BALANCED STRATEGY, GROUPS LEAD FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS IN DETROIT

Most 15-year-old girls look forward to getting their driver's license. For
Samantha Reid of Rockwood, however, that day of apprehension would never
come. Two weeks after her 15th birthday, Samantha left the movies with her
friends and headed to a party. It would be her last. Victimized by a soda
laced with a date-rape drug (GHB), Samantha slipped into a coma, dying 18
hours later.

Samantha's death was a nightmare for her family. With drug-related
tragedies like these in the headlines, the citizens of Detroit know all too
well how drug use robs one's future and tears apart families. Indeed, too
many people have learned the painful lesson that drug use is not just a
"victimless crime."

Samantha is not the only person in the area to fall victim to a
drug-related death. In 1998, drugs claimed 438 lives in this city alone. In
fact, drugs sent people to Detroit emergency rooms 21,000 times last year.
These numbers place Detroit among the top five cities with the highest
rates of drug-related emergency room visits.

Such sobering statistics should not lead us to surrender to drug use and
the misery it brings. Drugs don't have to destroy our communities. Many
groups in Detroit have chosen to take a stand against this poison. Judi
Clark, Samantha's mother, founded the Samantha Reid Foundation and a Web
site (www.ghbkills.com) to raise awareness of drug use and its deadly
consequences. A program for 10- to 17-year-olds in Detroit, known as the
Empowerment Zone Coalition's "You Got the Power," encourages young people
to take an active role in changing social norms in their community.

Years of struggling against substance abuse have taught us that a balanced
strategy of prevention, treatment and law enforcement is the most effective
means to reduce the drug use plaguing our communities.

Stopping drug use before it starts is our first line of defense. With
strong, united local communities, kids are less likely to use drugs. And
given the associated problems that come with young people using drugs --
increased theft, skipping school and the heightened risk of more problems
later in life -- preventing drug use is crucial. Detroit has seen the
efforts of strong communities first-hand through the work of community
coalitions and neighborhood organizations.

But for those already victims of addiction, the only humane response is
treatment. Recently, many communities -- including Detroit -- have
developed drug courts. These court-supervised treatment programs offer an
alternative to incarceration by providing structure to those with
dependency problems and encouraging them to stay drug-free. A recent study
estimated that only 16 percent of drug court graduates were arrested and
charged with a serious offense after one year.

Law enforcement plays an additional role in pushing back against drugs.
Detroit knows this first-hand, as the recent conviction of murderer and
drug dealer John Bass, who prosecutors say went on a "decade-long campaign
of violent acts, torture and murder," has made this city safer. Detroit's
law enforcement efforts help discourage those who would profit from the
addiction of others.

Working together, elected officials, grass-roots organizers, faith leaders,
law enforcement officers, parents, teachers and young people can deliver
change. As with attending safe schools, drinking pure water and breathing
clean air, citizens should insist upon living in neighborhoods that are
drug-free. Indeed, local communities are our most important catalysts for
change and the proper target of the vast majority of federal anti-drug
resources. This is the partnership we hope to highlight and strengthen.

I was born in Detroit and I have watched for decades this city's challenges
and triumphs. I have met with some of the citizens who are saving lives
every day through prevention, treatment and law enforcement. They seek --
we all seek -- more members of the community to unite in our important work.

John P. Walters is the director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy. Write letters to The Detroit News, 615 W. Lafayette,
Detroit, MI 48226, or fax to (313) 222-6417 or e-mail letters@detnews.com.