A MOTHER'S ADVICE ABOUT DRUGS

Marsha Rosenbaum, director of The Lindesmith Center-West, a drug policy
institute in San Francisco, wrote this letter to her son, an Urban High
School freshman.

DEAR JOHNNY,

This fall you will be entering high school, and like most American
teenagers, you'll have to navigate drugs. As most parents, I would prefer
that you not use drugs. However, I realize that despite my wishes, you
might experiment.

I will not use scare tactics to deter you. Instead, having spent the past
25 years researching drug use, abuse and policy, I will tell you a little
about what I have learned, hoping this will let you to make wise choices.
My only concern is your health and safety.

When people talk about ``drugs,'' they are generally referring to illegal
substances such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine (speed), psychedelic
drugs (LSD, Ecstasy, ``Schrooms'') and heroin. These are not the only drugs
that make you high. Alcohol, cigarettes and many other substances (like
glue) cause intoxication of some sort. The fact that one drug or another is
illegal does not mean one is better or worse for you. All of them
temporarily change the way you perceive things and the way you think.

Some people will tell you that drugs feel good, and that's why they use
them. But drugs are not always fun. Cocaine and methamphetamine speed up
your heart; LSD can make you feel disoriented; alcohol intoxication impairs
driving; cigarette smoking leads to addiction and sometimes lung cancer;
and people sometimes die suddenly from taking heroin. Marijuana does not
often lead to physical dependence or overdose, but it does alter the way
people think, behave and react.

I have tried to give you a short description of the drugs you might
encounter. I choose not to try to scare you by distorting information
because I want you to have confidence in what I tell you. Although I won't
lie to you about their effects, there are many reasons for a person your
age to not use drugs or alcohol.

First, being high on marijuana or any other drug often interferes with
normal life. It is difficult to retain information while high, so using it
- -- especially daily -- affects your ability to learn. Second, if you think
you might try marijuana, please wait until you are older. Adults with drug
problems often started using at a very early age.

Finally, your father and I don't want you to get into trouble. Drug and
alcohol use is illegal, and the consequences of being caught are huge. Here
in the United States, the number of arrests for possession of marijuana has
more than doubled in the past six years. Adults are serious about ``zero
tolerance.'' If caught, you could be arrested, expelled from school, barred
from playing sports, lose your driver's license, denied a college loan,
and/or rejected for college.

Despite my advice to abstain, you may one day choose to experiment. I will
say again that this is not a good idea, but if you do, I urge you to learn
as much as you can, and use common sense. There are many excellent books
and references, including the Internet, that give you credible information
about drugs. You can, of course, always talk to me. If I don't know the
answers to your questions, I will try to help you find them.

If you are offered drugs, be cautious. Watch how people behave, but
understand that everyone responds differently -- even to the same
substance. If you do decide to experiment, be sure you are surrounded by
people you can count upon. Plan your transportation and under no
circumstances drive or get into a car with anyone else who has been using
alcohol or other drugs. Call us or any of our close friends any time, day
or night, and we will pick you up -- no questions asked and no consequences.

And please, Johnny, use moderation. It is impossible to know what is
contained in illegal drugs because they are not regulated. The majority of
fatal overdoses occur because young people do not know the strength of the
drugs they consume, or how they combine with other drugs. Please do not
participate in drinking contests, which have killed too many young people.
Whereas marijuana by itself is not fatal, too much can cause you to become
disoriented and sometimes paranoid. And of course, smoking can hurt your
lungs, later in life and now. Johnny, as your father and I have always told
you about a range of activities (including sex), think about the
consequences of your actions before you act. Drugs are no different. Be
skeptical and most of all, be safe. Love, Mom

1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A23


Checked-by: Pat Dolan