Note: This article was originally published in:
BELLINGHAM HERALD, BELLINGHAM WA FAX: 12066767113 Pubdate: Unknown

Other Voices column

The Bellingham Herald On schools and drugs

A proposal to require schools that recieve federal drugprevention funds to
prove their antidrug programs work deserves the full support of Congress.

The government spends $500 million a year on such programs, but only 2
percent of them follow strategies proven in research, a recent study showed.

That ought to alarm lawmakers, parents, police, school officials and
taypayers.

With youth drug use on the rise nationally, we need to be equipping our
children with the mosteffective antidrug tools available.

The proposed Education Department guidelines would do that by requiring
drug prevention programs to be based "on research or evaluation that
provides evidence" they actually have reduced drug use. The programs also
would be required to meet measurable goals and objectives.

Congress should also be encouraging the Education Department to blacklist
ineffective programs.

Requiring schools to prove their antidrug programs work is reasonable and
longoverdue.

Anything less wastes money and endangers our children.