TEEN DRUG SURVEYS DIVERT FOCUS FROM ABUSE AT EVERY AGE

Several recent surveys of drug use among teen-agers have left most
Delawareans in an quandary. Depending on which survey one reads, Delaware
teens use illicit drugs more than most U.S. teen-agers, less than most
teen-agers in the country, or are just about like all the others when it
comes to smoking pot or using cocaine or heroin.

There is an old phrase: "There are lies, damned lies and statistics."
Delaware seems caught in a tangled web of conflicting and confusing
statistics about how involved young people are in illicit drug use. A story in

Tuesday's News Journal gave little comfort. It explained that all the
studies are valid in their own way. So, depending on which report someone
decides to accept, they might be very concerned or not greatly worried. The
"experts" tell us not to worry -- not too much, at least.

One problem with these studies is that they provide instant fodder for
political campaigns. Those now holding office embrace the surveys that make
them look good and denigrate those in which Delaware ranks poorly. Voters
should judge any claims with skepticism.

This is not a frivolous matter. Whatever illicit drug use exists in
Delaware, it is too much. We cannot do enough to steer young people away
from substance abuse. But the battle of numbers diverts attention from the
real problem: the widespread abuse in this country of alcohol and narcotics.

Of course, parents should be alert against drugs. And school personnel
should be vigilant in recognizing and reporting drug-related behavior. But
for teen-agers in the United States, drug use is learned behavior.

The level of pill popping and alcohol abuse in this country is frightening
at every age. Young people watch and copy.

This is not to disparage the miracles of pain relief or life-enhancing
pharmaceutical drugs. But we have not managed to help young people
differentiate between necessary, beneficial drugs and those that erode or
ruin lives.

It is increasingly difficult to explain to young people why it's OK for Mom
to have a nightly cocktail or three and for Dad to rely on pills that keep
him awake but it's not OK for them to drink or turn to marijuana or
Ecstasy. What's the difference, teens say. More shocking, a significant
number of teens actually get introduced to drugs by their parents and they
use them together in a sick kind of family bond.

This is a major challenge in Delaware and the United States. As long as we
focus on statistical comparisons instead of the story behind the
statistics, little will be accomplished. As long as politicians regard the
surveys as sources for campaign one-liners instead of as information to
guide serious anti-drug policies, not much will improve.

If we look to ourselves and collective society, we might refocus efforts in
the right direction.