DRUG ABUSE NEEDS TANGIBLE ATTACK, LOCAL LEADERS SAY

GARY - All of the details haven't been worked out yet, but two things
are now certain: First, Barry McCaffrey, the nation's drug policy
director, will be here for a daylong session on March 29.

Second, the results will be tangible, not just talk.

"This is not an interventional process, we are here to put forward
solutions," said Gary Health Commissioner Dr. Adolphus Anekwe. "When
McCaffrey comes in, he is going to be part and parcel to this
soul-searching process. We are not here to say, 'Is there a drug
problem?' because that is a known fact. We want to look at solutions
and see what works," Anekwe said.

On Friday, Mayor Scott King confirmed that McCaffrey will attend the
meeting at the Genesis Center on that date.

The focus is on drug treatment and prevention. And the solutions will
be regional, not restricted to Gary.

"This is not a Gary problem. If you live in Highland, or Valparaiso,
it is there where you live and it's time you start thinking about it,"
Anekwe said.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter has a vested interest in the
topic. "In the 1970s, there were better treatment programs. At that
time, we could help many of these people before they commit crimes,
before they get into the criminal justice system," Carter said.

By providing education, alternatives and affordable treatment, Carter
said, society would benefit from a noticeable reduction in crime.

"Once we've caught them, they've been perpetuating that behavior for
some time, we don't usually get them the first time they steal or rob.
And once they're in prison, it's not the kind of environment that is
really conducive to getting help. In fact, many continue their
addiction in jail."

King said the format will include a series of presentations in the
morning, from local and national experts. For example, he will ask
Gary pediatrician Dr. Steve Simpson to talk about his work with
infants born addicted to crack cocaine.

"We are going to look at this as a regional issue, defining it as a
public health issue," King said. Keynote speakers will address various
topics at lunch, followed by breakout sessions for small groups to
discuss the information they have digested throughout the day.

"We'll be coming back in the end with proposals for steps for
developing an action plan," he said. The U.S. Conference of Mayors
will be a sponsor of the event, and will help provide various public
service commercials that focus on drug abuse prevention to broadcast
during breaks between speakers, he added.

"The 'Just Say No' slogan just doesn't work anymore," Anekwe
said.

"Young people today are too smart, too sophisticated. We are going to
have to devise a new mechanism for communicating with these
youngsters," Anekwe said.

Anekwe has offices in Glen Park and Miller.

"There are so many things that push these kids to try things. It
starts with drinking a little alcohol, smoking a little cigarette. If
you are not doing these things, you are not cool. Then we have the
ones who take it to the next level and find themselves in drug
addiction," Anekwe said.

What's needed is a message to replace Madison Avenue's.

"It's a war out there. We have to go into competition with these
people, competing for the attention of the youngster," Anekwe said.

Carter said one of the messages he wants McCaffrey to hear is that the
region needs more financial resources for education. And the cities
should have control of how the money is spent.

Affordable treatment is Carter's second message. "I had a man come to
me, his 18-year-old son, lives in south county and is hooked on crack.
He's stealing from his parents, and soon he'll have to commit more
crimes. He's looking for help for his son, but if you don't have a lot
of money, you don't have choices," Carter said.

"You have waiting lists and a limited number of treatment days. We
have to do better. We have to offer more."