HIGH TIMES FOR AREA YOUTHS

Surveys And Interviews Indicate Teens Can Easily Obtain Beer, Booze Or
Drugs And That A Curiosity To Experiment Hasn't Waned

During James Taylor's Aug. 7 concert at the Concord Pavilion, a
big-screen video camera zoomed in on three middle-aged fans sharing a
marijuana cigarette.

The spectacle drew applause and laughter from the more than 12,000
young and old fans in the crowd, said a disheartened Ken Duckert, Mt.
Diablo school district assistant director of student services. His
duties include combating drug use among students.

"That's a clue that there's a level of acceptance" of marijuana use,
Duckert said. "Kids see the contradiction. They are very astute. The
role models aren't there." Duckert, health professionals and others
involved in anti-drug efforts say it's no wonder that after 30 years
of trying to sway students from drugs and alcohol, their use is more
pervasive than ever nationwide. In the wake of surveys showing
widespread use of drugs and alcohol among students, adults deserve an
"F," they say.

It is adults who create talking frogs to sell beer, and movies, TV
shows and music that glorify and glamorize drug use. Adult sports
heroes take performance-enhancing drugs.

It is also parents who know their children are going to drink, so they
supply the beer kegs at home, and other adults who want schools to
emphasize academics over life skills, said Ellen Peterson,
co-chairwoman of the Drug/Alcohol Task Force for Lamorinda and Walnut
Creek.

Last week, the Acalanes Union High School District and four feeder
districts released a study showing that 75 percent of high school
students reported using alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or some other drug
during the 1997-98 school year. A survey released in August by the Mt.
Diablo Unified School District reported similar results.

More than 75 students from five Contra Costa high schools interviewed
about the surveys said they believe the figures are
conservative.

Students at Alhambra High in Martinez, College Park in Pleasant Hill,
Concord High in Concord, Miramonte in Orinda and Northgate in Walnut
Creek said it's rare to find someone who hasn't tried drugs or alcohol.

So it falls on adults to turn the tide on the deeply entrenched drug
culture, anti-drug officials say. But the task seems insurmountable
when students say drugs can be acquired within minutes.

"It's easier to get weed right now, this instant, than to get booze,"
said Miramonte senior Greg Mandelman. "Booze is controlled. You have
to be 21 to buy it. Anyone can buy drugs."

Drugs are just a pager away, they say.

"Ask around. Talk to the right people and they can lead you where you
can get it," said Miramonte junior Courtney Brown. "It's mostly
alcohol and weed."

Students from each of the schools said that some are now growing
marijuana themselves in fields or even in their closets at home.

For a gram of quality green marijuana buds, teen-agers will fork over
about $20. For low-quality, brown, dried out pot, $5.

That drug and alcohol use is prevalent among youths is no mystery to
Dr. Mary-Ann Shafer, of the UC-San Francisco Teen Clinic.

"The biggest drugs are still alcohol and marijuana," Shafer said.
"People don't see them as major threats." Yet they serve as gateway
drugs for many people and can lead to high-risk behavior such as
driving drunk or having unprotected sex.

Drugs such as cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine and ecstasy are harder to
find and afford, except for students in wealthier schools. But when
hard drugs hit a small town like Martinez, teens jump on the
opportunity to try them, Alhambra students said.

They consider hard drugs an occasional treat.

"Nobody wants to get fried every day," said Concord High junior Steven
Meckler. "You just want to try it, find out how it is."

For alcohol, most rely on older siblings, friends and, in some
instances, parents.

Teen-age parties occur in all corners of the county. At Alhambra High,
students will take collections at lunch for weekend keggers at Port
Costa. At Clayton Valley High, a popular spot is a remote area off
Morgan Territory Road outside of Clayton called the Party Zone. In
Lamorinda, big houses become home to parties when parents leave for
the weekend.

The universal complaint among students rationalizes drug use. "There's
nothing to do," they say and they turn to drugs and alcohol as a
social pastime.

"It's a social aspect and for some it's a way to let loose because
there's so much stress," said Miramonte junior Heather Wilson.

Miramonte parents are trying to combat the "nothing to do" excuse on
several notable party nights each fall. After each school football
game, players are required to attend a party with parents and the
coaching staff. Organizers figure that cuts down on "kegger" time.

A few students attribute their stress to an unstable family life. Some
say it's difficult balancing work and school. Most say it's simply
stressful dealing with a school's three big A's -- academics,
acceptance and adult expectations.

Although extracurricular activities, particularly sports, are a big
deterrent, even athletes and leadership students will occasionally
smoke marijuana on weekends, youths say.

Students say that religion has a big impact in deterring use of drugs
and alcohol. Parental influence is a close second.

One of the rare few who says she has never once tried alcohol or drugs
is Concord senior Miriam Poya.

"Basically it's because I'm not allowed to go out," she said. "I
guess, too, I respect what and how they want me to be and when I hear
about what people did at a party, I think, 'Eeeww, that's so
embarrassing.' I just think of the consequences."

The morning of Oct. 9, Concord police discovered five drunken teen-age
girls after the driver, with a blood-alcohol level four times the
legal limit, hit a tree a block from Clayton Valley High School. The
girls were slightly injured and cited for drunkenness. The driver was
arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

As for drugs, youths say sometimes it's as easy as finding their
parents' stash or sharing with them.

"Think about who the parents are. What were they doing 30 years ago?"
said Shafer, who worked for more than 20 years with young drug and
alcohol users. She said many parents have substance-abuse problems.

Duckert and Shafer say that to counter an embedded drug culture adults
must ensure that children have at least one caring adult in their
lives and allow frank discussion about drugs. They must offer plenty
of activities to keep bored youths from turning to substances for
recreation and they must provide mental health programs for troubled
youngsters who self-medicate to get through the day.

For their part, youths suggest that they be given more job
opportunities.

Students also say it would be more effective for them to hear horror
stories from peers or someone closer to their own age because current
programs aren't working.

Youths say DARE programs they had in fourth and fifth grade don't
apply in high school. Some say such programs are a waste of taxpayers'
money, a conclusion also reached in some studies that say DARE
actually tempted some students to try drugs. DARE defenders say the
program is not a magic bullet but is effective if parents take an
active role.

The discussions in high school health classes don't apply much either.
Boring, preachy and too late, the students say.

"In health class, they actually tell you more about the drug than you
need to know," said College Park junior Nadaunt Hogue, tempting some
to try it.

Students from across the county say drug and alcohol experimentation
begins in the seventh or eighth grade, but some start as early as age
9.

It's up to adults to figure what does combat drug and alcohol abuse,
Shafer said.

"If not, we'll pay one way or another," she said.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry