
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 30, 1990                   TAG: 9004300404
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

DRUG WAR DEPENDS ON EFFORT, NOT FINANCES, SAYS GOVERNOR

Gov. Douglas Wilder promised to develop a comprehensive strategy by next year to fight the war on drugs, but he warned that the anti-drug effort will not receive much additional money from the state.

Notwithstanding budget constraints, Wilder suggested Sunday that better coordination and a united effort could make a major difference in the first stages of the long-term assault on drugs.

"Give us the opportunity to show what we can do in our four years," he said. He promised that "a difference will be felt" during his term.

Wilder's speech kicked off the annual conference of the Commonwealth Alliance for Drug Rehabilitation and Education, formed by Attorney General Mary Sue Terry in 1986.

The governor called for families to help, and said the survival of a civilized society was at stake.

"The best way to ensure stronger families is to emphasize values - values like trust, respect, honesty, loyalty, courtesy, thrift and love," Wilder said.

"Where Virginia's war on drugs is concerned, we must remember that we're fighting not just for ourselves but for our children and families. And as in all wars, we must be willing to make personal - and total - commitments."

The alliance is expected to draw about 700 teen-age, police and adult leaders from communities across the state.

The CADRE alliance, with a budget of $213,000, mostly from federal grants, is aimed at the demand side of substance misuse, with prevention and education the major components of its efforts.

The three-day conference in Richmond will feature workshops on the theme: "Building Community Networks: Keeping Our Neighborhoods Drug-Free."

Terry will deliver her keynote address today. A spokesman said she will disclose the results of a 1989 survey of Virginia high school seniors on drug misuse, comparing it with findings of their peers nationally.

by CNB