PLANO ARRESTS - DRUG ROUNDUP PROVIDES A STRONG WARNING

With youth comes a false measure of invincibility, the dangerous belief
that dying and getting caught only happen to someone else.

Nearly two dozen people, including 14 high school students, now face drug
charges in Plano's crackdown on teen drug abuse. They simply didn't get the
message. Let's hope that others do.

In an operation dubbed Rockfest, an MTV-generation moniker, Plano police
turned up heroin, cocaine, LSD, prescription drugs and marijuana. More
arrests are likely.

In the aftermath of a series of tragic heroin deaths in Plano, parents,
police, city officials, churches, schools and other organizations have
stressed intervention and education to steer students away from drugs.

The police crackdown delivers the message dramatically and personally. If
the death of a classmate didn't register with some, then perhaps the
prospect of a drug charge will. Punishment could be as stiff as two years
to life in prison plus a hefty fine depending on the drug and the amount
seized.

Plano police aren't pretending that they alone can stem drug flow. The lack
of parental involvement in the lives of some arrested was a recurring theme
police found during the investigation. It's time for those parents to do
some soul-searching.

Highlighting the consequences can discourage some teens from using drugs.
For some, a classroom lecture is enough. For others, it takes a friend's
death, or a pair of handcuffs and a court date. Still, others may never
quite get it.

Plano police are underscoring the no-tolerance message. And if just one
drug experimenter decides to abstain, the effort will be worth it.