LEN BIAS' LEGACY

It was 20 years ago that drugs ended the life of one of the hottest
basketball prospects to come along in many years, Len Bias. The
Boston Celtics had drafted Bias and the University of Maryland star
was all set to play along with Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said the two toughest players in the
Atlantic Coast Conference at that time were Bias and Michael Jordan,
and we all know what Jordan went on to do.

The sports world was in a daze when Bias died of cocaine
intoxication. He was on the road to fame and riches in the NBA and,
apparently, a little partying was in order. At the time he was one of
the most prominent drug victims, and his death caused Congress to
pass the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The war on drugs under
President Reagan kicked into high gear.

In the late 1980s, crack cocaine made its appearance on the West
Coast and the rock, a cheaper version of cocaine to be smoked, became
the drug of choice for many who couldn't afford the powder. Since
that time, Ecstasy, meth and the 1960s drop-out standard LSD continue
to be part of the drug culture, as does marijuana and the dreaded heroin.

Lately, drug abuse has come from prescription drugs such as
Oxycontin. It's all out there, it's all available and those who turn
to these drugs obviously haven't heard the story of Len Bias and the
moral of his tale, that it takes only once.

If Bias had been caught instead of dying, he would've been given help
through rehabilitation and detox. But for every Bias, there are
thousands of druggies who die of overdoses every year. And there are
hundreds of thousands who wind up in a penal system that has locked
away 2.2 million Americans. Drug arrests, with three-strikes
legislation, have fueled the increasing incarceration of Americans.

Obviously the war on drugs isn't working. Locking people away who
need help instead of punishment will only exacerbate the problem.
What we need is to get Len Bias' story, and those of others whose
lives have been cut short by drugs, in front of people who may be
tempted to join their peers in some snorting and smoking of
recreational drugs and riding the high of prescription drug abuse.

According to The Associated Press, drug use has gone down among teens
since 2001. Maybe stories like Bias' had something to do with that.
We all have to make the effort to educate susceptible people to the
dangers of drug abuse, dangers that never go away and can only be
told by examples like Bias. What he did with his life may be able to
help kids who aren't sure what to do with theirs.