DRUG BATTLE'S WORST ENEMY MAY BE APATHY

Given the time of year, the attendance at Thursday evening's drug
summit was disheartening.

The school year is winding down, and many seniors' thoughts already
have turned to graduation, graduation parties and celebrations at the
beach to cap their long 12 years of education.

Some will enter the work force. Some will enter the military. Many
will continue their education at the collegiate level. For many, the
period immediately following graduation is a time to let loose before
settling into the rigorous life of adulthood.

They have survived the most difficult period of their young
lives.

Kids today have it tough. Priorities differ. What's important to one
group isn't as important to another. Quick, harsh judgments about
individuals or groups of individuals help erect barriers that will
take years to tear down. Some will never come down. The pressure of
doing well, of succeeding, of making a name in a world where everyone
else is trying to do the same is not easy.

Some suffer from boredom.

Some feel outcast.

Some believe they were not given the same opportunities as others
around them.

The search for answers to life's tough questions don't come
easy.

Some kids find the quick answer in drugs.

Some find acceptance in falling to peer pressure.

Some just want to experiment, to test their wings and find out what
all the fuss is about.

Carroll County is like every other county in the nation in these
respects. Here, though, we have seen what drug abuse can do. Kids who
should not yet have to learn about death have had to attend funerals
of classmates. Because of that, a lot people have put a lot of time,
energy and effort into education and awareness programs to let kids
know there are alternatives to drugs. They've devoted countless hours
to programs that focus on prevention; and they have made themselves
available in case the prevention efforts fall short and a kid needs
somewhere to turn for help.

Parents today are doing more to talk to their children about drugs and
the problems that come along with abuse, and while the number of
admissions to treatment programs remains high, the number of kids
losing their lives to drugs has declined.

We're making progress.

But that progress can continue only if we continue to work toward
solutions. It can only continue if we take the time to find out what
the next big trend is going to be, and learn how to identify the signs
of abuse.

Thursday's drug summit offered an opportunity to do just
that.

A danger exists if we allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense
of security, or if we put the blinders back on and refuse to
acknowledge that any kid, given the right circumstances, could make a
bad decision.

A new crop of young adults is getting ready to head out into the
world. Parents have a responsibility to make sure they are well prepared.