THE EDITORS: KEEP EYES ON TEEN VICES, OFFICIALS SAY

Despite positive news that the teen drinking and smoking rates in Lucas
County are declining, it would be a mistake to divert attention and
resources from avoidance efforts, local prevention officials say.

When rates declined nationally in the 1980s, resources dried up, and rates
shot back up by the mid-1990s, according to Nancy Rice, director of
prevention services for the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of
Lucas County.

"We hope not to make that same mistake again," she said during taping of
The Editors television program. The show is hosted by Thomas Walton and
Marilou Johanek.

Mr. Walton is vice president-editor of The Blade, and Ms. Johanek is a
member of the paper's editorial board. The two, along with Ms. Rice and Dr.
Bill Ivoska, discussed the recently released results of an ADAS board
survey that showed smoking rates, and most other drug-use rates, in Lucas
County teens have reached their lowest levels since the survey began in 1990.

The show will be broadcast at 9 tonight on WGTE TV, Channel 30, and at
12:30 p.m. Sunday on WBGU-TV, Channel 27.

In the ADAS survey, 29.2 percent of Lucas County 12th graders said they
smoked in the last month, which is down from a high of 42.4 percent in
1996. Marijuana use among 12th graders in the last month was 25.8 percent,
down from 30.1 percent in 1996.

Dr. Ivoska, who began the survey 12 years ago, said study results show that
newer types of drug abuse are emerging, such as the abuse of OxyContin and
Ecstasy. He said the "war on drugs" mind-set is too simplistic because
fighting drug abuse is a "drug-by-drug issue."