Pubdate: Wed, 31 Oct 2007
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2007 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Reena Szczepanski

SAY YES TO TEEN DRUG PREVENTION

Today, one person will likely die of a drug-related overdose 
somewhere in our state. A family is gathering to visit a loved one in 
prison on a drug charge. A new name is placed on a waiting list for a 
treatment program. A parent is having their parental rights 
terminated because of their untreated addiction. And tonight, a 
teenager at a party will have to make a decision: do I or don't I?

And today, community members and experts from around the state and 
the country are sharing and learning about effective drug education 
at "Building Positive Communities: A Public Health Approach to Teen 
Methamphetamine Prevention."

The conference, organized by the Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico and 
its partners, will wrap up today after providing current data, 
research and reality-based strategies for effective youth 
substance-abuse prevention programs to hundreds of attendees.

None of the programs being discussed cost millions of dollars. What 
is required is time and energy from community members, a focus on 
data and innovative programming, and a desire to build positive 
communities for our youth.

Several communities around New Mexico are implementing this approach 
already with great success and will be presenting their results at 
the conference. As a state, it's time to come together and take a 
hard look at how our communities handle substance abuse among our youth.

Honest, reality-based drug education is one part of the solution, and 
building relationships with our youth is paramount. For too long we 
have relied on a "just say no" approach which oversimplifies the 
complex lives our teenagers lead. Or worse yet, we have tried to 
terrify our youth with grotesquely embellished tales of addiction and abuse.

There's no need to exaggerate the difficulties that substance abuse 
can bring-just ask a young person whose parent has struggled with 
addiction. We can be honest with our youth without undermining their 
trust in us.

And if a young person develops an addiction problem or is caught 
using drugs, too many schools rely on punitive consequences such as 
exclusion from extracurricular activities, suspensions and 
expulsions. Without the structure of school and extracurricular 
programs, these high-risk youth may be left unattended and without 
any meaningful activities. This in turn can lead to more risky behavior.

When a young person has a problem with alcohol or other drugs, 
counseling and treatment should be our first resort. And restorative 
justice policies, which create structured opportunities for students 
to make amends, ensure that students who break rules do take 
responsibility but still remain part of the school community. We need 
to keep our youth in school to ensure their success in both their 
professional and their personal lives.

This conference is just the first component of the Drug Policy 
Alliance Meth Project. A social marketing campaign and regional 
training will roll out over the coming months.

Hundreds of New Mexicans are joining together to talk about 
methamphetamine because we care about our youth, and because we know 
that we can do better for them. We recognize that by collaborating 
and learning from our own communities, we can ensure that tomorrow is 
better than today for our youth struggling with issues related to 
substance abuse.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart