Evening star., 1955-11-20
BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG

4
giving school children the full
facts about drug addiction, he's
walking straight into contro-
versy.
There's the camp dominated
by Federal Narcotics Commits
sioner Harry j. Anslinger
which insists that telling the
young about the horrors Of
narcotics prompts them to ex-
pertinent themselves In an i'm
mature, pseudo scientific effort
to find out II the stories about
dope are really true.
Diametrically opposed are
people like the New York edu-
Gators who contend that an
all-out educational campaign
viii deter all but the most sus-
ceptible.
There is a middle ground.
characterized by . Detroit re-
port which favors placing
emphasis on healthful living
in all its aspects and talking
about drugs only as they affect
health and social living"
District educators, faced
with an old Federal law that
says they have to instruct pub
lie school children in the ma
trre and effects of alcohol and
narcotics, tend toward the
middle -the-road approach.
Ounce Of Prevention
Some District police. par
ticularly on the narcotics
squad, argue that the young
dope addicts they interview re-
port they had no idea what
they were getting into. These
policemen look on narcotics
education In the schools as q
program Of prevention.
The conflicting theories were
argued behind closed doors
yesterday. when the District
Council on Law Endorsements
Special Committee on Mar
cotics held an all-day hear
ing to determine what changes
should be made In the Dis
trict's laws covering narcotics
enforcement and addict con-
troll. The Law Enforcement
Council. which earlier this
year sparked the changes in
the Districts insanity laws,
is now preparing to do a
similar job on narcotics. One
Of its assignments was to
study the amount and type Of
education to be given the
public generally and school
children particularly In the
dangers Of dope addiction.
Typiec! arguments
These are typical pro-and-
con arguments:
Commissioner Anslinger-.
Doctors are the ones best
educated In the dangers OF
narcotics. yet doctors show the
highest rate Of addiction. In
New York City. all the young
people admitted to Riverside
ttreatment center for youthful
addicts) had narcotics educa-
ton in the schools. but they
became addicted. The aver
age addict goes on drugs be-
cause of bad companionship.
He is better educated from
them In the effects OF drugs
than he would be in the
schools. but 1t doesn't deter
him. I haven't seen q single
educational program / would
approve.
DIR. !. H. GOldberger, direc-
tor Of health education for the
New York City schools-"We
have definite program of
education to alert all school
children to the danger Of
drugs. It is as If we are US
ing a traffic light to indicate
danger ahead by flashing red
signal. Opponents say the
red signal whets the appetite
to get In q car and race. We
don't think our educational
campaign whets the appetite.
Our reports from school prin-
cipals show that since we
launched this program in 1850.
the number Of addicts among
our teen-agers has decreased
by nearly rs per cent"
Police Attitudes
Capt. John Layton OF the
Police Departments morals di-
vision opposes an educational
campaign in District schools on
the ground that there is no
problem Of teen-age addiction
here.
Capt. Todd O. Thoman Of
the same division. chief Of the
narcotics squad, argues that
between 1852 and 1855, the
most addicts arrested for mar
cotics felonies were in the 81
25-year age group. II they were
warned at the impressionable
school age, he contends, they
would be less susceptible when
they leave school. Sergt. Joseph
Gabrys Of his squad, who
spends his off-duty hours lee
turing to church and similar
groups on the horrors Of dope,
argues: Wherever q concerted
educational campaign has been
launched, 1t has been because
the addict problem among ju-
veniles get out Of hand. Why
walt till that happens7 It's