TEENS IN TROUBLE

As tempting as it may be for worried parents to turn away from the
disturbing sight of police officers swooping down on high schools to arrest
49 students on drug charges, there is no reason to believe the problems in
Alamance County are any different from those in high schools anywhere else
in the state. The drugs are there. Kids, parents, cops and teachers know
it. The question that keeps all concerned people awake at night is what to
do about it.

While there is obviously a role for law enforcement in the fight against
drugs, the first line of defense is at home. Study after study has shown
that caring, loving and involved parents are the most effective anti-drug
weapon in the arsenal. It may not be easy and it may not be fun, but
parents who consistently and insistently are a part of their children's
lives stand a better chance of influencing decisions to use or not use drugs.

A big part of that tough job is to be a good role model. Knocking back a
few martinis while lecturing kids about the evils of drugs is a recipe all
but guaranteed to foster youthful cynicism.

Educators have vital roles to play as well. Kids are impressionable and
curious but they are not gullible. Honest educational programs that stress
the truthful danger of drugs can, when supplemented by home-grown values,
go a long way toward countering the immense peer pressure that is an unseen
part of every kid's day at school.

Peddling drugs is a crime. Police are right to focus on the illegality of
the trade. Some departments have staged high-publicity raids, complete with
officers in SWAT team attire, drug sniffing dogs and television cameras in
tow. Alamance authorities chose instead to send in fresh-faced undercover
officers to infiltrate the schools' drug culture. Such tactics, while
perhaps effective, have led some defensive parents to claim entrapment.
That is a valid and important question. It will be left to the courts to
decide if law enforcement crossed the delicate line between investigation
and enticement.

To be effective, the battle against drugs in our schools must be as
choreographed as a ballet with each participant playing its role. But the
star of the show will always be the concerned parent who refuses to give up.