Parents must be engaged in this effort. They must be helped to understand their responsibility to provide support and guidance that will discourage the use of drugs or alcohol by their children. Parents should also understand that they can be held legally responsible for the actions of their children. Children whose parents are not present or are unable to meet their responsibilities pose a special challenge that must be met by other family members or others in the community. Children whose parents have developed their own substance abuse problems or are tolerant of drug use in their homes fail in their responsibilities as parents and undermine the efforts of all others in the community to reach children with effective anti-drug messages.
Examples are the provision of child care on the work site and flexible leave policies.
Entertainers and sports figures willing to speak out against drugs and violence to counter the pro-drug messages that continue to be carried by the entertainment industry must be more actively recruited. An advertising campaign that shows actual victims, not generalized models of victims, would increase the public's understanding of, and sensitivity to, the consequences of drug abuse. School systems should recognize and stop drug use, drug sales, and violence in and around schools. It is critical that students recognize that their schools do not look the other way and that they do not tolerate drugs. Drug and violence prevention campaigns should be incorporated into the curricula of every school.