WALKER MAKES ANTI-DRUG STAND

Ted Stone is walking across America for the third time to send a message
about drugs: If you don't use them, don't start, and if you are using them,
you can quit.

All it takes is a strong will and an even stronger faith, he believes.

"If you want to get rid of a drug addiction, you have to replace it with
something stronger, and that's God," Stone said Tuesday during a stop in
San Antonio.

He began his third cross-country journey last week in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico,
and plans to travel north, mostly on Interstate 35, until he reaches
Windsor, Ontario, in mid-May.

Whenever possible, Stone will meet people ranging from religious leaders to
governors to share his philosophy and extract a pledge from others to
remain drug-free and keep friends and family members away from drugs.

The drugs of concern to Stone are those that alter behavior, including
controlled substances such as heroin or LSD, certain prescription drugs and
alcohol.

"If you chew on Zantac like it's going out of style, you're just as guilty
(of drug abuse) as somebody who snorts cocaine," he said.

In 1996, Stone traveled 3,650 miles in eight months and five days by
walking from Washington to Los Angeles.

Two years later, he reversed his course by walking from San Francisco to
Virginia Beach, Va., in one day shy of six months.

He always carries a U.S. flag and waves to everyone he sees.

Stone said he is living proof of his belief that America is a land of
second chances.

In the early 1970s, he was hooked on methamphetamine, or speed. He said he
didn't manufacture or sell it, but he confessed it dramatically changed his
personality.

"I went from being a loving family man to a violent person," he said. "I
robbed people for kicks."

When he shot a man during a robbery, he landed in prison but resolved when
he got out to live clean and offer hope to others.

These days, the strongest substance that goes into his body is Pepsi.

At 65, he stays in shape by walking up to three miles a day in his hometown
of Durham, N.C.

To critics who think government-sponsored programs already are in place to
combat drug abuse, 26-year-old Philip Barber, who drives an escort car for
Stone, countered: "We're not fighting the war on drugs. We're fighting drug
abuse."

Barber, who took speed and heroin, met Stone in 1997, when a police officer
suggested the younger man attend one of Stone's lectures in Dallas.

To skeptics who think Stone's message is naive, the walker said: "If we can
help one person, it's worth the effort."

He admitted it's not easy to overcome a drug problem, but he said doing so
is analogous to walking across America three times.

"Walking across America takes determination and will," Stone said. "That
kind of will can set a person free."

Stone is scheduled to be in Austin by Saturday and will walk between 125
and 150 miles a week to keep on track.