Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 10:20 a.m.
Partnership for a Drug Free America released its 10th annual poll this week, which shows parents are alarmingly unaware of the extent of their children's drug use. Despite past studies that show 60 percent of baby boomers tried marijuana at least once, the new poll showed they are probably as out of touch as they once thought their parents were.
For example, only 21 percent of parents believed their teens may have experimented with marijuana, even though 44 percent of the teens surveyed acknowledged they had used the drug. "Few parents believe their children are at risk," Partnership President Richard Bonnette told the Associated Press. "Few sincerely believe their children are exposed to drugs, that drugs are widely available in the schools their children attend. Nor do they know when drugs are likely to become a part of their children's lives."
Too often parents think schools are the sole answer for the problems their kids face. Schools will continue to play a role in drug abuse education, but this is an issue that must be tackled primarily at home. The poll results should serve as a wake-up call for parents to talk openly with their kids about the dangers of illegal drug use.
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