LEADERS OUGHT NOT PLUG BAD DRUGS

Questions about past drug use put political leaders in a tough
spot.

In a secretly made tape, President George W. Bush explained how he
handles it: "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why?
Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."

The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is less thoughtful.
He says he has no regrets about taking muscle-building steroids years
ago, despite the dangers now documented.

He even vetoed a state bill to require high school coaches to warn
pupils of the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. The bodybuilder
said he wants no confusion between legal supplements and illegal drugs.

That's not the message teenagers are getting from the movie star,
whose spokesman does say he frowns on illegal drugs. What he should
emphasize is that steroids can damage the heart, liver, and kidneys.
They can raise blood pressure, lower sperm count and cause other
problems not high on the list of youthful worries.

Prescription steroids are medically useful in treating specific
conditions, such as an abnormal deficit of testosterone. Taken over
long periods to grow muscles, the risk of unhealthy side effects soars.

Political leaders are called hypocrites when they dodge the full truth
about their own indiscretions, as Bush appears to have done. But as
for leadership, Bush's artful dodging beats Schwarzenegger's swagger.