CRISFIELD YOUTH VIOLENCE LINKED TO ILLEGAL DRUG USE

RE: "5 more students arrested in brawl," Nov. 13

Thanks for exposing the recent fights in Crisfield High School. It is
a tragic condition that has occurred throughout the past third of a
century in many schools throughout the United States.

The article cited a group of fight participants as the "420 Gang." For
those not aware, "420" is a code term for marijuana use. This confirms
once again the involvement of drugs in school violence. This is
consistent with an official school report of drug involvement in
school riots at my own children's high school in Fairfax County
Virginia 34 years ago. In reaction to similar school violence in other
schools at that time, parents from throughout the nation united in the
Parents Movement, under the leadership of Nancy Reagan, to promote
drug prevention among schoolchildren. This movement continues its
prevention activities today, with a major focus on student drug
testing -- for treatment not punishment.

In schools using random drug testing to reduce kids' drug use, such
violence is rare.

Unfortunately however, under intimidation from heavily funded civil
libertarians and drug legalization lobbyists who oppose RSDT, many
school boards have been reluctant to adopt it. But in spite of that
formidable opposition, several thousand courageous school boards
across the nation have decided to protect their children by this new,
high-tech, well-proven school health and safety protection strategy.

But unless parents and community leaders rise up in support of RSDT,
school drugs and violence will continue to endanger children,
families, teachers and communities for the foreseeable future. See
studies linking drugs and violence at
http://cadca.org/CoalitionResources/PP-documents/TheInextricableLink.pdf.

DeForest Rathbone

Great Falls, Va.

Rathbone is chairman of the National Institute of Citizen Antidrug
Policy.