ANTI-DRUG PROGRAMS MUST BE EFFECTIVE

Federal officials have fired their second salvo in the battle to
convince young people to stay away from drugs.

Earlier this month, President Clinton unveiled a $2 billion program
that will deliver tough anti-drug messages in ads on prime time
television, radio and in the newspapers.

The U.S. Education Department followed up this week with an
announcement it won't fund school programs that aren't effective in
reducing drug use among students.

The decision has shaken up a number of veteran drug-fighting efforts,
including Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a program widely used in
Texas.

But there is no reason for the federal government to keep pouring
hundreds of millions of dollars into projects without clear evidence
they are making a difference in the drug war.

The Dallas school district, which also receives federal support for
its programs, continues to seek more effective ways to deliver its
anti-drug message to students.

The Law Enforcement Teaching Students program tracks the D.A.R.E.
strategy of using police as instructors. But it incorporates skills
training with the more traditional information about the dangers of
drugs.

The public schools in Dallas also focus on self-esteem programs for
young people and Drug-Free Youth in Texas, a project that lets
students help each other stay away from drug usage.

If all else fails, the Dallas school district started a teaching
program specifically for teenagers who have had problems with drugs so
they won't drop out.

The Dallas schools' anti-drug effort is not being held up as a model
for other school systems. But it points out the complexities involved
in delivering the right drug message to young people today.

With the rash of teen heroin overdoses in Plano during the past couple
of years, the days of simply being able to "just say no" to drugs are
long gone.

The public should be encouraged by the announcement from the Education
Department. Those programs capable of rising to this latest challenge
will survive. Those that cannot won't stay around.

That is as it should be in a battle where saving young people's lives
is the only important measure.

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"