STATE NEAR LAST IN ABUSE-PREVENTION SPENDING

Jan. 29, 2001 - Colorado ranks second to last in money spent on prevention
of addiction and substance abuse problems, a federal study released today
has found.

The state spent more than $845 million on addiction and substance abuse
problems in 1998, including caring for children of drug-dependent parents
and jail costs for those serving drug and alcohol convictions, according to
a threeyear study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse,
or CASA, at Columbia University.

But for every $100 doled out, Colorado spent about 6 cents for prevention,
treatment and research, the study indicates. Forty-five states responded to
the survey, along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

CASA officials hope the study is a wake-up call for governors and
legislators to revamp spending priorities for education and treatment.

"States have to deal with these problems and not just keep shoveling up
after the wreckage," said Joseph Califano, president of the nonprofit CASA
and a former cabinet member under President Carter. "It can't just be
coming from schools. But it has to come from the community and the
churches. I'm Catholic, and I asked a priest, 'What's the biggest problem?'
and he said, 'Drug abuse,' and I asked him, 'Have you ever given a sermon
on this?' and he said, 'No.' It has to come from all sides."

To conduct the survey, CASA officials asked state offices to report how
much they spent on addiction-related problems and how much they spent on
prevention. Nationally, states spent $81.3 billion on substance abuse and
addiction problems in 1998.

Spending more of that money on prevention could prove to be difficult
because government tends to be more reactive than proactive in dealing with
problems, said Katherine Irwin, researcher for the Center for the Study of
Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado.

"It takes resources that we haven't necessarily dedicated yet," she said.
"If we are going to launch prevention programs, then they have to be
launched in a school ... which puts more pressure on teachers. The trend
has been that teachers become overwhelmed with demands put on them." If a
child can get through the teenage years without abusing substances, they
are more likely to live a clean life, and, according to the study, states
don't funnel enough energy toward prevention at the most precarious ages.

Programs for children must not exist in a vacuum, said Bruce Mendelson,
researcher with the state alcohol and drug abuse division for the state
Department of Human Services.

Programs must blanket children's lives and not exclude extracurricular
activities, or the involvement of parents or schools, he said.

"And if you're treating adolescents, you have to tailor the treatment to
them. You have to be culturally sensitive to the age and gender, or else
(young abusers) aren't going to respond," Mendelson said.

The state could improve the lives of its people by investing in prevention
before abusers topple into the deep end, said state Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver.

"We would derive benefits from actually treating substance abuse problems,"
he said. "And we'd end human suffering ... We should try more preventative
projects."