While President Clinton played the standard "While these results give us reason to be optimistic, we cannot let up on our efforts" statement, HHS Secretary Donna Shalala was willing to go further and say the government had really "turned a corner" in combating illegal drug usage. And, proclaimed White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey, "the fact that the numbers are best for the youngest age group [12-17] is a harbinger that use will continue to fall as this group grows older." By underplaying the numbers, Clinton is probably taking the right approach. "What you don't know is whether this is the result of a run of strong antidrug messages and advertisements from the White House, or a stronger economy," says TIME White House correspondent Jay Branegan. Or maybe these kids are simply seeing their older siblings have problems with drugs. In any case, says Branegan, "you don't want to take too much credit for something like this, because if it gets worse later you dont want to be the person to take all the blame."
Best Not to Boast About Decline in Teen Drug Use
-
Share
-
Read Later
-
First the good numbers: After a rapid run-up in teen drug use during the mid-'90s, usage among 12-to-17-year-old kids has fallen from 11.4 to 9.9 percent from 1997 to 1998. That's still more than in the early part of this decade, but at least the pattern of increase has been reversed. Now the bad: The government's annual survey of 25,500 Americans (who apparently have less trouble than George W. Bush in talking about such things) shows that drug usage is still steadily going up among those in their late teens and early 20s. Some 16.1 percent of people aged 18-25 say they have used drugs in the past month, up from 13.3 percent in 1994. In addition, drug use among minorities increased significantly.