From: backpack@access.digex.com (Stuart Reges)
Subject: Wash Post: Student Drug Use Rises
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 00:43:47 GMT

The following article appeared in the Washington Post on 10/19/92.  It is
reprinted without permission.

		 DRUG SURVEY SHOWS RISE IN USE AMONG STUDENTS
		  White House Aid Reportedly Opposed Release
			      by Michael Isikoff

A top White House anti-drug official last week sought to discourage release of
a survey showing unexpectedly large increases in student drug use, suggesting
it would "hurt" President Bush's reelection chances, the survey's sponsor said
yesterday.

The Bush administration has consistently cited lower drug use among teenagers
as a chief success in the war on drugs.  But the survey by the Parents Resource
Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE), to be released today, shows dramatic
increases in use of some drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and LSD, among
junior high school students.

Thomas Gleaton, president and co-founder of PRIDE, said that Terrence J. Pell,
chief of staff of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy,
called him on Friday expressing concern that "the Clinton campaign has asked
you for your data" and inquiring what the group planned to do with the
information.  After Gleaton said PRIDE was "considering" a public release, Pell
responded: "You know if you do that, it's going to hurt us," according to
Gleaton.

Gleaton said Pell made no further attempt to pressure him, but said it was
"obvious" that the officials' remarks referred to potential political
consequences to Bush.  He said he quickly told Pell, "This is not something
against [White House national drug control director Bob] Martinez and it's not
something against the president."

Gleaton, whose organization has received a $150,000 federal drug prevention
grant and hosted Martinez at its annual conference last April, said the group
decided to release the information this week in keeping with its past practice.
He said this year's results were "alarming" and reflected the administration's
failure to keep the "spotlight" on the drug issue.

Reached last night, Pell said he only called Gleaton for a "heads up" on when
the survey was going to be released and it was Gleaton--not he--who brought up
the Clinton campaign's interest in its findings.  "I'm dumbfounded at the
suggestion that I tried to dissuade him from trying to release it," said Pell.

Pell also said the PRIDE survey was not a "nationally representative" study.
"The totality of all the surveys shows drug use among high school students
going down dramatically," he said.

In the PRIDE survey, 212,802 students were asked in questionnaires about drug
use in 10 categories: cigarettes, beer, wine coolers, liquor, marijuana,
cocaine, uppers, downers, hallucinogens (such as LSD) and inhalants.

The results showed that among students in grades 9 through 12, drug use rose in
all categories except marijuana, cocaine and wine coolers.  The largest
increase was in LSD use: 5.3 percent of all high school students reported using
the drug, up from 4.9 percent the previous year.

Among junior high school students, drug use rose in all 10 categories,
including a 20 percent increase in LSD, 15 percent for cocaine and 7 percent
for marijuana.  Drug use among blacks rose in all categories.
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs