CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS SEEK NEW APPROACHES IN DRUG EDUCATION

On Oct. 29, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown welcomed nearly 300 educators,
health professionals, drug treatment and prevention specialists, parents
and students from around the world to "Just Say Know: New Directions in
Drug Education," a conference sponsored by the Lindesmith Center and the
San Francisco Medical Society.

The first-of-its-kind conference was organized to address the problem of
student cynicism about drug education, with a growing concern among
educators and parents that teens' refusal to take drug education seriously
can jeopardize their safety. The conference program approach encourages
abstinence but provides a fallback strategy of honest, sciencebased
education recognizing that some youthful drug experimentation is inevitable.

Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, set the tone for the
conference in his welcoming remarks. "When Nancy Reagan said, ‘Just say
no,’ she wasn't altogether wrong. But it's the George
Washingtonchoppingdown-thecherrytree version of drug education. It's cute,
it's simple, but it doesn't work for teenagers. "

Marsha Rosenbaum, director of the Lindesmith Center West, explained the
rationale for the conference. "The need for new directions is here, because
after two decades of our telling them not to, the majority of teens
experiment with alcohol and other drugs before they graduate from high
school. The time for new directions is now, right now, before one more
young person gets hurt because they don't believe what adults tell them
about drugs."

The conference program included five panels and 20 speakers from four
countries and a dozen disciplines. The first panel featured Lynn Zimmer,
professor of sociology at Queens College and coauthor of Marijuana Myths,
Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence, who showed "Let's
Talk," a video featuring high school students discussing drug education and
stressing the importance of presenting trustworthy information.

A student at Stanford Law School, 21 year-old Anne Irwin, discussed her own
experience with drug education, having participated in Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and other programs since fifth grade. "I am
a success story. I've experimented with drugs, but not been destroyed by
them. I got honest education from one great teacher and my parents."

Two panels showcased existing harm reduction programs in drug education.
Psychologist Lisa Director, a drug educator in New York City private
schools, reported that students trust her program because "many teens say
that the two groups of people they are least likely to ask about drugs are
parents and teachers."

Sandee Burbank, executive director of Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse in
Oregon, cautioned that drug education should include information about
legal as well as illegal drugs. "I believe that most young people will not
intentionally cause themselves harm, if taught how to make good decisions
and provided accurate information."

"Harm reduction drug education holds some core values," said Aya DeLeon,
harm reduction specialist at Xanthos in Alameda, Calif. "Adults should not
use fear and shame to control youth. Education about drugs should take
place in an environment of mutual honesty. Drug education should be based
on the needs of kids, not the ideological wishes of parents."

Geoff Munro, director of the Centre for Youth Drug Studies in Australia,
stressed involving students in designing the program. "Ask young people to
help identify the educational strategies, and ask teens questions that
don't have yes or no answers."

Evaluations from conference participants stressed the need for more
information about reality based drug education.

Marsha Rosenbaum is director of The Lindesmith Center West, 2233 Lombard
St., San Francisco, CA 94123; phone (415) 921-4987; email marsharose
@aol.com. John de Miranda, Ed.M, is executive director of the National
Association on Alcohol, Drugs and Disability Inc., 2165 Bunker Hill Drive,
San Mateo, CA 94402-3801; phone (650) 578-8047,fax (650) 286-9205;
emailjdem@aimnet.com. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of
the authors' employers.