DRUG ABUSE: THE GOOD WORD

Perhaps youths are getting the clue about the perils of using drugs, alcohol
and cigarettes.

The latest annual Pride Survey says 22.3 percent of all students used
illicit drugs during the 2001-2002 academic year, the fewest since the
1993-94.

The percentages of students who said they drank alcohol or smoked the
previous year, at 65 percent and 36 percent respectively, rated the lowest
in the 15-year history of the survey.

The number of high school seniors who used illicit drugs during the previous
year fell from 41 percent to 37 percent.

The survey credits the encouragement and anti-drug messages of parents and
teachers as crucial factors in the results.

A key finding: In cases where students' teachers warned them to stay away
from drugs "a lot," 15 percent used drugs compared to 32 percent of the
students who said their teachers "never" talked to them about drugs.

The message to parents and teachers should be clear: What you say can make a
difference.