SOME FIRSTHAND ADVICE FROM EX-DRUG ABUSERS

BOSTON -- By the age of 14, Jessica Valenti was an experienced drug user.

Beginning as young as 12, the Framingham native began experimenting with
drugs like marijuana and Ecstasy, and often skipped school and partied into
the wee hours of the morning.

These days, however, Jessica, 18, is drug free, an early graduate of
Framingham High School, and is attending classes at the Blaine Beauty School.

With her mother, Robin, by her side, the teen last night told the story of
how she managed to turn her life around.

As part of a town-hall-style meeting, Jessica and her mother told their
story to well over 100 teens, parents and community leaders from around the
state.

The forum was taped as part of a joint effort by Comcast Cable and "Court
TV," and will be shown on Comcast cable stations.

With drugs like OxyContin and other prescription drugs gaining in
popularity, and the use of drugs like heroin on the rise, it is more
important than ever for parents to talk about drugs with their children,
Stephen Passierb, president of the Partnership for a Drug Free America,
said last night.

More and more parents, though, are not.

Recent studies have found that a growing number of parents who came of age
in the late 1970s, and now are parents of middle-school-aged children, have
never addressed the issue.

One recent study found the number of parents who had never discussed drugs
with their children had doubled in the last decade, from 6 percent to 12
percent, he said.

"They're not talking to their kids about drugs," he said. "Most kids don't
do drugs but, more importantly, most kids don't want to do drugs."

Without the efforts of parents like Robin Valenti, though, that could change.

It was largely through her mother's constant efforts, Jessica said, she was
able to stop using drugs and turn her life around.

Just as she was entering middle school, Jessica explained, her grandmother
- - who had been a virtual second mother to her - passed away. At the same
time, the then 12-year-old fell in with a group of friends who began
experimenting with marijuana, and eventually Ecstasy.

Two years later, Robin Valenti was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the
midst of her battle with the disease, she was approached by Bill Phillips,
president of New Beginnings, a Framingham-based agency working on drug
awareness.

With Phillips' encouragement, Robin confronted her daughter about her drug
use, and over time was able to get the message through.

"(At first) the more she yelled, the more I did (drugs)," Jessica said.
"But the more they talked, the more I saw what was going on."

Among those who applauded the efforts of parents like Valenti last night
was Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

"(We need to) allow people with the firsthand experience about what needs
to be done to speak out," she said. "We can't know how to help you...unless
you tell us."

Simply having government officials admonish people not to use drugs just
does not make sense, Healey said.

"That's not how we make good policy," she said. "This seems like an
opportunity, if we can get the discussion going, maybe we can take a
different approach."

Ultimately, though, the solution to the problem will come down to parents
and teens talking across dinner tables or in living rooms.

"It surprises me when parents ask what should I say to my kids," Phillips said.

"They're your kids -- you love them. It shouldn't be that hard."