DRUG WAR: Press Release - 10/20/92 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 20, 1992 GEORGE BUSH'S DRUG WAR: CLAIMING VICTORY, COVERING UP LOSSES [Statement by Bob Boorstin, Deputy Communications Director] George Bush just doesn't get it. He's shown time and time again he doesn't understand America's economic problems. Now he's showing again he doesn't understand America's drug problem. On January 27, 1992, George Bush announced, "We've made real progress in this fight against drug abuse." He peddled this pollyanna view as late as October 15th in the Richmond debate when he said, "The good news is, and I think it's true for Richmond, teenage cocaine use is down [sic], substantially, 60 percent in the last couple of years." But an important annual survey shows that Bush is wrong. Dead wrong. And worse, news reports show that the Bush Administration tried to suppress the survey from coming out. The Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) yesterday released the findings from its annual survey on drug use among students, and the prognosis isn't good. Drug use is up across-the-board for junior high students and up in 7 out of 10 categories for high school students. And while cocaine use is down slightly for high school students, it has skyrocketed 15% among junior high students. More importantly, according to PRIDE, cocaine is the drug least likely to be used by students. Students are more likely to use uppers, downers, inhalants, or hallucinogens. And the use of these drugs has jumped by 15% or more among junior high students, and by 7-10% for high school students. The Administration's reaction when they saw an advance copy of the survey? To keep Americans in the dark. "You know if you [release the report], it's going to hurt us..." Terrence J. Pell ominously told Thomas Gleaton. Pell is the White House Chief of Staff for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Gleaton is PRIDE's president. According to news accounts, Pell telephoned Gleason to express his concern over the release of PRIDE's damaging data so close to the election. This doesn't come as a surprise to drug experts who have seen the Office of National Drug Control Policy filled with a higher percentage of political appointees than any other agency in the U.S. Government -- and who realize George Bush's hasn't won the drug war on any front. As with the economy, health care, and education, George Bush's drug war is just one more broken promise. His own administration's figures show that there are more drug addicts, more drug murders, more drug addicted babies, and more drugs entering the country than every before. Bill Clinton will lead a national and international crusade against drugs. He knows we have to tackle both demand for drugs and the supply of drugs. He sees the drug problem from a personal perspective, not a political one. And he knows we can do better than George Bush's cynical, failed drug war and attempted coverup. - 30 -