THE METH SCOURGE

This nation's enormous drug and violence problems are a direct result of
our government's failure to curb the wide-spread, sustained demand for
drugs. America's children get an early introduction to mind-altering,
addictive substances. Since drug use by schoolchildren is a major national
health crisis, we advocate that Congress soon mandate the legal, effective
and popular strategy of random student drug testing. It is a widely used,
proven method to deter kids' drug use and to identify--solely for treatment
purposes--those currently using dangerous drugs. Such a public-health
response to America's meth and other drug problems is warranted by the
failure of education, interdiction and punitive criminal-justice strategies
to eliminate this national health crisis.

DeForest Rathbone, Chairman

National Institute of Citizen Anti-Drug Policy

Great Falls, Va.