Baseball Players’ Union Fights Drugs--With a Coloring Book

The executive director of the Major League Players Assn. said Thursday that the union has decided to attack baseball’s drug problem with an educational campaign directed at children that will include publication of a coloring book.

“The drug matter deserves serious thought with thorough, long-term approaches,” Don Fehr said. “It doesn’t lend itself to quick fixes. Quick fixes don’t fix much for long.

“We have concluded that if a meaningful impact is to be made, a message must be sent to children, the people who will be facing the problem in the next few years, that drugs are bad and to stay away from them. We have agreed with a publisher to do a series of books with respect to drug choice.”

The first publication, a coloring book titled “It’s OK To Say No to Drugs,” will be available in February, Fehr said. All royalties will be turned over to drug education, prevention, treatment and research programs.

Fehr said the players’ association executive board decided on the actions at its annual meeting this month, responding to baseball’s termination of the joint drug agreement. “Joint effort (with management) would be preferable,” Fehr said, “But if it’s not to be, it’s not to be.”

The association remains opposed to mandatory drug testing and has advised its members that it will fight testing clauses that clubs have been including in newly negotiated long-term contracts.