IT'S A SIMPLE MESSAGE: DO DRUGS, BE A LOSER

Arizona Prevention Campaign Launched

It's the simple things that count. Even in a highly visible, multipronged
campaign against a problem as pervasive and devastating as substance abuse.

Do drugs, damage your brain. Do drugs, lose your job. Do drugs, break
hearts filled with love for you.

Do drugs, destroy dreams.

These simple truths are the basis for a drug abuse prevention campaign
launched this month by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in partnership
with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the national drug czar's office and the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

The Drug Free AZ campaign targets young people, for simple reasons. Keep
children drug-free through the teen years and chances are great they won't
abuse drugs in adulthood. Prevent young people from drug abuse today and
the number of Americans with serious substance abuse problems should
eventually fall below the current dreadful estimate of 5 million people.

Fewer drug addicts leads to less crime, greater productivity, healthier
families. It's that simple.

As prevention goes, Drug Free AZ has great promise for getting relevant
information to the exact people who need it - which is just about everyone.
Its lively Web site, drugfreeaz.com, has specific pages for young kids,
teens, parents, teachers and businesses. Bookmark it.

But a push to rid society of the ravages of drug abuse is not complete
without a strong component of treatment services. Arizona falls short on
that front, and has for a long time.

The best chances for treatment in Arizona, a state with poor mental health
services, are in the criminal justice system. That's a sad commentary in
itself.

If you're poor, pregnant and addicted, you boost your chances of getting
treatment help from the government. If you have employer- sponsored
insurance, you might get some coverage for treatment, but usually not
enough to push you or your dependents far along in the lifelong process
that is recovery.

Prevention, obviously, is key to fighting drug abuse.

If only the solution to a wicked problem were just that simple.