Pubdate: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT) Copyright: 2002 The Salt Lake Tribune Contact: http://www.sltrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383 Author: Rebecca Walsh ROCKY TARGETS DRUGS, BOOZE Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson Says He Is Misunderstood His attempts to enliven downtown with outdoor dining, an entertainment district and longer club hours have been condensed into one salient word: booze. Anderson's criticism of liquor laws and insistence that hot toddies be served at a City Hall Olympic party didn't help. Tired of being tagged the state's unofficial alcohol and drugs ambassador - -- a plight he blames on the news media and critics -- the mayor has formed his own think tank to prove otherwise. "Both of my parents died of smoking-caused emphysema, and my father struggled with alcoholism for much of his life," he says. "Substance abuse inflicts huge amounts of personal suffering and generates enormous societal costs. I'm as opposed to alcohol and drug abuse as anyone." To back that claim, Anderson has cobbled together a 21-member Drug and Alcohol Policy Task Force -- made up of allies and former detractors -- that will meet monthly to discuss school prevention programs, treatment, incarceration and public awareness. At year's end, the task force will draft a "white paper" of recommendations for the mayor to implement. The goal is to reduce drug, alcohol and tobacco use. Earnest and intense about his idea, Anderson insists the group is not simply a political ploy. "This has nothing to do with image," Anderson said. "It's the mayor's job to improve quality of life in our community. I don't know of anything more relevant than boosting the health and welfare of residents by reducing substance abuse." Just this week, he asked Mothers Against Drunk Driving legislative lobbyist Jaynie Brown -- who loudly criticized Anderson's entertainment district proposal -- to join. Brown, whose 4-month-old grandson, Matthew, was killed by a drunken driver who rammed into his parents' car, wasn't sure where the mayor stood. Now, Brown says, she and Anderson actually see eye to eye. "After showing him the cold hard facts, we agreed," she says. Anderson has enlisted DUI victims, parents of drug addicts, law enforcement and homeless-service providers. Besides Brown, other committee members include alcohol watchdog George Van Komen, City Prosecutor Sim Gill, Pamela Atkinson of the Homeless Outreach Team and Maj. Wayne Froderberg of the Salvation Army. Task force member Jack Plumb, whose son Andy died of a heroine overdose six years ago at age 22, calls himself the "fall off the truck" member. But his personal perspective is critical to the group. "In a way, it's dirty laundry if our kids use drugs," Plumb says. "We need to put a face on this issue. People don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed. We're losing more kids to overdoses than we are in car accidents. We need to be aware that it's a fact of our lives." Plumb hopes the mayor's task force can publicize and cut the stigma of drug overdoses -- the No. 1 killer of Salt Lake County males ages 15 to 44 from 1991 to 1999. Karol Kumpfer, former director of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, agrees. "We know what stops drug use. We just need more scientific, effective programs," she says. "We need to fill in the gaps." Kumpfer, a professor in the University of Utah's Department of Health Promotion and Education whose work Anderson quoted when he dumped DARE, notes that adolescent marijuana use jumped 85 percent from 1992 to 1997 -- matching the highest point of youth marijuana use set in 1979. The mayor's goal is to cut youth drug use to those numbers of a decade ago. Task force members know the limits of their power. Salt Lake City typically is not a forum for setting drug policy. Congress and state lawmakers do that. And Salt Lake County and the state dispense more money for treatment. Kumpfer acknowledges Anderson probably will need money at some point to implement the group's ideas. Still, she says, the mayor's initiative is on target. "This has to be done at the community level," Kumpfer says. "If you're going to make changes, you have to make them at the local level to have an impact. We're putting all of it together." And Luciano Colonna, director of the Harm Reduction Project, figures Anderson's initiative could spark wider reforms. "What the city can do to set drug policies is obviously very limited," he says. "But you've got some smart and caring people who just want to improve the overall health of the community, reduce crime and really take a look at fiscal responsibility. The war on drugs is very expensive. And it doesn't seem like the war is being fought in the most efficient way. At the very least, it's going to raise community awareness." Even Councilman Carlton Christensen, typically a skeptic of Salt Lake City taking on any social services, is withholding judgment. "The goals are admirable," he says. "These issues go beyond our municipal boundaries. It's certainly worth taking a look at. Until they try, they might not really know what they can do." Plumb insists any collaborative effort is a good thing. "Are we going to solve it? Heavens no," Plumb says. "None of us are capable of changing the world or getting people to stop using. But if we at least acknowledge the fact that we have a problem, we can affect change. If we can come up with a direction, that's the most positive thing I've heard since my loss six years ago." Drug and Alcohol Policy Task Force: Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake City mayor George Van Komen, head of the Utah Alcohol Policy Coalition Dagmar Vitek, deputy director of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department Jack Plumb, concerned parent Bruce Parsons, University of Utah professor Teddi Velardi, Salvation Army Jerry Harris, substance-abuse treatment provider Wayne Froderberg, Salvation Army major Joel Millard, Project Reality Karol Kumpfer, former director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Pamela Atkinson, Homeless Outreach Team Kelly Lundberg, University of Utah professor Michael Crookston, LDS Hospital physician Larry Peterson, substance-abuse treatment provider Joy Erickson, American Heart Association Allan Ainsworth, Wasatch Homeless Health Care Sim Gill, Salt Lake City prosecutor Luciano Colonna, Harm Reduction Project Gary Baker, Cornerstone Counseling Jaynie Brown, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Joshua Ewing, Salt Lake City communications director - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel