Published March 2009 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG OUR YOUTH CAUSE FOR ALARM I recently met with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and expressed my grave concerns about drug and alcohol use and abuse by West Virginia's youth. Each year, more than 70,000 underage children in West Virginia consume alcohol. Forty-two percent of high school students have admitted to drinking, and nearly thirty percent of these students are binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of alcohol with the sole purpose of becoming intoxicated. West Virginia exceeds the national rates for cocaine usage in age groups of twelve to seventeen and eighteen to twenty-five, and sixty percent of our high school students have said that drugs are kept, used, or sold at school. In fact, West Virginia is among the ten states with the highest rates of illegal use of prescription drugs and cocaine in the past year. This substance use and abuse by our children can mean serious health issues, or even death. Think of the tragedy of these young lives wasted! But there are other costs as well. Providing police officers to enforce our drug laws, imprisoning offenders, and rehabilitating those who become addicted to substances all cost taxpayers money. In addition, substance abuse reduces one's chances of graduating from school or of landing and holding a steady job. In 2006 alone, substance abuse cost West Virginia $1.8 billion in direct and indirect costs. Curing substance abuse is not something that Secretary Duncan or I can solve with federal funding or legislation alone. The key to reducing youth substance abuse is parental involvement. Parents need to tend to their children and constantly reinforce the value of an education. They need to alert their children to the permanent damage that drugs and alcohol can do to young bodies. They need to concentrate on being good role models and on providing positive and productive examples of how to live a healthy, successful, responsible life. Parents need to talk to school officials about drugs and alcohol in our schools and about prevention efforts at the local level. My meeting with Secretary Duncan was heartening because I believe that the new Secretary is well aware of the pervasiveness of substance abuse among our young people. It will take a lot of work and cooperation, but West Virginians must come to grips with the profound danger of substance abuse and join the fight to find solutions. There is a growing epidemic in our state which involves a long list of problems, including crime, disease, child abuse, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, welfare dependency, learning disabilities, and poor performance in school. My staff and I are learning all we can about this major problem in our state. For the sake of your children, perhaps you should too. March 4, 2009