They were not thrilled when a Review reporter showed up to chronicle the meeting. More on that in a minute.
Several concerned parents have told us in recent weeks that they believe drug use is blossoming on the coast. Their evidence is entirely anecdotal. A neighbor’s kid is in trouble. The Review’s police log is brimming with teen drug abuse. They heard from someone that students are selling drugs in the high school parking lot. While all of that may be true, they do not form a convincing argument that the problem of teenage drug abuse is increasing. In fact, experts say it just isn’t so.
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That is not to suggest that there isn’t a local problem that needs addressing. And that brings us back to the fear that led to a “vote” to ask a Review reporter to leave Thursday’s otherwise public meeting.
Drug abuse in the family is an emotional topic. We understand that some people may not feel comfortable talking about it in public. But the way you address a problem like this is to bring it into the light, not to spread rumor in closed-door meetings.
Our nation has a long history of drug abuse and an equally long history of failed attempts to curb it. The president’s own drug czar acknowledged as much earlier this month when he declared an end to the nearly four-decade “drug wars.”
“We must be smarter about our nation’s drug problem,” Gil Kerlikowske told a gathering of police chiefs. “It’s time to recognize drug abuse and addiction for what it is – not just a law enforcement and criminal justice issue, but also a very complex and dynamic public health challenge, one that demands a systematic, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach if we are going to be equal to the task.”
We agree. We must be unafraid to face our drug problem if we are going to be equal to the task of overcoming it.
-- Clay Lambert
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