Bush Delivers Stern Drug Talk to Classrooms

“The rules have changed,” President Bush told the nation’s schoolchildren in a televised address Tuesday. “If you do drugs, you will be caught. And when you’re caught, you will be punished.’

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s benign “Just Say No” approach to the drug problem was gone Tuesday, although the President did say that “saying ‘no’ won’t make you a nerd. It won’t make you a loser.”

In its place was some tough talk about drugs--why they are wrong, and the fate that awaits the user--all delivered in the President’s calm, non-threatening tenor.

Urging children to take responsibility for stopping drug use around them, Bush made it clear that, for those who use drugs and think they can get away with it, “the rules have changed.”

The 65-year-old President, a grandfather, spoke with the authority of one who had faced doubting youngsters: “Now, I can imagine a few whispers out there--maybe you think we’ll never get drugs under control--that it’s too easy for the dealers to get back on the street. Well, those days are over. The revolving door just jammed.

“Some think there won’t be room for them in jail. We’ll make room. We’re almost doubling prison space,” he said. “Some think there aren’t enough prosecutors. We’ll hire them, with the largest increase in federal prosecutors in history. The day of the dealer is drawing to a close.”

Each workday since he unveiled his $7.9-billion anti-drug program in a prime-time television address from the Oval Office, the President has spoken out about drugs, in an effort to drive home his message while drumming up support for the program in the face of opposition by Democrats in Congress.

Major Networks

On Tuesday, using the book-lined walls of the White House library as a backdrop, he turned his focus to school children, in a 13-minute speech carried by all four major commercial television networks as well as educational cable systems. White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said that the Department of Education contacted 15,000 school superintendents and 55,000 principals to draw attention to the broadcast.

Some schools convened special assemblies to gather students to watch the broadcast, others rearranged schedules so that youngsters in the eastern time zone would not be at lunch when it was aired and some piped it into classrooms over public address systems.

“Presidents don’t often get the chance to talk directly to students. So today, for each of you sitting in a classroom or assembly hall--this message goes straight to you,” Bush said.

In a message directed as much at students who don’t use drugs as it was to those who do, Bush cited the “billions of dollars a year” that he said drug and alcohol abuse costs the nation.

“Drugs are still a problem, because too many of us are still looking the other way. I’m asking you not to look the other way,” he said.

“Today I’m not just asking you to get help. I’m asking you to find someone who needs you. And offer to help. I’ll say it again: If you’re not in trouble, help someone who is,” Bush said.

‘Doors Slamming’

Warning that drug use could force youngsters to lose control of their futures, Bush said: “For those who let drugs make their decision for them, you can almost hear the doors slamming shut. It isn’t worth it. We know that now.”

His speech reflected the approach the Administration is adopting to drug abuse in the United States, following a six-month study and the development of a national drug strategy, mandated by Congress.

The $7.9-billion program the President unveiled last Tuesday emphasizes enforcement of anti-drug laws, treatment of drug abusers, education about the impact of drug abuse, and operations to halt, at foreign sources, the flow of drugs to the United States. His proposal--which would increase by $717 million the amount he had targeted for anti-drug abuse efforts in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1--has come under sharp criticism from Democrats in Congress, who have recommended increased spending and greater emphasis on treatment of drug abusers.

In his address to school children, Bush linked drug use to “the crime, the devastation” portrayed on television newscasts.

Drug Dollars

“Every dollar that goes to drugs fuels the killing. As long as there are Americans willing to buy drugs, there will be people willing to sell drugs--and people willing to kill as a cost of doing business. There is a connection between the suppliers and even ‘occasional’ or ‘weekend’ users that can never be forgotten.

“Casual drug use is responsible for the casualties of the drug war,” he said. “From the city streets of America to the street bombings of Colombia, even dabblers in drugs bear responsibility for the blood being spilled.”

Pulling from his desk the badge of Eddie Byrne, a New York City policeman slain while guarding the home of a witness in a drug case, Bush said: “Eddie was blown away at point-blank range--killed on the orders of a drug kingpin. Cold and calculated.” The badge was a frequent prop for Bush during the 1988 presidential campaign--it was presented to him by Byrne’s father--and the President said that he keeps it in a drawer of his desk.

“I’ve heard some say: ‘If you do drugs now and then, why, you’re not hurting anybody. It’s no big deal.’ Well, the next time you think about using drugs, I want you to think about Eddie Byrne--and I want you to think about the family that lost him.”