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Israeli drug abuse spirals;
15,000 said to be addicted
by Marlene Goldman
NEW YORK (JTA)—Twenty
years after America first realized
the extent of its drug problem,
Israel is fighting a similar war
against an escalating number of
drug abusers. There are an esti
mated 15,000 drug addicts in Israel
today, an accumulation of about
10 years of drug use there.
That statistic is based only on
accounts of hospital treatment
reported by the Israeli Magen David
Adorn, and according to Andre
Marcus of the International Anti-
Drug Abuse Foundation, “That
figure can be doubled without
exaggerating.”
About 40 percent of the drug
abusers in Israel are between 13
and 18, according to Diane Mar
cus, also of the Foundation.
Another 40 percent are 22 and
over, while the figure drops to 20
percent for those 18 to 22.
“The drop comes when people
go into the army,” Diane Marcus
said. “Those found to be on drugs
in the army are kicked out and go
to jail. That creates a problem
because if you don’t finish three
years in the army you can't do any
thing afterwards,” she told the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Drugs exist all over Israel,
Andre Marcus said, especially
around the borders where the drugs
are coming in. “Historically,
Americans brought the first drugs
to kibbutzim,” he said, “but now
the main source is southern Leb
anon, the Bekaa Valley.”
Consequently, drugs such as
marijuana, used most often in the
younger circles, and heroin, prom
inent in the over-22 group, are
available and cheap. “Since the
drugs are not traveling too far, it’s
much cheaper than in America,"
noted Diane Marcus.
Israel is just beginning to realize
the extent of its drug problem,
which first became evident after
the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Diane Marcus explained that since
Israelis have not witnessed the
potentially harmful effects of drug
use, as Americans have, it is more
difficult to prevent it there. Israelis
are also not yet equipped to deal
with drug abusers.
“The problem is that there is no
center to cure these people on a
long-term basis,” said Diane Mar
cus. “The only thing that exists are
day clinics.” There are two types of
walk-in youth clinics: one uses
methadone to treat addicts and the
other does not use any drug re
placement. The latter involves social
workers, doctors and psychologists
who counsel and treat young drug
abusers anonymously.
“The kids on drugs are in such a
circle that they cannot relate any
more to their parents and they
cannot talk to friends who are not
on drugs because their behavior
will not be accepted,” Diane Mar
cus explained.
“Those who realize they are on a
bad track and want to get out
would rather go to somebody out
side their circle,” she added. “Usu
ally what happens is you end up
knowing more about them and
find out what led them way back to
the process of taking drugs.”
The first youth clinic was inaug
urated by Elizabeth Moynihan in
April 1978 on behalf of the founda
tion and under the auspices of Al-
Sam, an Israeli government-spon
sored agency to fight drugs. Since
then funds raised by the founda
tion, which was created in 1976 by
Aviva Najar, wife of Israeli
Ambassador Amiel Najar, at the
request of the Israeli ministry of
health, have helped to open 1 1
youth clinics throughout Israel.
The Israeli government subsid
izes some of the costs, depending
on the state of the economy, but
much of the money comes from
private fund-raising. Every two
years the foundation stages a fund
raising gala ball with proceeds going
to the clinics. Each clinic costs
about $30,000 annually to operate,
and also to train Israeli personnel
in America.
This year’s ball, held recently in
New York City, was attended by
some 280 supporters who were
entertained by Sammy David Jr.,
and raised about $150,000.
One problem with the Israeli
clinics is that they are limited to
treating drug abusers 18 years and
younger. According to Diane
Marcus, this age group is targeted
in order to detoxify them while
they’re still young. Many drug users
and drug pushers go to jail, Andre
Marcus said, for between one to
three years, since there is no place
else for them to be treated.
“They are treated like common
criminals,” explained Diane Mar
cus, “and there is no attempt to
rehabilitate them.”
J he foundation plans to capital
ize on the knowledge other nations
more experienced with handling
drub abuse have acquired and share
that with Israel to prevent the
problems from spreading. Teachers
are now being educated about the
effects of drug abuse and pass the
message to their students. Another
goal of the foundation is to open a
therapeutic center for in-patient
treatment in Israel to complement
the existing youth clinics.
“So far, Israel has been spared
the worst of the drug problem, but
it's coming,” warned former Am
bassador to Israel Samuel Lewis in
a speech at the ball.
“The problem is growing in the
wake of the Lebanon war,” Lewis
said. But he expressed hope that
since the drug problem came 10
years later than in America, “Israe
lis have a better chance to profit
from lessons we have learned.”
Lewis related to the audience a
newscast he had been watching
earlier that night about users of
“crack,” a potent form of cocaine
that is climbing to epidemic propo
rtions in New York City. “There
is on e crack-related murder every
24 hours,” Lewis said. “It’s a cause
that had we Americans been able
to attack as early as Israelis can
attack it, we wouldn’t be watching
scenes we saw on our telev ision sets
tonight.”
‘Drugs exist all over Israel...especially around
the borders where the drugs are coming in. His
torically, Americans brought the first drugs to
kibbutzim, but now the main source is southern
Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley
Andre Marcus
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