PRIVATE AGONY PUBLIC

The growing problem of prescription drug abuse has come painfully home to
Gov. Bush and his family with the arrest this week of his daughter Noelle
on charges of prescription drug fraud.

It is unfortunate that the family's private agony must be hung out for all
the world to know, but in his position as governor of the state and brother
of the president, such exposure is inevitable. Certainly it would be wrong
to exploit the incident for political purposes or to harshly judge the
Bushes. As any parent knows, there are no guarantees against risky, foolish
behavior by young people.

Perhaps Noelle Bush's case will lead to a better understanding of and more
effective treatment for prescription drug addiction. The anti- anxiety drug
Xanax, which she is accused of impersonating a doctor to receive, is just
one of several on the list of frequently-abused prescription drugs. In
Manatee County and elsewhere, the painkiller OxyContin is a health threat
to an alarming number of people from all walks of life, according to
officials at Manatee Glens.

The governor could use his family's experience and political clout to
ensure that prescription drug bills now being considered in the Legislature
are as effective as possible. Certainly the prescription of such drugs must
be tightly controlled, especially those proven to be addictive. But as
Manatee Glens reported last year, more funds are needed to treat the flood
of people addicted to them. Merely putting people in jail won't cure their
addiction. They need effective treatment to overcome the addiction -
treatment for which there is not enough money.

Noelle Bush, unfortunately, is a symptom of a much larger problem. Perhaps
her case will ensure that Florida faces up to it.