FORGET SCARE TACTICS, TELL TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

The decision of the Groton Dunstable Regional School Committee to continue
searching their children for illegal drugs with dogs two years after a youth
survey showed many high school students were being offered or sold illegal
drugs on campus is not addressing the crux of the issue, which is the total
futility of our approach to addressing the drug issue ("Policy keeps dog
search provision," Globe NorthWest, Feb. 13).

When my children were in high school 25 years ago, dogs were not used
to intimidate and instill fear in them for using drugs; parents had
that responsibility. And some parents who looked into illegal drug use
at that time found that they were not being told the truth about what
was then, and is still now, the most commonly used illegal drug --
marijuana.

The fact that 25 years later, my grandchildren are still no closer to
being told the truth about how all drugs affect their health and
well-being does not bode well for our current approach.

The truth is our children know more about the benefits and risks of
marijuana than their parents do. If the School Committee really wants
to keep kids off drugs, perhaps they ought to introduce curriculum on
how all drugs affect our health and well-being. God knows we have
plenty of them to study.

Jeanne M. Ferguson