DRUG DEALERS TARGET YOUNGER CLIENTELE

People who rail against Big Tobacco ought to save some of that ire for
purveyors of illegal drugs.

One of the more unforgivable sins of the tobacco industry in the minds of
many was marketing, like the infamous Joe Camel, that appealed to children.

In Mexico, drug traffickers have gone beyond that and are selling directly
to children, according to authorities.

Acapulco police report that dealers use the traditional stands that sell
cups of fruit and gum outside schools for cover, and hide drugs in the
snack packages. Mexico City police have arrested nine people outside of
elementary and midschools, confiscating pre-packaged amounts of cocaine
half the size sold to adults. They even seem to be using introductory
pricing, ranging from the equivalent of $1.20 to $1.80, for the kid-size
packets, according to police.

An elementary school student who becomes addicted to cocaine may generate
larger profits for drug lords further down the sordid road, or prove useful
in other ways.

North of the border, meanwhile, there's a renewed federal push to remind
parents and minors of the dangers of marijuana.

More teens enter rehabilitation centers to treat marijuana addiction than
for addiction to alcohol or to all other illegal drugs combined, according
to John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In case that's insufficient to rally foes of Big Tobacco to the cause, he
pointed out that a marijuana cigarette poses many of the same physical
health hazards as tobacco -- in greater concentration. Pot has three to
five times more tar and carbon monoxide than tobacco.

It must seem obvious to drug dealers that an impressionable, young
clientele provides the best long-term market prospects. Just as obviously,
education and enforcement efforts should strive to give our children the
strongest possible protection.