White House Bid to Stall Report on Drug Use Told

A top White House anti-drug official last week sought to discourage release of a survey showing unexpectedly large increases in student drug use, suggesting it would hurt President Bush’s reelection chances, the survey’s sponsor said Sunday.

The Bush Administration has consistently cited lower drug use among teen-agers as a chief success in the war on drugs. But the survey by the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education, to be released today, shows dramatic increases in usage of some drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and LSD, among junior high school students.

Thomas Gleaton, president and co-founder of PRIDE, said that Terence J. Pell, chief of staff of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, called him on Friday expressing concern that “the Clinton campaign has asked you for your data” and inquiring what the group planned to do with the information. Gleaton said that, after he told Pell that PRIDE was considering a public release, Pell responded: “You know if you do that, it’s going to hurt us.”

Gleaton said it was obvious Pell’s remarks referred to potential political consequences. He said he quickly told Pell, “This is not something against . . . the President.”

Efforts to reach Pell on Sunday night were unsuccessful.

In the survey, 212,802 students were asked about drug use in 10 categories: cigarettes, beer, wine coolers, liquor, marijuana, cocaine, uppers, downers, hallucinogens (such as LSD) and inhalants.

The results showed that among students in grades 9 through 12, use rose in all areas but marijuana, cocaine and wine coolers.

Among junior high school students, use rose in all 10 categories.