Undermining the Drug War
On Oct. 26, communities all over the state began the massive communications kickoff for Red Ribbon Week, the widely publicized “Say No to Drugs” campaign. On the same day, on the third page of The Times’ Orange County section appeared, sadly, an article (“Drug Lowers Anxiety and Ups Students’ SAT Scores,”) describing how the use of a drug for treating hypertension can lower anxiety in students taking the SATs, thus boosting their scores appreciably.
When will our society wake up and see the duplicity in this irresponsible behavior? We will continue to teach our youth that we should never feel, that anxiety doesn’t have a place in our lives.
In the article, Robert Cameron, executive director of research and development for the College Entrance Examination Board, which administers the SATs, cautioned: “I hope the public does not misinterpret these findings to conclude that one can take the magic pill and have vast improvement in a test that measures developed abilities.” That was, however, the sole intent of the article--to impart just that information. How many people read to the end of the article to see Cameron’s concern?
Only when we adults and leaders learn to model a drug-free society will our children learn to be able to say no to drugs with any conviction.
MARIANNE WELSH
Seal Beach
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