PAGE 3 TESTIMONY FEBRUARY 13, 1990 FACTORS THAT ARE COMMON TO YOUTH WHO ARE DRUGS USERS ALSO HAVE TWO OR MORE OF WHAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. SOME ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIORS AND THE RISK FACTOR ARE AS FOLLOW; TEEN PREGNANCY *DISADVANTAGE YOUNG WOMEN ARE THREE OR FOUR TIMES MORE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT *HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS *PREGNANCY AND EARLY CHILDBEARING * JUVENILE CRIME *FAMILY CONFLICT *AVAILABILITY OF DRUGS, CREATING POSSIBILITIES OF *UNEMPLOYMENT *MORE SINGLE PARENTS AND MOTHERS IN THE WORKFORCE, RESULTING IN FEWER ADULTS BEING AVAILABLE FOR *INCREASE IN POVERTY LEVELS *LACK OF POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES IN COMMUNITIES FOR JOBS, RECREATION OR COMMUNITY SERVICES PAGE TESTIMONY FEBRUARY 13, 1990 *FAILURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM *A SENSE OF DISCONNECTION BETWEEN YOUTH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY * FUNCTIONAL ILLITERACY *CHILDREN FROM HOMES WHERE PARENTS DO NOT HAVE SKILLS *FAILURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM * SUBSTANCE ABUSE *SCHOOL FAILURE OR LACK OF INTEREST IN SCHOOL *FEELING ALIENATED AND OTHERWISE AT ODDS WITH THE DOMINANT SOCIAL VALUES *HAVING A LOW SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND/OR SELF-RESPECT * SCHOOL DROPOUT *POOR STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF RACE ARE THREE TIMES AS LIKELY AS AFFLUENT STUDENTS TO DROPOUT OF SCHOOL *POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE *PREGNANCY *LACK OF BASIC SKILLS *LOW-INCOME SINGLE PARENT, MINORITY FAMILIES, WHERE NEITHER PARENT COMPLETED HIGH SCHOOL PAGE 5 FEBRUARY 13, 1990 SENATOR GLEEN *BEING TWO OR MORE YEARS BEHIND GRADE LEVEL--POOR IT HAS BECOME ALL TOO TRUE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN ANY ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES SOONER OR LATER FIND THEMSELVES IN MANY IF NOT ALL OF THEM. SERVICES FOR YOUTH ARE OFTEN EXTREMELY FRAGMENTED. MANY OF OUR YOUTH HAVE MULTIPLE NEEDS THAT FIT TWO OR MORE OF THE LABELS. WE MUST ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE BY PROVIDING ALTERNATIVES WHICH OFFER ACCESSIBLE ROUTES TO ACHIEVEMENT. LOCAL AND COMMUNITY EFFORTS NEED FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL SUPPORT IF THEY ARE ΤΟ SUCCEED. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. DEBRA LEWIS CURLEE YOUTH ACTION PROJECT FEDERATION FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING 1001 HURON ROAD CLEVELAND, OHIO 44115 RICHARD F. CELESTE Governor of Ohio United States Senate Governmental Affairs Committee December 8, 1989 The current drug crisis is one that reaches into every neighborhood across our country. It is vitally important for congressional committees to conduct field hearings like this one in order to understand the drug problem with a local perspective. this issue. I commend Chairman Glenn for his leadership on Moreover, holding this hearing in Ohio will be especially beneficial to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee for two reasons. First, Ohio provides an accurate example of how severe this crisis actually is. Second, we also provide a good example of how states are dealing with the scourge of drugs. I hasten to add, however, that all our attempts will be futile without federal cooperation. The crisis continues to escalate in Ohio as it does across the nation. Since I testified before this committee in September, my Office of Criminal Justice Services has compiled a comprehensive report on substance abuse within the state. Frankly, the numbers in the report are disturbing. In Cleveland hospitals in 1987, 59 percent of the young people admitted for emergency treatment said they had used a drug or a combination of drugs. Also in Cuyahoga county, one-fifth to one-third of murder victims are drunk at the times of their deaths. One especially startling figure in the report states that substance abuse costs Ohioans over $8 billion a year. The report is a strong one and I include a copy with this testimony. It reminds us of just how severe this crisis has become. And I'm proud that in Ohio we're attacking the crisis from several different angles. There are three specific action steps we have taken that I'd like to highlight today; the Ohio Drug Summit, Ohio's new Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and a recently created Task Force on Drug-Exposed Infants. This time last week in Columbus, I joined more than 500 community leaders from across the state to address the substance abuse crisis. Experts from the prevention, treatment and enforcement fields all participated. At the summit, we tore down barriers between state and local government, we shared information with each other and we promised to set aside turf battles and work in cooperation. Ohio's new Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (DADAS) brings cabinet-level accountability to the drug crisis. The department will focus real state resources and energy from a single source, therefore cutting back bureaucratic overlaps and unnecessary inefficiency. Ohio is one of only three states in the entire country to give education, prevention |