DUTY TO FIGHT DRUG SCOURGE IS EVERYONE'S

THE BALTIMORE Believe campaign has been running for several weeks. Calls
for drug treatment to the Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, the
quasi-public entity that oversees Baltimore's publicly funded treatment
programs, are at record levels. Most people thus far are being referred for
treatment. Thousands have signed a "Declaration of Independence From Drugs"
that commits them to help improve life in Baltimore. People in growing
numbers are taking to heart the campaign's two key messages:

- -- Everyone living or working in the region bears some responsibility for
Baltimore's drug epidemic.

- -- Everyone needs to do at least one thing to combat this scourge.

But there are still some folks who don't believe that this campaign's
message is meant for them. Some of these people think their lives are far
removed from what has too often been portrayed as an inner city problem
afflicting mostly African-Americans. They are in denial.

At least as many individuals addicted to illicit drugs live in the four
neighboring counties of Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel and Carroll as live
within the Baltimore City limits. According to the National Household
Survey on Drug Abuse, blacks and whites use illegal drugs at similar rates.
And although stories abound of drug- and violence-ridden inner city
schools, children attending public and private schools in those four
counties actually use drugs at higher rates than Baltimore City public
school kids.

There is a disparity in drug-related arrests between rich and poor, but
this is largely a function of economics: Poor addicts steal and sometimes
resort to violence to support their habits. But drug use cuts across all
socioeconomic classes because some people, regardless of wealth or
background, have a genetic predisposition to addiction.

This means that drug addiction afflicts physicians, lawyers and other
professionals, just as it does poor people. In fact, according to a recent
New York Times article, between 4 percent and 6 percent of all doctors in
the United States become addicted to drugs, and 10 percent to 15 percent
abuse alcohol -- rates similar to those found in the general population.
And most of us don't have to look far to find substance abusers in our own
family or circle of friends.

The other people who don't accept the campaign messages are those who
believe that all of society's other problems must be resolved before
rampant drug addiction and drug-related violence can be addressed.

I strongly agree that everyone should have adequate, affordable housing,
comprehensive health coverage and a decent job with a livable wage. But I
also know that if we wait for all of this to happen before taking action to
alleviate the pain and dire social consequences of substance abuse, there
may be nothing left of Baltimore to save.

Increased drug treatment and smarter policing may not be a panacea, but
they have helped achieve remarkable reductions in crime and improvements in
health indicators in Baltimore in the past two years. To not believe we can
make a difference, to neglect to do all that we can right now while waiting
for a utopian society would be a tragic mistake and terribly unfair to
those who would benefit from our help today.

So what can people do to help save Baltimore from the cancer of illegal drugs?

First, everyone must remove his or her blinders. This may be easier for
city residents who drive past desolated neighborhoods, but the county
resident whose brother or coworker drives to the city every few days to
supply his habit needs to accept this fact as well.

Second, if you or someone you're close to has a substance abuse problem,
get help. We have not yet achieved treatment on demand, but Narcotics
Anonymous and other support programs can be a lifeline to people waiting
for treatment.

Finally, if we are ever truly to make permanent inroads against the drug
problem, we must keep Baltimore's children from becoming drug users.

To make this happen, average adults must take time from their busy lives to
engage in intensive, long-term, age-appropriate relationships with young
people and teach them positive alternatives to drug use.

Believe it -- drugs are killing not only Baltimore City, but also the
greater metropolitan area.

Believe it -- substance abuse is already a major problem in your
neighborhood, your workplace and in your child's school.

But most of all, believe that you can do something about it, because if
you're not, you're helping to destroy our region.