THROUGH A TEACHER'S EYES

I have spent much of the last two months trying to convince my
advanced writing students who are majoring in various fields of
science including particle physics, engineering, neuroscience,
biology and pre-med that scientists need to recognize they must know
how to communicate with numerous audiences if they are to succeed and
make a difference once they have broken new ground through research.
I have become more vigilant and regularly search for examples of
recently published professional articles and their public audience
mates so they can see the social nature of their disciplines. If the
citizenry is to be well informed about health matters and other
crucial subjects, experts should do all or most of the informing.

Recently, I was excited to see Britain's medical journal "The Lancet"
once again in the news, and, although I will have to wait to read its
article on cannabis when it comes out later this week, I had a sneak
peak in the U.K.'s "The Independent." Written by Jonathan Jones,
"Cannabis: An Apology" expresses the regrets of the daily rag for
campaigning for the decriminalization of marijuana as recently as
1997. Knowing now what the Lancet will be revealing - the popular
green weed is more dangerous today than LSD and ecstasy - the paper
has revisited its decision. Apparently close to 11,000 of U.K. teens
under 18 have paid the price this past year and are suffering from
psychosis and mental illness similar to that brought on by cocaine and heroin.

On Sunday night a reprint of a Lancet article made available two
weeks ago at HBO's premiere showing of "Addiction" at the State House
accompanied other articles and handouts on drug treatment and
recovery on my dining room table when I hosted a dinner party for 14
close friends. The event included a viewing of the supplementary
piece "The South Boston Drug Court" that aired on HBO, followed by a
short discussion and question-and-answer period. On Saturday night,
my husband and I attended a similar event with my daughter and her
husband in Framingham where guests viewed the centerpiece of the
documentary film as well and then discussed the growing drug problem
facing urban and suburban Americans. Judging from the reactions of
those in attendance at both events, this documentary is worthwhile.
All Americans and the Brits as well can benefit from watching all or
part of the ambitious multi-part documentary that is now available
online at www.HBO.com.

In the South Boston Drug Court episode that runs for 20 minutes,
recovering addict Joseph MacDonald's mother Karen says, "This drug
(heroin) is death at your doorstep." A role model for other parents
who are struggling with youngsters who are battling addiction, Karen
admits in front of her son she has often called the police and asked
them to arrest him because she knew no other way to stop him from
killing himself on the drug. Joey admits once he was even handcuffed
while he was sleeping in his own bed at home. During the first 10
minutes of the drug court segment a rap song, "Drug Problems,"
written and performed by Chris Matacunus, whose mother works in the
probation division of the Southie Court, cuts in: "Greetings from
South Boston where things have been better. We got a real bad drug
problem; parents are fed up...and off he goes always blowing his
nose; he has holes in his sneakers and holes in his toes and holes in
his arms but nobody notices because he wears long sleeves where ever
he goes..." The song reminds us that all too often it is easier not
to notice or to try to convince ourselves that our children or loved
ones are different from everyone else. If they use they are not
addicted but they are simply recreationally experimenting. It is only
other people's kids and loved ones who are addicts. However, the
centerpiece of the documentary debunks this kind of thinking and
demonstrates the impact that drugs have on the brains of users.

According to Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the federal
government's National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is "a
disease of the brain that translates into abnormal behavior." "It's
about being educated about this drug (heroin)," explains Karen
MacDonald. From what I have seen in the HBO documentary she might be
right. Since there are more heroin users in the Northeast than
anywhere else in our country, perhaps it is time for local school
officials to tap this documentary and provide opportunities for
parents and teenagers to come together to view and later discuss what
they have seen and learned.

Carol Ziemian teaches writing at Northeastern University. Her column
appears in the Daily News Transcript on Wednesday.