HOW TO ENSURE TEEN DRIVERS ARE DRUG-FREE

Before 1967, ubiquitous teen drug use hardly existed. But after the
Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Doors
released their seminal albums later that year, the pharmaceutical
floodgates opened wide. For the past 40 years, parents coast to coast
have struggled with their sons and daughters smoking pot, popping
pills, snorting coke and more.

Since the war on drugs officially began in 1970, tens of thousands of
teens have been busted for using drugs. For those unlucky enough to
have been caught while in high school, most were expelled in the early
days of the drug war. If that wasn't bad enough, hundreds of teenagers
every year for decades have been shipped off to juvenile hall or
sentenced to prison for drug possession.

Despite wearing their DARE tee-shirts to elementary school, and
knowing virtually everything there is to know about drug use, today's
teens still are hell-bent on getting high.

As the parents of two teen-agers, my wife and I constantly are on the
lookout for signs of drug use. We tested our 15-year-old son for the
first time about two months ago.

Tearfully, he told us he is one of a handful of teen-agers we know -
out of more than 30 we have watched grow up over the years - who never
has tried drugs.

That's not to say our son is perfect. Just ask his 13-year-old
sister.

Is there anyone out there who likes the idea of teens using drugs? If
so, honk your horn now. If not, then I hope you will

join me in drawing a line in the sand (or on the road, as the case
might be). Here's what I'm driving at:

Federal law needed

I believe there should be a federal law governing teen drivers who
test positive for drugs.

To their credit, a few forward-thinking state lawmakers have floated
similar ideas. However, this problem is national in scope. That's why
Congress needs to enact a law that prohibits teenagers from getting
their learner's permit or qualifying for a driver's license if they
fail a drug test. If that happens, the offending teen must wait
another six months before reapplying. If drugs are detected the second
time around, the teen must wait a year before reapplying.

Like drivers who are required to have their cars smog-checked, teens
would be required to submit a urine sample at designated, secure
locations near their homes. Tamper-free, computerized results would
then be sent to their state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
database several weeks before the scheduled permit or license exam is
to take place. If a teen tests positive for drugs, then he or she
would be denied an application and told to reapply in six months.

Why add a heap of test results on a state's DMV? Because the right of
passage from pre-teen to responsible young adult lies right behind the
wheel of a car. Driving is an earned privilege, not a constitutional
right. One of the best ways a teenager can "earn" the right to drive
is to be drug-free.

Parents, forget the traditional carrots and sticks (like a 3.0 grade
point average or participation in drama, clubs or sports). There are
plenty of gifted, straight-A students who sing in the choir or play
volleyball after school who use drugs and drive.

Society needs a federal line that can't be crossed. If teens cross it,
they run the risk of asking mom and dad to drive them to school -
maybe as late as their senior year.

This puts the responsibility of staying clean on the shoulders of
teens and their friends. If you want to walk to high school, flash
your headlights now. If you want to drive when you are 16, then turn
your back on drugs when you are 12.

Practical solution

The law I urge Congress to enact offers a practical solution to a very
complex social issue - one that's been eating up teens and their
parents since "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Purple Haze"
blasted onto the charts 40 years ago.

Expelling teens from school or locking them up has not been a
deterrent in the war against drugs. According to a 2006 report by the
U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, "Teens
seeking rehabilitation for smoking marijuana outnumber those seeking
rehab from other drugs, including alcohol." Virtually everyone knows
that drinking and driving don't mix. The best way to win the war on
teen drug use is to take their keys away before they start to drive.