EL NORTE DRUG TROUBLES AND LA BUENA GENTE

Bullets didn't kill Karen Catanon and Richard Martinez. The killer was
the drug epidemic in the Chimayo and Espanola valleys.

These are the words of parish priest Francisco "Paco" Vallejos at
Wednesday's funeral services for two teens slain on a Good Friday
pilgrimage to the holiest of New Mexico's places.

Vallejos believes that something has changed la buena gente, the good
people of el norte, who today are more likely to perpetuate theft and
violence upon one another.

Pilgrims reported that used hypodermic needles were strewn near the
usual discarded beer cans along the roadsides of the Santa Cruz
Valley, the path beneath their feet as they made their way during Holy
Week to the Santuario de Chimayo.

Northern New Mexico's drug problems are with us still.

A report released this week shows that drug-related deaths in Rio
Arriba County, home to Espanola, increased from 17 to 22 in 1999; in
Santa Fe County, they increased from 14 to 25.

A drug-treatment facility in Espanola, Amistad de Nuevo Mexico, opened
last November. It is too soon for it to have made a significant impact
upon the drug epidemic, but it is not too soon to tell that the clinic
alone is not enough. Amistad is treating only 30 addicts daily; it has
open files on 150 others. The tragic truth is that there are not
enough in-patient rehabilitation treatment centers in New Mexico. They
must be places far away from the temptation of family and friends who
are drug users to help drug victims for a six-month recovery period.

A predawn raid on dozens of dealers last September put some of the
area's most high-profile drug dealers behind bars for a while - but
some already are back in the arroyos. La buena gente traditionally
considered the arroyos and pinon-studded hillsides safe places. After
the Good Friday slaying, we fear they can be as dangerous as the inner
city.

La buena gente and church leaders like Father Vallejos should join to
give our youngsters hope and encourage our leaders to go to wipe out
this epidemic:

. Our legislators must adequately fund drug prevention and treatment.
The governor, who vetoed an innovative drug-treatment program this
session, must support an all-out campaign.

. Early programs must be started to give youngsters basic skills, hope
and involve them in projects. Role models like the Alire brothers of
Santa Fe recreation fame might be put in charge of a well-equipped
recreation-and-craft center in the valley.

. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who has given close attention to the drug
problem, can help New Mexico find the hefty sums of money these
programs will take.

. The Catholic Church, traditionally a leader of la buena gente, and
its priests must use their bully pulpits and their resources to reach
out to people in the mountain villages whose faith is torn by the
tragedy of drugs.

At this time of year, when Karen and Ricky would have been dancing at
their prom, we see the potential of our youth. At the awards
assemblies in our schools, scholars, athletes, musicians, artists and
thespians are recognized for budding careers of accomplishment.

To put a twist on John Grey's Elegy, how many village Miltons are
staggering along State Route 76? How many potential teachers are
breaking into a neighbor's home, stealing a hard-earned appliance to
buy the next shot of heroin?

With motivation, there's nothing our youngsters can't do. Let us join
in a campaign to reclaim the tranquility and promise of el norte.