
are almost 40 percent more likely to abuse drugs. Similarly, Child
Development discovered that children whose fathers are actively involved in
their lives tend to have fewer behavioral problems even when the father
doesn't live at home.

Countless studies still suggest "father knows best." His wisdom matters
deeply to children. This Fathers' Day when the kids come bearing gifts,
spend some of that extra time steering loved ones away from substance abuse
and toward the stuff of which dreams are made.

Barry R. McCaffrey is the director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy.