McCAFFREY HELPS S.O.D.A. CELEBRATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

CENTRAL POINT - National Drug Policy Director Barry R. McCaffrey was
greeted by cheers and foot-stamping by nearly 4,000 Jackson County
students this morning at the Jackson County Expo.

McCaffrey was introduced by Stephanie Soares Pump, executive director of
Southern Oregon Drug Awareness, or SODA, which is celebrating its 20th
anniversary.

"I'm sure many of you have heard the affectionate term, `drug czar,'" said
Soares Pump. "This is him."

McCaffrey praised the work of SODA and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
He also said that the stereotype of bigger cities having greater drug
problems was not valid.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy lists
methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana as substantial problems in
this region.

"Southern Oregon is probably as bad as anywhere in the world," he said.

He also went into an explanation of the focus of his work at the national
level.

"There are 5 million Americans chronically addicted and in abject misery,"
he said. "We want to get them help. That's one of my jobs."

McCaffrey said he has spoken with many addicts and recovering addicts about
their problems and has asked them what they think he should focus his
energy as drug czar on.

Most say that early intervention when they were teens would have been the
best thing, he said.

"A lot of them are crying when they tell me," McCaffrey said. "The most
dangerous thing is a 12-year-old boy or girl regularly smoking pot and
binge drinking on the weekends."

These early beginnings are what set up the larger problems of heroin, meth
or other drug use later in life, he said.

"We believe that beyond the age of 19, nobody is stupid enough to use drugs
like heroin," he said. "At the end of the day the only important thing
we're doing is talking to young people."

He said he was less worried about young kids starting out with heroin or
methamphetamines than drugs that are perceived to be less dangerous, such
as marijuana, alcohol or ecstasy.

He said that ecstasy causes permanent brain damage and even death.

"We've got dozens of kids dropping dead up and down the Eastern seaboard
(from ecstasy)," he said.

McCaffrey asked for a show of hands from the students who have friends who
use drugs, or have seen drugs or weapons in school. Most of the hands in
the room went up. He then asked how many of the students had told one of
their friends that they worried about their behavior; less than half
indicated that they had.

"The challenge is for you to try and take care of each other," he said.

Students from Medford, Phoenix, Talent, Ashland, Eagle Point, Prospect and
Rogue River attended the event.

"It's good for the kids to see so many other kids interested in this," said
Beth Smith, an alternative education teacher from Rogue River.

McCaffrey, a retired general who served three tours of duty in Vietnam,
recently announced that he will be stepping down as national drug policy
director in January.

At a news conference following the event, McCaffrey said he will continue
to push for increased drug testing for Olympic and professional athletes at
the national and international level.

"A lot more has to be done," he said. "Olympic athletes need to be able to
win gold medals through just their God-given talent, good training and good
coaching."

He noted that two American athletes were awarded gold medals after the
Olympics when the original winners in their events were disqualified after
testing positive for drugs.

"That's a tremendous shot in the arm for us," he said.