Drug testing of students, as well intentioned as it may be, is not a substitute for real, fact-based drug education. When we relegate our responsibility to teach our children about drugs to an agency such as the ONDCP (Office of Drug Control Policy) we can only cross our fingers and hope for the worst.

Any agency that relies on keeping people in the dark about drugs in order to cash its paycheck should not be the model here. (Have you seen the talking dog commercial?) If this is supposed to be the best way to teach our children about the dangers of drugs there is something seriously wrong.

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The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Morse v. Frederick, which decided that a high-school student who unfurled a banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" had no constitutional right to such speech, was sound and reflective of the welcome influence of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. The Court's 5-4 majority applied a healthy dose of common sense to existing law. This case is good news for the priority of order and instruction in public schools.

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Ironically, it's teamwork that helps gangs to deliver drugs and commit other, more heinous crimes. The challenge then before law enforcement is to outmaneuver gangs with more sophisticated networks and highly effective teamwork.

The Lehigh Valley was fortunate last year to receive a $2.5 million federal grant for a regional approach to fighting gangs whose proximity to Routes 222 and 22 made cocaine and heroine distribution easier. Law enforcement officials in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, Lancaster, Harrisburg and York - -- the Route 222 Corridor Anti-Gang Initiative -- dismantled the area's largest cocaine-trafficking ring.

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Recently, the nation's drug czar, John P. Walters, came to Philadelphia to urge schools to offer random - but voluntary - drug testing of students.

Walters, whose title is director of the National Office of Drug Control Policy, argues that young people who take drugs are more likely to engage in violent behavior and join gangs.

He said that "early use of marijuana" was an indication of future criminal behavior, sort of like that "check engine" light going on.

Teens who use drugs, particularly marijuana, are more likely to steal and experiment with other drugs and alcohol, compared to teens who don't, according to research Walter's agency cited.

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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - For years, the National Drug Intelligence Center has operated quietly on the upper floors of a former department store, with scores of employees authorized at the highest levels of government security.

But the Justice Department facility, which blends into the landscape of this once-thriving mill town 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, has long caught the attention of critics in Washington.

Watchdog groups and lawmakers have blasted it as a pet project of U.S. Rep. John Murtha, whose special funding requests , or earmarks , have sustained the center since it opened in his home district in the early 1990s.

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Justices Missed The Point Of Teen's Banner

A 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court chalked one up for school principals this week. In doing so, they tweaked the First Amendment. The justices upheld a Juneau, Alaska, principal's decision in 2002 to rip up a student's "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner and suspend him, saying she was justified because the sign promoted illegal drug use "at a school event."

To put it mildly, that's a stretch and ignores the history that preceded the incident: a bright, authority-challenging teenager who succeeded in getting under his principal's skin. It was hardly a danger so serious that warranted the tightening of student free speech rights.

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At a school event, court rightly finds in favor of principal over student's right to expression Thursday, June 28, 2007

We put adults in charge of schools and, while they don't always make the right decisions, it isn't in anyone's interest -- least of all students -- to undermine their authority.

The principal of the Juneau-Douglas High School in Alaska could have chosen to ignore student Joseph Frederick's unfurling of a banner, "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," at a school-sanctioned event. But she viewed it as encouraging illegal drugs and suspended Frederick.

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Supremes' Disturbing 1st Amendment Rulings

THE U.S. SUPREME Court's schizophrenic rulings on First Amendment issues this week reflect a troubling trend by the Roberts Court.

Most notably, the court has gutted the McCain-Feingold prohibitions against corporations and unions who would bankroll anti-candidate ads that are thinly disguised as issues ads. McCain-Feingold prohibits corporations or unions from financing ads that target specific candidates in the weeks just before an election.

The ruling defangs the bill's enforcement provisions by finding that its restrictions illegally curtail free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

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The school principal and the high court did the right thing. Every day, children die from illegal drugs - an issue far beyond free speech.

Among a slew of late-term U.S. Supreme Court decisions, there was at least one with which I found myself in agreement.

In the case Morse v. Frederick, an Alaska high school principal had decided to bar student Joseph Frederick from school for 10 days for waving a 14-foot banner emblazoned with this enigmatic message: "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." Frederick had unfurled the banner as the Olympic Torch passed through Juneau in 2002.

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The Fayette County Task Force is continuing its war on drugs at home with work from police officers and help from the community.

While the task force itself has been around, on and off, for years, as an organization operated by the state Attorney General's office, Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon took over the task force five years ago to provide a more intense approach to getting drugs off the streets.

"We're comprised of about 30 police officers employed in regional police departments," Vernon said.

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Monday's Supreme Court ruling in a highly publicized "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case involving an Alaska high school student probably will have little impact on student expression.

That's the opinion of an expert on the First Amendment in the wake of the eagerly awaited ruling.

Robert D. Richards, distinguished professor of journalism and law at Penn State University, had another question as well: what does the "bong hits" phrase actually mean?

The court declared that public schools can prohibit student speech advocating drug use.

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Camacho...says police held off on arrests to keep drug dealers in the dark.

Police say they put the smackdown on York City's street-level drug dealers and their customers during a two-month investigation that involved 11 police agencies and more than 50 officers.

"Operation Smackdown" recently wrapped up -- for now -- and culminated in 84 arrests for felony and misdemeanor drug offenses.

"We'll take the big guys, we'll take the little guys," York County District Attorney Stan Rebert said at a press conference yesterday.

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- -- What I read in or hear from the media about the National Drug Intelligence Center can only be characterized as either misinformation or disinformation.

It is difficult to ascertain whether this occurs because of benign ignorance of NDIC's assigned role within the counter-drug community, or more insidiously from petty partisan politics combined with interagency funding envy. (I have my idea as to the answer, and I will let the reader decide for him-or herself.) Unfortunately, since the perception of media reporting about NDIC, although inaccurate, is viewed as reality, both the reputation and employees of NDIC are continuously painted with a tarnished brush. I speak with some experience, as I am a retired Drug Enforcement Administration supervisory special agent with 30-plus years of narcotic enforcement experience - almost seven (1997-2004) of which were an assignment by the DEA to the NDIC.

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CARLISLE - The guesswork has been stripped from discussions about drug and alcohol abuse in Cumberland Valley School District.

Yearly student surveys gauge the level of substance abuse among sixth- to 12th-graders. Weekly random urine screening for illicit drugs as well as random breath tests for alcohol can reveal violations by high school students. And middle-schoolers' parents have been offered guides to identify drugs and kits to test their children.

Now, the focus will be on rehabilitating students. The district is hiring a substance abuse counselor to improve students' chances of overcoming problems and graduating.

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Editor, the Record:

Please bear with me and keep an open mind. A long while ago we lost the war on illegal alcohol and we are now badly losing the war on drugs. It is a classic case of losing sight of our objective (safety) and doubling our efforts. Give people the choice? Legalize drugs.

What bad things would happen? Millions of drug enforcement people, dogs, drug pushers and cartels would be unemployed.

Even paying the unemployment and re-training costs, Congress would not know what to do with the hundreds of billions left in the budget each year.

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If a local lawmaker has his way, drug users will have a hard time ever receiving public welfare.

State Rep. Steven W. Cappelli, R-Williamsport, has sponsored legislation requiring anyone receiving cash assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to be tested for drug use.

"I just think the integrity of welfare is at stake," he said.

Cappelli, a vocal advocate of rooting out welfare fraud, said too many people are cheating the system, resulting in an explosion of funding in public assistance.

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Re: "Haddonfield teens going to extremes," May 27: I've lived in this wonderful town for 28 years, been an active volunteer, and have raised two children here. I still remember the day 12 years ago when we confronted our oldest child with his substance abuse problem. His response: "You can ground me all you want, but I can get anything I want at school." My response was that he would not be returning to Haddonfield Memorial High School. We are fortunate that we had the resources to help our son, and so do most parents in town. We recognized the problem and took appropriate action.

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After sitting on the numbers for an entire year, the Upper Dublin School District released some disturbing results of a drug and alcohol survey administered in November 2005 to nearly 1,600 Upper Dublin students in grades six, seven, eight, 10 and 12 at a PTO meeting May 17 at the Upper Dublin Township Building.

The results showed that more Upper Dublin seniors use alcohol, marijuana and illicit drugs with more frequency than both the national and statewide averages. More students are now using, and with more frequency, than Upper Dublin students surveyed in 1999.

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One of the most serious and persistent problems we face as a city and as a nation is drug abuse and addiction. It destroys lives, careers and families. It contributes to violence and destabilizes our society. It is an added economic burden on our social-service and criminal-justice functions.

Drug addiction is also a critical piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed when we talk about how to make Philadelphia safer. Philadelphia Treatment Court plays an integral role in the solution, helping to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life for all citizens. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Treatment Court is working to break the cycle of drug abuse and addiction in our city one person at a time.

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I can't help wondering about former principal John Acerra. He was arrested sitting naked at his desk at Nitschmann Middle School, watching a porno movie. Were the children in that school really safe?

The entire report, not just a summary, should be seen by all the taxpayers. From now on, I am just as concerned about random drug testing not just for athletes, but for the teachers, as well. That would at least stop a little of this very bizarre behavior.

Let's see the whole report. No more whitewash.

Samuel J. McGovern

Bethlehem

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