Doing More Coke

Charles Blow tells us that cocaine* use among white American teens is rising. As is common in such stories, he finds ample reason to mock official drug policy.

[I}n a phone interview, David Murray, chief scientist in the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, insisted that there was good news: a sharp rise in the price of cocaine and a drop in its purity since 2006, among other things, have cut into overall usage.

So, I thought, until policy makers put more of a focus on this issue and figure out how to reach these students, should we just hope that teens are too broke for this weak coke? I don’t think so. We need a real strategy, right now.

I don't know, I think "Too broke for weak coke" has legs. It could be the "Just say no" of the Obama administration. It certainly can't be any less effective.

*I thought I was mature enough to ignore the irony of an author named Blow writing about cocaine. Turns out I'm not.