TRUTH OR DARE

I sit in wonder at all the attention generated by recent articles and
columns appearing in Isthmus that address decriminalizing marijuana
("Reefer Madness," "The Pot Chronicles," 7/30/99, "Pot Perspective,"
9/10/99, Letters, 9/10/99 & 10/15/99). In the Aug. 19, 1999 issue of USA
Today, an article highlighted a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
acknowledging that there are approximately 13.6 million current users of
marijuana. That sounds like a hefty number, until you consider that this
group represents only 6.2% of the American population.

In the late 1980s, I was a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer
and am currently assigned to the Safety Education Unit of the Madison
Police Department, where three other officers and I lead COPS (Classes on
Personal Safety) instruction. The DARE program did exactly what it was
designed to do, then and now, as do the COPS classes. Neither activity
claims to insulate a fifth-or sixth-grader from illegal drug use until s/he
graduates high school. Both programs require follow-up with other
prevention initiatives throughout their academic careers.

Officers around the world enter schools daily to educate our youth. We
present current, factual and relevant information on drug use and abuse,
self-esteem building, stress management and conflict resolution. In
Madison, we throw in the Protective Behaviors curriculum and STOP! (a local
anti-shoplifting program). We provide children with knowledge and tools to
make healthy decisions about future issues in their lives. We also affirm
that a no-use policy is the best policy. Do we expect one hundred percent
compliance? No we don't, but what is an acceptable success rate?

A recent Wisconsin State Journal article entitled "Message to Children
About Risk of Marijuana Goes Up in Smoke" suggests that today's parents ar
e
dropping the ball. It cited a Hazelton Foundation (Minneapolis, Minn.)
survey finding that "98% of parents would be distressed if their teens
tried pot. Yet only 40% advise their kids against indulging, and one in
five stressed that marijuana was illegal."

My parents gave me clear warning in the late '60s and early 9270s that
alcohol and/or drug use would not be tolerated. I ultimately knew that if I
made a wrong decision, I was responsible for the consequences of my
actions, period. Now there is an old-fashioned concept to resurrect. Moms,
dads, step-parents, foster parents, guardians, whichever, every adult in
authority should express a no-use policy and advocate accountability for
choices and outcomes to the children in their charge.

From the cover stories and subsequent letters concerning marijuana in
Isthmus, it appears that responsibility was a virtue in my upbringing and a
specter in others. Some people choose behavior--for example, possessing,
using or dealing marijuana--fully knowing that such actions lead to legal
problems if they are caught...and they are. Foul! "How can I be persecuted
for such a `victimless' crime? Low is the dirty copper who played the ga
me
better than I did and arrested me. The gall of a district attorney to try
my case as a--yikes!97crime. How dare the court find me guilty and
incarcerate me for such a petty violation. Society made me do it. Watching
motion pictures and TV made it too appealing not to do." Gee, would you
like some cheese with that whine?

My goal is not to convince those who use marijuana to miraculously quit. My
message is pure and simple: The best way to avoid legal issues regarding
drugs is to abstain from their use and/or distribution. However, if you
make a decision to involve yourself in this "victimless" trade, and things
go bad, just admit that it was your choice. Then, accept the consequences
that accompany your choice.

Unfortunately, some people do not get the opportunity to reflect on their
choice. Reconsider the plight of the young college student murdered on
University Avenue or the teenager slain in Reindahl Park. They put the face
on a "victimless" crime.