ILLEGAL DRUGS: WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW?

As special as Centre County is, it is not immune to the significant drug
problem that afflicts Americans nationwide. And calling it significant is
an understatement. Consider the following, based on research from Public
Agenda and the Kettering Foundation:

"One in two Americans has a drug problem or knows someone who does. And
now, after declining for years, teen-age drug use -- mostly of marijuana --
has doubled since 1992."

The statistics vary considerably from community to community, but illegal
drug use is widespread and the impact is pervasive. The use of illegal
drugs is linked to crime, AIDS, workplace injuries, failure in school,
unemployment, domestic violence and the disintegration of families and
communities. Such matters ultimately affect everyone, in taxes, in safety,
in quality of life.

And the problem permeates society. Contrary to criminal conviction rates,
according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, three-quarters of
Americans who admit using illegal drugs are white and employed.

That's the background for a National Issues Forum called "Illegal Drugs:
What Should We Do Now?" The forum, open to all Centre County residents,
will be held Saturday, Jan. 31, at Mount Nittany Middle School in College
Township.

Today, three citizens help to frame the discussion by introducing the
choices that will start deliberations at the forum:

Choice 1: Step up enforcement to finish the job.

Choice 2: Change attitudes about illegal drugs.

Choice 3: Treat substance abuse as an illness.

We encourage citizens to read the material, think about how this community
might improve drug-fighting strategies locally and nationwide, and offer
their suggestions at the forum.

© 1998 Centre Daily Times