PREVENTING DRUG USE

To the Editor:

Re "With Court Nod, Parents Debate School Drug Tests" (front page, Sept. 29):

The best way to deter teenage drug use is a community-based approach
involving parents, schools and the police. The goal is not to punish users
but to get the drug use out into the open, where it can be dealt with. Once
exposed, the behavior will often stop. Those who persist in using drugs can
be referred for treatment and made accountable for completing it.

Parents should have the primary responsibility for testing and follow-through.

A community-based approach puts pressure on delinquent parents to start
acting responsibly.

Ted Sohn, Dumont, N.J., Sept. 29, 2002