Just Say Know Conference To Present Cutting Edge Drug Education

Parents, students, educators and administrators are all invited to “Just Say Know: New Directions in Drug Education,” a one-day conference to be held on October 29, 1999 at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Co-sponsored by the San Francisco Medical Society and The Lindesmith Center, “Just Say Know” will take a fresh look at drug education programs from the perspective of students, parents, and researchers. Innovative drug education programs currently in use in the U.S. as well as Canada, Australia, and the U.K. will be presented and discussed. At a wrap-up session, participants will make policy recommendations and create a plan for action.

“Since the 1960s, school-based drug prevention programs have relied on scare tactics, zero tolerence, and ‘Just Say No.’ Many are seeking alternatives that are more effective at keeping teens safe from the harmful effects of drugs,” said Dr. Marsha Rosenbaum, director of The Lindesmith Center-West and co-chair of the conference planning committee. “The ‘Just Say Know’ conference will be a first step towards integrating new directions into drug education strategies.”

Conference attendees will be welcomed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Barbara Garcia of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Steve Heilig of the San Francisco Medical Society, Ethan Nadelmann of the Lindesmith Center, and Dr. David Smith of the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. The conference’s honorary planning committee includes Dr. Dean Edell, Dr. Andrew Weil, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, State Senator John Vasconcellos, Assembly Members Carole Migden and Kevin Shelley, and San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano, Leslie Katz, Gavin Newsom, and Leland Yee.