SOUTH MISSISSIPPI SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO DRUG SCOURGE

It has been two years since The Sun Herald launched a continuing
series of articles labeled "Fighting Back." That theme starts with the
philosophy that the community, and this newspaper, will not accept
defeat in the ongoing battle with drug abuse in South Mississippi.

It is a high-stakes conflict with nothing less than the lives and
futures of our youth at stake. We must continue to stay focused on the
subject, because it never goes away. We may ignore it for a while, but
the hard reality is that those who profit from the widespread
distribution of the full range of addictive substances are unrelenting
in their efforts to connect with as many of our children as possible.

Red Ribbon Week is a time designated each year for an intense focus to
be placed on this problem, and today begins a week of articles in The
Sun Herald examining the drug problems in our part of the world, but
also the incredible efforts to combat drug problems here.

The headline on Red Ribbon Week 2004 is that while we continue to face
significant challenges, there is a lot of positive news relating to
the "Fighting Back" spirit that is evident across South
Mississippi.

One of the most promising signs of success is spotlighted in Robin
Fitzgerald's front-page article today telling of Long Beach's
magnificent effort to deal with what could only be viewed as an
epidemic of drug-related deaths among the city's young people.

By 2002 Long Beach was recording the highest per capita death rate
from drug overdoses in Harrison County, with six of the county's 46
deaths from among its 17,000 residents.

A task force of Long Beach citizens took up the cause of their youth
and now their efforts have spread across Harrison County. Drug-related
deaths are down significantly and the number of students who admit to
drug use has been reduced.

We can by no means declare victory, however. The articles you will
read this week will detail the serious problems confronting those in
the "Fighting Back" brigades. Alcohol, crack cocaine, heroin, meth,
and all the rest are out there in abundance, and their effect on our
young people, families and communities is profound.

An advisory board of students, law enforcement, educators, religious
leaders and others active in the civic life of South Mississippi has
met with Sun Herald editors and reporters through the summer to help
the newspaper understand the scope of the problem. They also have told
us about the many fine programs which are under way to combat the
malignancy of drugs here.

We are extremely appreciative of all that these citizens do,
especially for their help in this week's special series of articles.

The purpose of the week and the articles is to allow the community,
parents, students - all of us - to take a few days to try to
understand the seriousness of this problem. But our articles aren't
just about wringing our hands and saying "look how bad things are."

Those who are in the trenches of this battle every day share ideas on
how we can "Fight Back" and, in time, win the battle.

The stakes are simply too high - and losing is not an option - so we
urge all of our readers to read the articles, discuss the solutions
with family and friends, and, finally, to roll up your sleeves and
join the fight.