Bill Clinton: “Good morning. In this season of hope and special time for our loved ones, I'd like to share some thoughts on what all…”

“Good morning. In this season of hope and special time for our loved ones, I'd like to share some thoughts on what all Americans can do to strengthen our families. Specifically, I want to talk about our efforts to protect our children from drugs, the most dangerous enemy of childhood. Nothing can cause more pain and heartbreak in a family or cause more harm to a child's future than the use and abuse of drugs. We should be very proud that drug use among all Americans has fallen by one-half since 1979. But in recent years teenage drug use was rising. Today I have some good news. A second major survey on drug use this year has confirmed that for the first time since 1991, our teenagers are beginning to turn away from drugs. In a report I'm a releasing today, the Department of Health and Human Services has found that the increasing rates of teen drug use are leveling off and, in some cases, decreasing. Today's eighth graders are less likely to have used drugs over the past year, and just as important, they are more likely to disapprove of drug use. This change in attitudes represents a glimmer of hope in our efforts to protect our children from drugs. But our work is far from over. The most effective strategy we have against drugs begins at home. It's a fight that can be won at kitchen tables all across America.…”