WHITE HOUSE AIMS TO COMBAT TEEN DRUG USE WITH FAITH

WASHINGTON -- Several Jewish groups are supporting a new federal
program aimed at helping faith-based institutions fight drug and
alcohol abuse.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy on Thursday
announced a new program that targets synagogues and churches,
encouraging them to focus on preventing youth drug use, specifically
of marijuana.

"This tool kit is going to be a lifesaver for churches that don't know
how to talk to kids about the subject, but want to," said Jim Towey,
director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives.

The campaign's slogan, one of a series, is "Faith. The
Anti-Drug."

While many Jewish groups have opposed the Bush administration's
interest in faith-based initiatives, claiming they blur the line
between church and state, several Jewish groups, including the United
Jewish Communities and the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, are
involved in the drug project, entitled "Pathways to Prevention:
Guiding Youth to Wise Decisions."

"We are concerned about government funding of sectarian material, but
this is not the case at all," said Rabbi Eric Lankin, director of
religious and educational activities at UJC, the umbrella organization
of the Jewish federation system.

He said Jewish communities should utilize the material the government
is providing and craft Jewish material to complement it.

"We need to realize this is no longer a gentile problem," said Lankin,
who claimed marijuana use is rising among Jewish teenagers. "We need
to be much more aggressive."

John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, said the program is an acknowledgment that faith plays
a large role in many teenagers' lives, and that drug prevention
programs utilizing faith can be effective.

"We are trying to recognize that we need to find more people pathways
to recovery that are right for them," Walters said.

Not everyone agrees. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, argues that a "merger"
between government and faith institutions is unconstitutional.

"The Bush administration seems to think there's a 'faith-based'
solution to every social and medical problem in America," Lynn said.
"The project announced today is one very small part of a larger
crusade that raises troubling constitutional concerns."

Lynn cited Walters' recent appearance at a "Teen Challenge" facility
whose treatment program includes conversion to fundamentalist
Christianity. Walters said the program does not take government
funding and is part of a diverse network that offers drug counseling.

Lankin said UJC and other Jewish groups are well aware of the
constitutional concerns about faith-based issues, but are trying to
work with the government without crossing that line.

"It's very easy to say no," he said. "It's very sophisticated to
create a nuanced response."

Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious Action Center for
Reform Judaism, an opponent of federal funding of faith-based
initiatives, said he does not see a problem with the new program, but
worries that it will be only a temporary measure before funding is
moved toward faith-based programs.

"It does indeed seem like something that would be appropriate," he
said. "But it's unlikely that today's announcement is the last we'll
hear on this subject."