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1984
By PETER B. BENSINGER
The drive to control drugs has been well described by Vice President Bush as a marathon, but in this race no one party or branch of government can hope to capture all the glory. It is tempting to herald new initiatives or to announce large-scale arrests - I know because I made my fair share of such announcements when I headed the Drug Enforcement Administration. The real breakthrough will come when Congress, the Administration, our courts and foreign governments, backed by citizens, overseas and here, become fed up with the violence, corruption, intimidation, health and safety hazards, accidents and deaths produced by our $100 billion a year, selfinflicted disease. Cocaine abuse is at record levels, with more than four million regular users. Importation of heroin, deaths from overdoses and injuries are climbing again. Marijuana use is still unacceptably widespread, with one out of 10 Americans smoking marijuana at least once a month even though today's marijuana is 5 to 10 times as powerful and dangerous as that of 10 years ago. Pills, abused by 10 million Americans, still kill more people than heroin and cocaine. What can we do? Education and information. Our children make major health decisions before they are 12 years old: whether to smoke, to drink or to use drugs. Information on drugs and alcohol must be communicated early and effectively, through knowledgeable teachers who understand the gateway that leads from experimentation to dependency. Drug education in primary school is essential, and all teachers, not just science teachers, should reinforce this information. In 1982, the Surgeon General issued a report on marijuana, citing specific health hazards. Just recently, it was reported that 63 percent of high school seniors believe use of marijuana is harmful, compared with 35 percent in 1978. There is a direct and significant connection here. We need another Surgeon General's report on cocaine and greater education on poly-drug use - mixing different drugs and drugs and alcohol. And medical school curriculums must include instruction in the abusive aspects of prescription drugs. Enforcement. Colombia is the principal source of illegal drugs in the United States. If the drug faucet is left on there, we will continue to get buried in dope no matter how many planes and radar screens are placed on our borders. Colombia must destroy illegal crops before they are harvested, as was successfully accomplished in Mexico. If Colombia doesn't change, we could consider revoking most-favored-nation trade status for its principal exports, coffee and flowers. Lack of consistency and certainty of punishment in the United States is one reason for our high crime rate. Because of unrealistically low bail, traffickers become fugitives rather than stand trial. (There are now 2,950 fugitives, while there are only 2,100 Drug Enforcement Administration agents.) Seizures of assets from traffickers should be used extensively by states as well as the Government. Private-sector efforts. Drugs in the workplace affect the health and safety of employees and the public. Employers are beginning to recognize the tremendous cost of drug and alcohol abuse: $65 billion per year in productivity, lives lost, futures for- feited and unnecessary accidents. More companies must face this problem and provide employee education, supervisory training and employee assistance programs to curb substance abuse on and off the job. Trade associations and such groups as the Jaycees and the Chamber of Commerce should develop policy guides on drug and alcohol abuse for their members. Use of television. Parents spend an average of 14 minutes a day with their children. Students watch 10,000 hours of TV before graduating from high school. Where do they get their values? From shows like ''Dynasty'' and ''Saturday Night Live,'' where drugs, sex and booze permeate the living room? The TV industry should not delude itself into thinking that a documentary on cocaine or angel dust can offset the constant glamorization of drugs. Communications companies using the public airwaves should provide entertainment that is consistent with health and research information. For a decrease in drug abuse to be sustained, government, parents, schools, industry, the courts and television must all contribute. When enough of us care to change what goes on in our homes, schools, factories and offices, what we watch on TV and what we put up with on our streets, a consistent and overpowering commitment will take hold, and our children and this country's future will be the better for it. The TimesMachine archive viewer is a subscriber-only feature. Peter B. Bensinger, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 1976 to 1981, is a consultant specializing in drug and alcohol abuse in government and industry. The TimesMachine archive viewer is a subscriber-only feature. We are continually improving the quality of our text archives. Please send feedback, error reports, and suggestions to
[email protected]. A version of this op-ed appears in print on June 15, 1984, on Page A00027 of the National edition with the headline: WAYS TO STOP DRUGS.
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