DRUG USE IS DECLINING

In a letter printed Sept. 16, the writer states "Today, more young children
and teenagers use drugs on a regular basis than ever before."

Where did the letter writer get her facts? According to the National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse by the Department of Health and Human
Services, illicit drug use declined from 14 percent of American adults in
1979 to 6 percent in 1996. According to the Partnership For A Drug-Free
America, drug use by children 12 to 17 has declined sharply since 1998.

The writer stated "Students in after school activities do use drugs." In a
document titled "Adolescent Time Use, Risky Behavior and Outcomes: An
Analysis of National Data" prepared for the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, the following conclusion was presented: "Students who
participated in band, orchestra, chorus, or in a school play or musical
were significantly less likely than non-participants to engage in nearly
all the problem behaviors: dropping out of school, being arrested, becoming
smokers, using drugs, or engaging in binge drinking."

The study also found "Students who reported spending no time in
school-sponsored activities were 57 percent more likely to have dropped out
by the time they would have been seniors; 49 percent more likely to have
used drugs; 37 percent more likely to have become teen parents; 35 percent
more likely to have smoked cigarettes; and 27 percent more likely to have
been arrested."

The only hope we have is to encourage, not discourage, participation in
after-school activities. Mandatory drug testing has been shown to
discourage participation in these activities.

In my previous letter I quoted US News and World Reports as saying it would
cost about $70,000 a year to test 75 students a week. This was based on a
cost of $25 per test. I have since talked with Gerald Harrison with the
Conway Schools and was told that they are planning to spend only $6,000
this year on testing. He said the test will cost $16 each. $6,000 divided
by $16 per test means that they plan on only doing 375 tests this year.

Mr. Harrison said that they will test three times this year, so that will
be about 125 students each test. That is about 3 percent of the total of
4,000 students in the four schools where testing will take place. How much
of a deterrent is a 3 percent chance of getting caught? Once testing is
complete, you have a 0 percent chance of getting caught until next quarter
when testing will happen again.

I still feel that our tax money would be better spent hiring teachers to
run an after-school program focused on music and drama that would be open
to all students, no questions asked. At least there are studies to indicate
this approach works to keep kids away from drugs without infringing on
anyone's rights or modesty.

Michael Conine, Conway