Pubdate: February 18, 1998 Source: The Aegis Contact: Letters to the Editor, 10 Hays Street, P.O. Box 189, Bel Air, MD 21014-0189 ALTERNATIVE TO DRUG TIP-LINE In the February 3 of the Aegis, were two letters protesting an Aegis January 21 front-page article headlined "1-888-to help bust your friends" as an unappreciated attempt at humor. But the tragic truth hinted at by the humor is apparent to me and viewpoints different from those of the proponents for our present drug policy need to be heard. In middle and high school, students bond into bands with some students moving more-or-less freely from one band to at least one other band. Social interaction promotes appreciation and understanding of other students. On the other hand, isolated students can foment tragedies, as occurred at a school where a student shot and killed fellow students. The use of the reward tip-line will encourage more secrecy. More restricted communications will increase isolation of bands and their individual members, possibly increasing drug use. Non-using students must avoid being setup by budding entrepreneurs or enemies for the $1000 reward. The world becomes a more hard-edged nasty place to live in. At the same time such implicit prohibitions can increase the allure of the forbidden fruit for some of the most skeptical and adventurous of our youth. Do we want to misdirect the flower of our youth? If one of our children is arrested, the chances of being jailed with violent adult offenders are rising with "get tough" legislation that has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. A child is eight times more likely to commit suicide in an adult jail than in a juvenile detention center. What should we do then? Decriminalize drugs thereby destroying the thriving black market where our underage youth are procuring drugs mixed even with cement. Marijuana is sometimes sprayed with harmful weed-killers supplied by our government. But decriminalization will not occur for several years, not until people discover that to win the war on drugs America would need to become one of the evil empires that we have decried. Meanwhile and even after decriminalization of drugs arrives, the family, community, and the schools must instill hope, meaning, and a purpose to our children's lives. We must also demand that they behave in a civil respectful manner to both their elders and their peers. For us to do otherwise would constitute neglect. The present drug policy is not only a cornerstone in the edifice of our neglect but also forms a wedge between the young and the old. We can give them a real world that is more attractive than the virtual world offered by heavy use of drugs and alcohol. Sincerely,Kevin Fansler