The recent article, "Baldwin County to expand student drug tests," demonstrates the exemplary leadership and cooperation being exhibited by members of the Baldwin County School Board and the superintendent's office. The parents of Baldwin County schoolchildren also deserve credit for willingly recognizing and accepting the need to take strong action to reverse the several decades-long trend of increasing drug use by children. National and local data clearly show that more than 30 percent of our kids openly admit to using illegal drugs. Our region of the country is a crossroads for drug trafficking and lots of the illegal contraband ends up on our streets and in our kids' pockets. [continues 152 words]
The U.S. Supreme Court has, once again, approved random drug testing for public school students. These experienced and informed justices recognize how serious the drug problem is in our country, and they are correct in recognizing that random drug testing prevents, deters and detects drug use. School system leaders in Mobile and Baldwin counties need to openly debate the costs and benefits of random drug testing children. The dollar costs are high, but the deterrent benefits are enormous and long lasting. [continues 123 words]
The article Of drugs and death, published in the Mobile Register on Jan. 14, clearly shows the extent of the illegal drug problem in the Mobile area. Over 50 percent of the homicides and an even higher percentage of robberies, burglaries and other crimes are related to illegal drugs in one way or another. Our local police and law enforcement personnel do the best they can to apprehend and detain the perpetrators of these crimes. This has been going on for over 30 years -- we call it the war on drugs. [continues 235 words]
Time and again, parents and teens alike identify the drug problem as one of the top issues facing teens. Parents say they wish they knew better what to say to their kids about drugs, and teens report that parents are one of the biggest influences on their decisions when it comes to using drugs. Given these facts, the work of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America is invaluable to the national effort to reduce the demand for illegal drugs. Using messages created by some of the best minds in the advertising business, the Partnership uses the power of the mass media to "unsell" drugs to kids, and to give parents guidance that can help them keep their kids drug free. [continues 253 words]
