PROJECT GOOD MOVE DRUG USE DECLINES

THE ISSUE: The Florence City Council has voted to match a grant for
Streetscape. WE SUGGEST: Streetscape should be continued and improved by
spreading it out along the Tennessee Street thoroughfare.

Of all the projects the city of Florence has undertaken in the past few
years, Streetscape may offer the most bang for the buck.

The first phase of the program, which involved installing new streetlights
and sprucing up sidewalks and crosswalks downtown, cost about $1 million.
It's made for a more attractive downtown area - both in the daytime and at
night.

The council voted recently to take the plan a little further. Thanks in
part to a grant, a little more than $800,000 will be spent to take the
project further.

The one drawback to the plan is that it concentrates so heavily on Court
Street. Tennessee Street - also heavily traveled and in the heart of the
city - had a few blocks renovated during the original plan. Officials would
do well to continue that work along that route, too.

And speaking of planning, discussion of whether to match the grant brought
up an important point. Some council members didn't realize the money had
been applied for, bringing a call for formalized procedures on grants and
matching funds.

Grant discussions should take place as part of any city's financial
planning. Since officials recently decided to do that on a long-term basis,
we hope they'll take the opportunity to include discussion of grant monies
in that planning. Knowing what matching monies are available up front
should help officials know whether it's worth the time and effort of
applying for grants for projects like Streetscape.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy counts the numbers
from a recent survey as an indication that drug-prevention efforts, along
with a number of other factors, have worked to lessen the nation's drug
problem among young people.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse survey questioned 44,000 students from
394 schools about alcohol and drugs.

Among eighth-graders, marijuana use is at its lowest since 1994, and half
as many eighth-graders reported using cigarettes as in 1996.

Although the survey found overall declines, teen use of heroin, cocaine and
steroids was fairly steady. Among seniors, use of sedatives and
tranquilizers increased slightly, as did crack use among 10th-graders.

Government health officials believe education campaigns are working among
the younger students.

Other factors may have played a role, too. The higher costs of tobacco,
less tobacco advertising and the negative publicity about the tobacco
industry may also be factors in the dramatic drop in smoking. So might peer
pressure. A growing number of young people said they would rather not date
a smoker.

If the cost of tobacco products is a factor, good. It makes it worthwhile
to continue substantial taxes on tobacco. While the cause-and-effect
relationship between education efforts and the decline may not be as easily
proved as the relationship between smoking, drinking and drug use and a
host of ill effects, there certainly is enough circumstantial evidence to
suggest those efforts should continue.