Agosto 2000

Just say sometimes…

Susanna Ronconi

Marsha Rosenbaum is the director of the San Francisco office of the Lindesmith Center. She is a sociologist and has been working on drugs and drug use as a researcher and trainer for eighteen years. Her last work deals with an educational methodology concerning drugs and drug use aimed to teens and parents.

Let's start from the title… In your essay, you suggest a "reality based approach" to teens & drugs. Does it mean that we are now working on a non real basis? That we really don't know who are the young people we are working with?

Yes. The reality, according to our government's own surveys, is that over half of American teenagers experiment with illegal drugs by the time they graduate from high school. Still, the sole purpose of the vast majority of programs is to prevent drug use. The reality, based on government surveys, is that all-out prevention of drug use is wishful thinking in (a hardly "drug
free") America. Instead, a realistic approach would concentrate on preventing drug abuse. We continue to stress the value of abstinence, and support those students who say "no" to drugs, but we provide honest, science-based information for those who say "maybe", or "sometimes", or "yes."

Zero tolerance approach: what can we say about its effectiveness? How do you evaluate the prevention campaigns aimed to young people?

For those young people who are caught using drugs, "zero tolerance" should be replaced with "harm reduction." Schools and other institutions have every right to prohibit the use or presence of drugs on their sites, and having consequences for breaking rules is appropriate. However, instead of expelling
students, or prohibiting them from participating in extra-curricular activities, teenagers should have to "serve time" (that is, do volunteer work) in settings that will teach them about the real consequences of drug abuse: drug treatment facilities and syringe exchange programs. In this way, they will see "up close and personal" the impact of drug abuse on real people's lives.

It is very difficult to evaluate prevention campaigns, because it's not clear what is being prevented. Very often, programs are not evaluated at all, or the measures used are faulty, or students' attitudes differ from their actual behavior. With 80% of teens using alcohol or other drugs by the time they leave high school, clearly we are not preventing use. Prevention is not the same as education, and in the United States only a handful of programs actually provide sound information that focuses on safety.

Drug education based on safety: Many people and parents think that young people are not able to control the use of drugs. What is your experiences and knowledge about this?

The majority (90%) of young people who experiment with illegal drugs do not use them regularly . Clearly, they are controlling their use. It is important to remember that teens are learning responsibility in a variety of areas of their lives, and their use of intoxicating substances is just one of these areas (sex is another). Most are not bent on destroying themselves, and in
settings they trust, will ask questions about safety. Students need to be educated about the importance of context (work v. play) and the value of moderation and responsibility. Finally they need to be resented with and encouraged to participate in productive school and after-school activities that keep them engaged, busy, and less interested in "getting high." The majority of individuals (young and older) who fail to control their drug use (10-15% of users) have little meaning in their lives, no stake in conventional life, or in need of treatment for deep-seated emotional or physical problems. As is the case with alcohol, 85-90% of users do not experience problems.

Can you describe the basic educational characteristics of a safety based approach?

First, a safety-first approach stresses the value and importance of abstinence while acknowledging the reality of teenage risk-taking and experimentation. The goal of a safety-first approach is to prevent drug abuse and drug problems through education.

Drug education should be integrated into the high school curriculum, and taught in courses such as physiology, chemistry, sociology, psychology, political science, and history. For students who want more information, a voluntary, anonymous after-school program should be provided.

The information given to students should be science-based and completely accurate. It should not contain exaggerations designed to frighten young people, because we know that scare tactics do not work to deter experimentation, and may even entice teenagers into using drugs. Certainly, prevention programs that use scare tactics have caused young people to
discount what adults tell them about drugs. We must regain the confidence and trust of students!

Have you some suggestions for parents who really want to listen to and to talk to their adolescent children?

I am the parent of a 16-year-old boy, so I deal with these issues in my private life. I would begin by urging parents to educate themselves about drugs. But in order to get information (rather than propaganda), they will need to do some research. The Internet provides a great resource, but parents must be critical!

It is imperative that parents remain calm about the subject of drugs, or their teenagers will simply refuse to discuss the issue. Parents should let their children know that they are concerned, first and foremost, with their kids' safety, and want to work with them, not against them. Parents must be willing to listen, really listen, without making judgments. And they must be
willing to provide or facilitate transportation so young people do not ever drive while intoxicated (this is the most serious problem with alcohol and other drug use).