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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
DATE:		August 18, 1999   

I've said in the past that the Household Survey is a snapshot of where we are at any given moment in the fight against illicit drug use. That's true this year as well. However, it's also true that by conducting this survey over many years, we not only see where we are - we see where we're going.

Two years ago I noted that we were starting to see a glimmer of hope. Today that glimmer of hope is burning bright enough that we can say: In the battle against illicit drugs - we've turned the corner.

This year's survey shows that illicit drug use fell from 11.4 percent to 9.9 among young people ages 12 to 17 - a statistically significant decline, while illicit drug use among the overall population remained flat. The survey also shows that the rate of young people reporting that they tried marijuana for the first time went down - and the average age of first use went up. It's noteworthy that the survey found that the percentage of teens currently using marijuana declined from 9.4 percent in 1997 to 8.3 percent - although this was not a statistically significant decrease.

All of these changes are important evidence that the perception of marijuana as a dangerous substance may be leveling off after years of decline.

Sending a tough message against drugs - especially to young people - is a little like sending a message into deep space. The message goes out and then you wait a year or more to find out if it's been heard.

At last year's press conference, I pounded home the message - as I have since the beginning of this Administration - that young people are using marijuana because they don't believe it's dangerous, an idea totally at odds with our research and common sense.

I pointed out that the time had come for parents, for caregivers - for all of us - to drop what we're doing, drop our reluctance to talk straight to young people and get down to the serious business of telling the truth that drugs - all drugs - are dream killers. This year's survey shows that message is getting through.

This is good news. But let me be clear: We have a long way to go. Why? Because in 1998, we still had 1.1 million young people dependent on drugs. And that's 1.1 million too many.

Let me also say a few words about alcohol. Alcohol is still the drug of choice for young people. There is both good news and bad news about alcohol in this year's survey. The good news is that use of alcohol by Americans 12 and older did not increase over the last year, and has in fact remained stable for some time. Nevertheless, we have a serious - let me repeat that - serious problem with alcohol.

When I was at the University of Wisconsin, I lost more sleep worrying about underage drinking than anything else. There were over 10 million current drinkers ages 12 to 20 in 1998 - about half of whom were binge drinkers, meaning they had five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past month.

The conventional view among young people is that underage drinking is cool; underage drinking is normal; and most wrongheaded of all - underage drinking is safe. We can do better than that. And we must.

Like alcohol, the news from the survey on tobacco is a mixed bag. Current tobacco use among all Americans made a statistically significant drop from 30 percent to 28 percent - the lowest rate ever recorded in the Household Survey. At the same time, the rate of use among youths 12 to 17 remained essentially unchanged.

The drop in overall use does not mean we have won the battle against smoking. That's because the survey also shows that every day in this country, over 3,000 teens light up their first cigarette. One third of these young smokers will die prematurely because of their tobacco addiction. And the problem isn't just cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco and cigars - deceptively marketed as less dangerous and more glamorous than cigarettes - continue to attract young people. States now have the resources to attack this issue. The question is: Do they have the moral and political will.

This Administration is realistic about the difficulties that lie ahead in the fight against illicit drugs, underage drinking and underage smoking. But being realistic about where we are is not the same as being resigned about how far we can go in changing attitudes.

With that in mind, let me give you one more piece of information from this year's survey. Inhalants. The percent of youths reporting current use of inhalants decreased significantly - from 2.0 percent in 1997 to 1.1 percent in 1998. That's a drop of almost 50 percent, and it tells us one thing - that message is sinking in.

Consistent, hard-hitting, pull-no-punches messages - combined with caring parents and strong community partnerships that emphasize prevention can make a difference.

We're demonstrating that with our National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Just last month the President kicked off the third and final phase of the campaign, which is surpassing its goal of reaching 90 percent of its target audience four to seven times a week. At the same time, the campaign is raising awareness among young people about the dangers of drugs.

But the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is just one piece of a long term, comprehensive strategy to cut the cord between young people and drugs. To reach that goal, President Clinton has proposed to Congress the largest anti-drug budget ever - $17.8 billion dollars, which is $735 million more than this fiscal year.

But money, alone, is not a strategy. Our number one mission is to educate and enable our youth to reject illegal drugs.

That's why our media campaign is targeted to young people.

That's why in 1995, we began our nationwide Marijuana Initiative. The initiative funds new research on the effects of marijuana, and supports major prevention programs that reach young people where they live and go to school. The campaign includes "Reality Check," which offers free materials to parents that give them the tools they need to talk to their children about drugs. All a parent needs to do is call 1-800-729- 6686.

Still, we are not satisfied with where we are in this fight - or resting on what we've done. We're going to keep pushing ahead until we're not only around the corner - we're all the way home. In the fight to save our children's lives - there is no audience. Everyone is on stage. Everyone has a role to play.

Parents must talk to their children. The media must continue its recent efforts to give realistic depictions of the damage caused by tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

Businesses must support community and faith-based organizations that sponsor healthy life style alternatives for young people.

So there is plenty of work to go around - and the time for action is now.

And now I'd like to introduce my colleague, General Barry McCaffrey, who has been fighting tirelessly every day for America's children and to keep America drug free.

General McCaffrey . . .