The so-called war on drugs was ever-present during the 1980s but seems to have disappeared from the public-policy radar screen in the 1990s. Turns out that is a very, very bad development; this is one area where eternal vigilance is clearly called for, especially when you consider just how bad things are getting. Two as-yet unreleased Health and Human Services reports on drug use indicate how severe the national drug problem is.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse shows overall teenage drug use has increased by 78 percent from 1992 to 1995 — 24 percent from 1994 to 1995 alone. Ten percent of teens now use drugs on a monthly basis, with monthly cocaine use up a horrifying 166 percent between 1994 and 1995. Marijuana use: up 105 percent since 1992, 37 percent since 1994. Monthly use of LSD/hallucinogens: up 183 percent since 1992, and rising 54 percent between 1994 to 1995.
The second HHS report indicates spiraling growth in the number of hard-core drug addicts. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network report, emergency- room visits related to heroin rose 19 percent between 1994 and 1995 and 58 percent from 1992 to 1995. Marijuana/hashish-related visits: up 17 percent from 1994 to 1995 and 96 percent since 1992. Cocaine-related visits: up 19 percent since 1992.
If this isn’t a campaign issue, we don’t know what is.
