THROWING MONEY AT DRUG PROBLEM WILL NOT SOLVE IT

JUST say no.

In the 1980s, Nancy Reagan campaigned to put that phrase on the tip of
every school child's tongue. Television ads showed fresh-scrubbed, healthy
looking kids shouting out "Just say no!" when asked if they would ever use
drugs. The message was simple. It was too simple.

At Cenikor, we teach drug addicts the hard truth that no simple slogan can
erase drug addiction. They have to work hard, learn self-respect and take
responsibility for their own actions to overcome drug addiction.

A decade has passed since the "Just say no" campaign. Unfortunately, not
much has changed in the way the United States chooses to deal with our
growing drug problem. Our government continues to spend millions funding
its war on drugs, filling the nation's prisons to the brim with young drug
abusers. And just this year, the Office of National Drug Control Policy
launched a five-year, $2 billion anti-drug media campaign targeted at
America's youth.

Throwing money at the drug problem isn't the solution. Last year Houston
taxpayers spent almost $4 million to fund the anti-drug program DARE (Drug
Abuse Resistance Education). Now critics are questioning the program's
effectiveness and calling for DARE to be scrapped. Because I have lived the
hell of drug addiction, and work every day with addicts struggling to
rebuild damaged lives, I sincerely appreciate well-intended efforts to
prevent and treat drug addiction. But, I also recognize that not every good
intention produces good results.

In contrast, many effective substance abuse programs, like Cenikor, receive
no government funding. Examples include Alcoholics Anonymous and
church-based ministries. Cenikor does not need government funds to produce
results -- upward of 90 percent of the graduates who stick with the program
kick their habits and go on to live self-sufficient, productive lives.

Once they are clean, we encourage Cenikor graduates to share their
experiences with others, from children in the third grade to college
students. Today's kids are more street-wise and savvy than those of past
generations.

No one solution or program by itself can end the nation's drug nightmare.
It is too complex and too enormous for a simple solution. And it is our
problem to solve, not the government's. The first step to combat drugs, as
I teach the addicts who come through our program, is to take responsibility.

As Americans we must take responsibility for our own role in encouraging
drug abuse. We create an environment that allows drug abuse to flourish,
yet we wonder why our children want to experiment.

We must stop being naive. We have too much experience with what doesn't
work when it comes to fighting drug abuse. It is time to focus on what
works. The DARE program or an advertising campaign, even one with a $2
billion price tag, can never replace caring parents and positive role
models. Drug abuse is usually symptomatic of larger problems in young
people's lives.

Students must learn to take responsibility for their actions. When they
focus on goals and want something more for their lives than the dead-end of
getting high, they stand a better chance of resisting the pressures to try
drugs.

As individuals, we should be held accountable for our actions. We should be
expected to give back, not just take from society. Drug abuse prevention
and treatment programs should be held accountable, too.

Fresquez is president of Cenikor Foundation here.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan