GETTING REAL ABOUT DRUGS IS BEST HARM PREVENTION

Dr. Alan Blum's letter shows why drug prevention efforts fail to reach
so many of our youth ("Medical Consequences of Recreational Drug Use,"
Jan. 4). Mr. Blum criticizes Stanton Peele's editorial for advocating
honest drug education instead of scare tactics.

Mr. Blum claims that even a single episode of drug use can have
serious adverse heath consequences. He then implies that Mr. Peele
would back away from urging adolescents not to smoke cigarettes, since
most smokers will eventually quit. Mr. Blum appears to share the
philosophy of many abstinence-only programs that try to scare teens
out of ever even trying drugs by highlighting phony horror stories
such as "Try marijuana and you may become a homeless heroin addict."
Yet despite 20 years of "Just Say No" D.A.R.E. programs, half of all
18-year-olds will have tried marijuana before they graduate.

And for most of those who try it or have friends or family members who
have, there are no nightmare experiences that our "experts" predict.

This leads to many teens ignoring all the information told them by
people in authority who have now lost their credibility.

One area of substantial progress when it comes to young people and
drugs is the campaign against cigarette smoking.

This campaign has treated teens with respect and has given honest
information about its true consequences. Most teens have seen the harm
of cigarette smoking in the lives of their loved ones. Honest drug
information that respects teens enough to give it to them straight
gets results.

Dishonest information that tries to scare them with propaganda that
conflicts with their real-life experiences leads to dismissal and failure.

Tony Newman

Drug Policy Alliance

New York