We have never had a better Army. There is an incredible caliber of young men and women. Setting those same types of standards is equally important to the parents. One of the same things we have to remind parents is 'Our children are listening. Although the number of drug users in America has dropped 50 percent since 1979, children are being introduced to drugs at a much younger age.
More eighth graders are regular heroin users than twelfth graders.
And one out of five twelfth graders is a regular drug user. That is the gateway behavior that must be avoided, and that is the heart and soul of the national drug strategy. He said that parents must be aware that drug abuse isn't a poor kids' problem. Although there are many national programs to help deflate the drug problem, McCaffrey maintains prevention starts at the lowest level - home, neighborhood and community. McCaffrey's speech was received by more than 200 students from around the country and other nations and 150 West Point cadets.