THE WAR ON DRUGS UPDATE

By all indications, we continue to lose this hidden war. And frankly,
there are a number of people in the news media and in Hollywood who
are actually rooting for the other side. They're the individuals who
believe that there is no danger in a 13-year-old smoking pot when he
should be in school.a twenty-eight-year-old mother smoking crack.or a
60-year-old ex-hippie who's addicted to heroin.

According to the federal government's household survey on drug use,
which is conducted each year, 12.7 million people have used some kind
of illegal drug in the last month. As many as 30 to 40 million people
have used an illegal drug within the past year. Of those who use
drugs at least monthly, 10 million are assumed to be "casual" users,
while 2.7 million are addicts. But who's to say that today's casual
user won't become tomorrow's addict? And can't even casual drug use
destroy marriages, decimate families, and ruin lives?

In 1996, the national drug war suffered a serious setback when 56
percent of California voters cast ballots in favor of legalizing the
growing and use of marijuana for so-called "medical purposes." This
is all part of an overall strategy to make drug use more acceptable
to the general public.

A shocking report by the Government Accountability Office released
just last month showed quite clearly the scope of the problem. The
report indicated that more than 50 government agencies are working on
trying to combat illegal drug use in the U.S., yet they are having
little effect on the overall production and consumption of illegal drugs.

Those who are looking to the federal government to single-handedly
solve the problem of illegal drug use have to be demoralized at this
point. The fact is, after three decades, the feds are no closer to
eradicating narcotics use than they were at the beginning. If we
truly care about protecting our children from the scourge of drug
abuse, we need to act locally.

It all begins with the family. Believe it or not, children do listen
to what their parents have to say-and they follow their parents'
example. Any parent who uses illegal drugs is doing a disservice to
his or her children. If children receive a strong anti-drug message
at home, they are far less likely to experiment once they leave home.
Also, a strong, two-parent family who regularly goes to church may be
the best defense against drug abuse. Children turn to drugs as an
escape in order to avoid the troubles in their lives. They are far
better able to cope when they have both a Mom and a Dad around whom
they can depend on.

Churches can also be a powerful weapon in the war on drugs. It has
been shown that people of faith are less likely to turn to drugs in
an effort to fulfill their inner-longings. By offering hope-not only
to the child who's never tested drugs but also to the addict who's
trying to kick the habit, churches can help to rescue our culture
from a drugged-out fate.

As a last line of defense, we should look to the schools in our
communities-both public and private. They have a vested interest in
keeping their student body drug-free. Schools must re-double their
drug education efforts. After all, the media routinely spout a
pro-drug line-it is up to teachers and principals to counteract the
myths with the truth. We can beat drugs-but we have to do it
house-by-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood. We cannot afford to
lose another generation to the traumatic cycle of drugs and violence.