TIME TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE

Each day we see drug and alcohol abuse hurt our children and tear
apart our nation.

In recent weeks, a National Football League star died from heroin and
ecstasy, a National Hockey League player died in an alcohol-related
car crash and eight local middle-school students overdosed on the
anti-depressant drug Atavan.

Now we learn that the driver of the bus that crashed and killed 22
people in Lousiana tested positive for marijuana.

These are just the high-profile stories. There are hundreds more that
we never hear about.

Much attention has been focused on whether we should legalize or
medicalize drugs to reduce crime.

But the question is not whether to legalize drugs, but how much drug
abuse we as a society will tolerate.

The time has come for all of us to stand up and do
something.

If not, we will always be afraid to board a bus, send our children to
school or allow young people to have athletes as role models.

Michael M. Gimbel, Towson MD
The writer is director of the Baltimore
County Department of Health.