DRUG AWARENESS SEEN TO BEGIN AT AGE 13

Few 12-year-olds know how to buy marijuana or know someone who has used
hard drugs. But that changes just one year later, according to a survey
released Tuesday that suggests the transition from 12 to 13 is a critical
time in the battle against teen drug use.

Just as children are becoming more exposed to drugs, their parents are
losing influence over their lives, argues the survey from Columbia
University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

"America's children have been crying out for help, and not enough people
are listening," said Joseph A. Califano Jr.' the center's president and a
former secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the Carter
administration.

The survey also found that teens think the drug problem is considerably
worse than their teachers and especially their principals do. For instance,
78 percent of teens say their schools are not drug free; just 18 percent of
principals agree.