>> hello, and welcome to the journal on dw-tv in berlin but i am meggin leigh with the news. >> and i am steve chaid at the business desk. >> protesters in libya clashed with security forces in that country's second largest city. >> the german government appoint a new bundesbank president. >> and the german government stands up for children's rights to make a racket. ♪ >> first, tunisian and then egypt. now, could libya be next? in a rare show of unrest, hundreds of the comments of

libyan leader muammar qaddafi clashed with police overnight in the city of benghazi, protesting the arrest of a human rights activist who has worked to free political prisoners. demonstrators then used the internet to call on people to take to the streets for more anti-government protests on thursday. >> this amateur video from tuesday night shows the protests in benghazi. the clip was uploaded to the internet web site youtube. dozens of demonstrators called for the release of political prisoners in libya and the ousting of president muammar qaddafi. in another video also climbing to show benghazi, the demonstrators are voicing their anger at the arrest of human rights lawyer. shots are heard. the protesters run for cover. some people are injured. the demonstrators in libya are taking their lead from the protest movements in tunisia and egypt. there, too, activists used

internet blogs at facebook to call for opponents of the regime to join the demonstrations. but on the libyan state tv, there's no word of the unrest. instead, pictures are shown at a pro-khaddafi rally. the libyan ruler has held power for more than 40 years. in recent weeks, he has repeatedly criticized the protests in tunisia and egypt in stressed that his regime would not tolerate such mass demonstrations. but the young protesters refused to be silenced. on their internet, there organizing more rallies in calling for a day of raids on thursday, just as the egyptians did at the start of their popular uprising. >> elsewhere in the middle is, anti-government protests picked up pace on wednesday. thousands gathered for a third day of demonstrations in bahrain. the rally is driven largely by complaints of a lack of economic opportunity as well as political freedom. in yemen, the calls are growing

for the president there to resign. at least two people have been killed in clashes with security forces. >> thousands of students took to the streets of the yemeni capital again on wednesday to call for president ali abdullah saleh to resign. students of but -- held up cars with slogans like graduates want jobs and demanded an end to poverty and corruption. yemeni sent out police. a protest could develop into a revolution like those in indonesia and egypt is what they are fearful of. but the police failed to keep the situation under control. pro and anti-government demonstrators clashed. two men were reportedly killed. in the gulf state of bahrain, the funeral procession for a man killed in demonstrations on

tuesickly turned political. >mourners chanted slogans calling for the resignation of prime minister khalifa bin salman khalifa. the unrest in bahrain is now in its third day. footage has emerged showing government forces using tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators. the tiny island kingdom has seen unrest in the past, with the majority shi'ite population demanding more political freedom from the sunni ruling dynasty. >> there is a foreign policy expert for the governing christian democrats in germany, and he is currently in washington for talks with officials from the obama administration. he spoke to us earlier from there. i asked him what germany and europe could do to support these democratic movements in the tunisian, egypt, and elsewhere. >> i think it is now necessary that we strengthen, and we have

decreed institutions which allow the people of tunisia and egypt to decide about their own fate, about their own future in a democratic way. this means that time is needed for organizing new political parties and in the wider spectrum of secular opposition and a secular political parties can help to establish these parties through our political foundations. in germany, all the political parties have political foundations. so we can cover the whole political spectrum from the left to the right and vice versa. we could also help in an economic way, because there are big economic problems in tunisia and egypt as well. if we open the european markets more broadly and agricultural products from tunisia and egypt, this might be part of the discussion to the i am favoring

this step. a third step would be that they should open our universities for students from egypt, tunisia, and from arab countries to study in our universities. and if they finish their studies, they should be allowed to stay a bit longer of the what to do so, because this would help in tunisia and egypt to cope with this huge pack of youngsters who are otherwise probably unemployed in their home countries. >> ok, thank you very much for joining us. the situation in egypt following the revolution there will be the focus of our "in depth" coming up later. but now let's hand it over to steve for news from the banking sector. >> a new man at the top of germany's bundesbank, but is it a big power shipped as well? angela merkel has confirmed that her chief economic adviser will become the next president of germany's central bank.

the promotion caps a remarkable rise for him and secures a quick replacement from the man who resigned last week. given the bundesbank's's fiercely guarded political independence, his closeness to the chancellor is can -- casting a shadow over the decision. >> at just 42, he will be the youngest president in the bundesbank's's history. he is slated to take over the reins from the outgoing president on may 1. the chancellor says her former aide is the right man for the job, especially in a time of crisis for the euro. >> anyone who knows this man knows that he has excellent professional skills, a brilliant intellect, and he has an independent mind. >> with her selection, the chancellor and her college and hope he will represent a strong voice in the european central bank, someone who can help

restore stability to the eurozone. >> we have not given up our ambitions in europe at the european central bank. we want to ensure the emphasis on stability that is characterized germany for decades continues. that was also a factor. >> for five years, he has served as chancellor merkel's top economic aide, a job that kept him out of the public eye. but now it is his turn to be in the spotlight. >> lets the to the market. european shares locked in gains for the fourth trading session in a row on wednesday. conrad sent us this summary of the midweek trading session in frankfurt. >> despite the strong earnings report, the shares of declined. some investors are not happy that daimler invest more for research and development.

s in from daimler, diebolt has prevailed. sanofi-aventis buys genzyme. clarion takes over a german chemical company. >> that was from a frankfurt, where we can stay for a closer look at the the numbers and the blue-chip dax pinup finished 0.2% higher, 7414. the euro stoxx 50 locking in gains of more than 1%, finishing at 3061. in new york, the dow jones also enjoying healthy gains, up by more than 0.5%, 12,295. the you're trading at a value of $1.3560. shares in german carmaker

daimler fell by more than 4% wednesday. the maker of the iconic mercedes grand earned a fourth quarter profit of 01 0.1 billion euros, staging a very strong comeback from a loss a year ago. the carmaker issued an upbeat outlook and also announced a higher than anticipated dividend o. business is booming at germany's biggest mail-order company. it posted record sales of over two billion euros in its latest fiscal year. it credits much of its success to a huge growth in online business. internet sales soared 30% and account for 70% of the company's overall volume now. and sales also soared during the christmas season. they hope to continue their expansion in the coming year. iceland's parliament approved a revised plan to repay $5 billion

to britain and the netherlands. those governments have already reimbursed 400,000 citizens who lost money when the internet bank collapsed almost two and a half years ago. the agreements now have to be approved by isolette's president, who refused to back an earlier proposal. under the latest deal, the country will have more time to repay the money, and it will do so at a lower interest rate of 3.3%, instead of the 5.5% suggested earlier. back over to meggin leigh. >> thank you for that. japan says it has suspended its annual whale hunt in the antarctic after persistent harassment from anti-whaling activists. in recent weeks, ships operated by the conservationist sea shepherd society have been chasing japanese fleets and blocking their hunt in the southern ocean. there have been several reports of clashes between the two sides. welling was banned under an international agreement in 1986.

japan has exploited a loophole to continue whale hunting, which assesses for scientific purposes. opponents say they are a cover for commercial whaling. parents and kids alike can breathe a sigh of relief fund comes to play time. the german government has agreed to legislation which exams and children's playgrounds and kindergarten from laws regulating noise levels. birth rates are low in germany, and the government is hoping this latest move will serve as a child-friendly signal to would- be parents. >> many residents in this berlin district are unhappy about living next to a children's playground. they said the sound of children playing near violates residential noise regulations. that is why it is sometimes deserted. a court ruled that the area can only be open at certain times. the german government does not agree and intense that the law changed. -- and intends to have the law

changed. >> the changes necessary because the current law, the noise pollution law, does not differentiate between the sound of jackhammers, traffic, and the sound of being a child. >> a change will make it more difficult to restrict the noise created by children. most germans think it is a good idea. they have no patience with people who are annoyed by children playing. >> they should go to the desert or summer. there is no noise there. >> everyone was a child once upon a time, and surely also made some noise. children do not have any place in the city to have fun. >> but until the changes come into affect, children will have to be a little more quiet. afterwards, they can make as much noise as they want. >> it is have time at the 10-day berlin international film festival. among the highlights this wednesday was the world premiere of the tragic comic take on the nazi era.

it is screened out of competition in tells the story of two childhood friends in vienna whose fortunes change when the nazi's and ex austria. it stars the son of wealthy jewish art collectors, and he steps into his friends ss uniform which ultimately leads to him surviving the holocaust. "my best in amigos " has been i asked -- my best in the me" has been well-received by critics. i asked our film correspondent if it has struck a chord. " when i first heard about this movie, i knew it would be in the film festival, and i thought it was another ponders politically correct look at the holocaust, and we've seen thousands of times before. stories of jewish and arab and friends and so forth. i was worried that it was going to be one of these movies. but what happened halfway through this movie is it takes a turn and becomes a mistaken

identity comedy. it is quite clever, quite funny. and i was incredibly impressed with the actor who shows his, the chops in the film. it is a shame it is not in competition because i would like it to win a prize. but at least it is a fresh new look of what has become a tired daughter, the world war ii time a movie. -- retired genre. >> we're halfway through the prizes. what did you seek as coming out as the likely winners? >> there is one clear favorite. that is the iranian film. it is called "a separation." it has raves for pretty much everybody. it has a mix of politics and personal stories that always does well here in berlin. it is a story about a double in iran that have marital problems, in part due to this political situation in iran. and given the of people at the moment in the middle east, i think the jury will definitely

want to send a signal with their awards on sunday. and i think that this film has the best chance of winning the golden bear. when it comes to the acting prizes, i think we will see more hollywood. i think kevin spacey has a good chance to win best actor. also, ralph fiennes. >> as always, thank you for the updates from the red carpet. to formula one racing, a player replacing the injured polished driver in next month's season opener in bahrain. you can see him here on the right when he raised for bmw for three years. the german is regarded as someone who can get the best out of the car but in 170 two races, he has failed to translate that experience into a win. are you someone who gets the best out of your car? if you confine the emergency brake. >> best gas mileage it anyway.

>> stay tuned for "in depth" coming up next. ♪ >> quick access to your programs, a quick access to your region. all broadcast * at a glance. tailored to your needs on www.dw-world.de. the full program, dw-tv. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> the people of egypt are calling for the country's military to not only smooth the way into a democratic future, but also to open up the economy so that everyone, not just the well-connected, has a shot at jobs and the chance to start a business. 80% of the egyptians live on the equivalent of euro 1.50 per day, many with university degrees. the economy ranges as high as 40%, but because reporting on the military is still a crime in egypt, any real numbers are impossible to come by. as our report shows, it is especially young people who want to change that and create an open society with opportunity, not just for the children of the elite. >> even after the fall of

president mubarak, this man is still hard at work. since he started this art project two weeks ago, dozens of people have painted alongside the egyptians did in on a daily basis. young protesters who want a voice in egypt's future. >> the egyptian people deserve to have a say. the people alone have the right to decide their fate after the revolution. we do not want foreign powers to come in and to decide our future. >> he is not alone. many young egyptians, part of the so-called facebook generation, took their cries of revolution and demands of change to the streets. ahmed was one of the most vocal protest kiloliters bought -- at tahrir square and belongs to the coalition of the the revolution. >> what solidarity, but we do not want outside interference, no matter rokita. we want people to support us, but the egyptian people lead this revolution, and it should

remain at their revolution. >> now that mubarak has been ousted, the focus in egypt has shifted to the future, with questions about democratic elections and press freedom on everyone's mind. the youth movement is not open to suggestions from the west. >> to us, obama represents the west, and he was too hesitant in the beginning. he called for an orderly transition. then went mimbar decided to ban any outside interference in the matter, obama said the egyptians should have patience with their government. that is why we do not trust the americans. >> this man is also critical of western powers. for many young egyptians, the u.s. and its allies lost all credibility when they tried to walk the line between supporting the revolution for democracy and standing behind mubarak, a symbol of stability in the region.

>> for more, we're joined by dr. nader, a postdoctoral fellow in berlin, and she also has a ph.d. in islamic in middle eastern history. thank you for being with us. first of all, we just heard in that report that many egyptians do not want any interference from the outside, including europe. what can europe do, however, to help egypt moved in the democratic direction? >> you know, i think egyptians are really taking great pride in the achievements they have done and how it has been perceived by the world. i grew up in egypt reading and studying the french revolution as a source of a great inspiration, and i think what your needs to do it this point is remain true to its post- enlightenment ideas and ensure that democratic movements in the human rights of people are supported in all parts of the world. >> ok, let's move on to another aspect of the report we heard

about, the so-called facebook generation, young people using the internet and these social websites to communicate their message. in your experience in egypt, how has modern technology been transforming the lives of the egyptians? >> it is, of course, changing the lives of people in a good way. we're talking about a country where people are not allowed to assemble for and political parties because of facebook in the social media has become a venue for people to try to express their frustrations and hopes for better future. and it is also, i think, important to mention that it is in that same generation and in the samoset american people have elected president obama at the first-ever american president of the united states, so it is more about the demographics of the society and the voice of the youth that this media is helping them.

>> yes, and 0.20 first century communications. >> exactly. >> this uprising was sparked largely in part by things like unemployment, oppression, political oppression, rampant corruption. these things do not go away overnight. what lies ahead for egypt? >> i am very optimistic about the future of egypt, and i think it will take time before a true democracy comes to the plate. but i think we need to start with having a really genuine, true justice system. because the rule of law in a true justice system are the fundamental pillars of any civilized nation. a justice system will bring security and will bring democracy and bread and butter to everybody. >> ok, we will certainly be watching all developments. we thank you very much. >> thank you very much for having me. >> the jasmine and the nile

revolutions have sparked calls for freedom throughout the region, with the past few days seeing protests for democracy in algeria, bahrain, yemen, iran, and libya. the people of tunisia and egypt reminded us of the incredible wealth and power that resides in as to shape the future. we take a look now how the world's leading powers have been dealing with the unexpected uprisings. >> today, u.s. president barack obama struggle to find a clear position on the events unfolding in egypt. but when a hosni mubarak's regime fell, obama was quick to praise the courage of the egyptian people in their fight for democracy. >> in the short term, the obama administration is aiming to promote the process of democratization in egypt. a peaceful transition for democracy getting a chance. for the long term, president obama wants to make sure that

the influence of the united states stays strong in this strategically important region for the west. in the aftermath of the revolutionary changes in egypt and tunisia. >> in the meantime, the european union is struggling to stem the flow of two nations and other north africans who are flooding into europe. the eu foreign affairs chief is proposing billions in aid to the region to help implement reform. >> the european union sees itself as a so-called soft power. the one to help organize democratic elections, aid in the conversion of police and security services, and assist in the judicial reforms. they'll send experts to help guide the political transformation in egypt. in doing so, they want to realize -- revitalize the mediterranean and reduce the influence. egypt could become the litmus test of that for policy in. >> citi, reports of the

development i need to work quickly set -- swept aside, getting only a brief mention. internet search is being of no information are images from cairo. the chinese government sees the prospect as civil disobedience, especially after watching the egyptian people rise up to overthrow the regime. >> china's response to egypt is very restrained. the fall of the government is reported as little as possible. even discussions about it are being censored heavily. because the parallels to the situation in and china are all too obvious. -prices, rising social dissatisfaction, and corruption. -- rising food prices. >> international attention will be focused on egypt in the coming weeks. but china in the west will be watching closely to see if the egyptian people can successfully make the transition to democracy. >> pujols transition to democracy, that has been our focus of "in depth" today --

egypt's transition to democracy. i am meggin leigh. thanks for joining us. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪

focus on the bottle. actor, director, mel gibson's drunken out andwurst comedian, robin williams, self imposed check in at a rehab clinic spotlighted alcohol abuse. but the problem hits much closer to home than hollywood. a new study of teenage drinking and drug usury vels that one-half of all used 17 years old say that marijuana, cocaine and alcohol are common at house parties where parents are present. is substance abuse the new national pastime? we'll ask joe call fon oh, director of the national center on addiction and substance abuse.

kaf if. for such a small if i live to a hundred. if social security isn't enough. if my heart gets broken. if she says yes. we believe if should never hold you back. if should be managed with a plan that builds on what you already have. together we can create a personal safety net, a launching pad, for all those brilliant ifs in the middle of life. you can call on our expertise and get guarantees for the if in life. after all, we're metlife.

welcome secretary califano. >> nice to be with you. >> pleasure to have you with us. mel gibson was arrested in malibu, california not long ago and i'd like to know from you from your knowledge of the case, whether or not mel gibson was exhibiting signs, clear signs that he's an alcoholic. >> i think -- he was certainly exhibiting clear signs that he's an alcohol abuser. that he gets drunk and loses any inhibitions and lets the demons out. whether or not he is a full-blown alcoholic in the sense that drinks so much so often that he can't function in his creative life, he can't function with his family, he can't function in day-to-day, or and that he drinks even though he knows it's badly hurting him in a whole variety of ways.

i don't know the answer to that. only the people who are treating him know that. exactly arnks abusers as well as alcoholics need treatment, they need help. >> we can't move that definition into a little bit more precision perhaps because there had been thought that to be an alcoholic it goes beyond problem drinking. to be an alcoholic you have descriptions in your life, major disruptions. either you can't hold a job or you have serious material relationship problems or you have financial problems or you can't get through the day without alcohol or you're a morning drinker. we are also joined in this georn university medical school and he is also the medical

director and founder of kolmac clinic. which is an intensive outpatient addiction treatment program and the united states and i believe it was the first. dr. kolodner, on this better of alcohol itch, do you think that the behavior of mel gibson is that of a binchl drinker or is that of an alcoholic and is it legitimate to make and necessary to make a distinction between the two? >> can't comment on mel gibson but in terms of the definition of alcoholism, i would agree with you that people have to have a serious disfunction in some area of their life. what's so impressive to me about alcoholism is how well so many people are diagnosed can function in the world very effectively despite their drinking and therefore they become hidden because i think many people have stereo types of alcoholics as being totally disfunctional people which

they usually are not. >> do alcoholics, true alcoholics have hallucinations? do they spin fantasies and if that were the case, does that mitigate the other charge against mel gibson and a statement -- his ethics statement? perhaps he was spinning fant cease rather than speaking what he really believed or what in any way actiated in. >> i can't answer the question as to whether mel gibson is antisa metic. but i do think that alcohol abuse can let demonsout of you. let me give you -- most rape occurs in social situations when either the guy is drunk or the girl is drunk. alcohol does disinhibit. we have done studies of women in colleges and why their drinking has gone through the roof, tripled over the last 15 years and one of the two main answers

they give is i'm under terrific pressure to have sex and this inhibits me. now with mel gibson disinhibit friday saying he would not have said while he was sober, what he said when he was drunk. does he really believe everything in his heart that he said when he was drunk? i don't know the answer to that. >> alcoholics have dts. they have deleariums. >> of course that do i. >> that's hallucination. what if he's hallucinating? >> i don't know whether he was hallucinating or not. but, when he came to, he certainly felt he had done some terrible terrible things. >> are you doing anything in connection with this in relation to some of the films that have been been in hollywood? you remember the film, lost weekend and the rivoting film, leaving las vegas where a person just drank himself to death. do you do anything with

hollywood on these other films like old school or animal house or cocktail which makes alcoholic beverage taking fun, romantic, cool? >> i think that's terrible. i think that hollywood's obligation is to portray the stuff realistically and the lost weekend did portray it. the fantastic movie with a big impact. i think television's obligation is the same thing. look at the "wil and grace" show. they have a character on there hooked on vikatin and they make it look dispun cutesy but they don't have all the stuff that happens to you when you're hooked on vikatin. the diarrhea, the physical breakdown, the mental breakdown. this is not cutesy stuff. getting drunk, using drugs, is not cutesy stuff. and hollywood has a responsibility to portray it realistically. too many times -- i think animal house is -- i think these teen shows that

glorify drinking and binge drinking and pill popping and pot smoking -- >> on the matter of pill popping, we have a gentleman on the phone who does prescribe mood-altering drugs to a lot of people. i presume because that's that is where psychiatry is moved to in america. millions of people take mood-altering drugs. is that correct dr. kolodner? >> it's very commonly prescribed, yes and there are certainly doctors that do that well and doctors that don't do that well. >> do you think we are over prescribed? >> i don't think you can generalize. i think that some doctors over prescribe and some doctors under prescribe and it's sometimes very difficult for a person to find a physician that does it right. >> we have a medical industry that is huge. we have a pharmacological industry that is huge.

we have mood-altering drugs and we have lawyers who are involved in the whole process. >> let me put the control prescription drugs in perspective. open yoids that dr. kodner mentioned, between 1992 and 20001, the population in the united states increased 14%. the number of kids abusing prescription drugs went up 212% abusing drugs. the number of adults abusing these drugs went up 81%. a major study we did at our center and released a couple of years ago. prescription drug aintus a major major problem. dr. kolodner's point is these drugs are good. they help people. no question about that. and it's important to get

the abuse stopped. we also done with some of the pharmaceutical mail house companies studies and they point out that many, many doctors keep prescribing these drugs longer than they ever should be prescribed and often in amounts they shouldn't be prescribed. that's wrong. but we have to do -- one of the main reasons to get rid of what is wrong here is because they do a lot of good for people. >> that's also true. we could argue that marijuana is good for people. and marijuana could alter a mood. that can have positive affects. what are you saying about that? i mean it seems to me you get impossible area of subject activity if you try to say it's okay for sarm cuticle -- packsil to do this but you can't do it with pot? >> marijuana is a dangerous drug. let me explain something to you. one, the marijuana today is much stronger than the

marijuana that kids smoked in the 70s. that's number 1. number 2, we know a lot more about it. particularly for young people it affects the development of the brain. it affects emotional development and affects motor skills and your ability to pay attention. there are more teenagers in the united states of america in treatment for marijuana dependancy than there are for alcohol dependancy. smoking pot for kids is russian roulette. it's not a rite of passage. >> do you see that sharper betwa and other mood-altering drugs dr. kolodner. >>. >> for one thing there is legal pharmaceutical marijuana. it is the active ingredient that is or can be prescribed and has indications and as you said, it does have definite medical uses. the smoking of marijuana, per se is different than taking pharmaceutical thc because

it has many other substances in it and it's taken by a different route. my understanding of the demonstration that smoking marijuana is superior to taking pharmaceutical oral thc. and you have a lot of legal issues brought around that. >> will you take the position that oxycontin is superior and preferable to canabbis? >> the problem with oxycontin is that the liver system, the pharmaceutical system that the liver did, prepared it in a way that could be easily defeated so people could get huge doses of medication that was supposed to be slowly released simply by biting down on the tablet or cutting it open and cut the powder out. i think that both of these things are -- very dangerous in different ways. one of the problems with marijuana is people don't take is seriously as a drug. it's affects are much more

in siddious than those of oxycontin where somebody could get an overdose and die with oxycontin and have severe withdrawl affects and marijuana doesn't have that kind of drama. >> diswroust clarify my position and my playing of the devil's advocate on my part. but the proposition is that america's public education establishment in conjunction with pediatricians have drug an entire generation and boys and to some extent girls with behavior altering medications and now want to do the same even more so for girls. part of an over medication of america and how we are creating a nation of addicts all legally. what would you say to that dr. kolodner. >> i heard that charge but the data doesn't support that. there are a lot of parents who have kids with add or adhd who were very concerned about putting their children on stimulants and wonder figure this is making it

more likely they would become addicts. there was a study out of harvard that documented just the opposite occurred so if you have someone with adhd, and you medicate them properly with stimulants, they are much less likely to go on and become addicted. many of the marijuana smokers they see are addicted to marijuana are kids with adhd who are self medicating with marijuana to either have been diagnosed with add or diagnosed and they ref dr. kolodner. >> i heard that charge but the data doesn't support that. there are a lot of parents who have kids with add or secretary califano you recently released a survey on teen use of alcohol and drugs. what did you find regarding teenagers use of drugs and alcohol? in particularly parentally supervised parties. >> john, 33% of 12-17 year-olds in this country go to parties where parents are

present and alcohol, marijuana, extaes, koick, hallucinogens are also present. -- ecstasy. half of 17 year-olds go to parties where parents are present and drugs are present and at parties where no parents are present, it's a certainty alcohol and drugs will be there. what is going on with the parents? what's going on? one, they stay up stairs in their room. they don't want to -- they are 15-year-old says daddy don't and down. we're just having a party down andher they want to be pals, not parents. and they just want to get along with their kids. patients are not doing their job. they are pa luka parents. because they don't or have no idea what their teen's world is like. teenage world itself is a wash of alcohol and drugs. >> how about access to drugs? how long does it take for a teen to find marijuana?

>> 5 million, 12-17 year-olds can buy marijuana within an hour. 10 million within a dismi what age group? >> 12-17. 10 million. >> within an hour? >> 5 million -- within an hour. it's been this way for the last 3 years. since we started asking these questions. 10-12 million within a day. 20%. we are talking -- we have made no progss protion in this country in terms of the veil builtee - progress -- of drugs to our kids. no change in that. and basically we live in a world, john, your kid is going to be offered illegal drugs before he or she graduates from high school and probably on several occasions and probably several different kinds of drugs. that means you, the parent, have got a hell of a a responsibility to give that kid values to have the strength to say no.

>> is that what you would council parents to do? >> i think parents are the key here. they are key in two respects. one i council parents not to have alcohol at parties. go find out what their teens are doing at parties and the when their kids go to a party at another house. call-up and say to the parents, are you going to be there? are you going to know what's going on and make sure alcohol isn't there? the other thing they have to do, is our schools are riddled with drugs. riddled with them. the way to get drugs out of schools is parents. if there is asbestos in the skooeling of the school, parents raise hell. they take their kids out. they won't let them back in the classroom until it's all out. but they send those same doids school every day when they know the schools of riddled with drugs. when parents feel strong about drugs in school, as they feel about asbestos in school, we'll start getting the drugs out of the schools. >> there is a lodger question here and that's the

cultural question and whether this is -- you're saying more than you're really saying with regard to the very nature of the society we live in. but let's not go there quite quiet. you're survey found the transition found between 13-14 years of age is particularly risky for teens. you say that in comparison to 13 year-olds, 14 year-olds are 4 times likely to be offered prescription drugs to abuse. 3 times more likely to be offered extaes and 3 times more likely to be offered marijuana and 3 times more likely to be offered koick. and that's why you call them dangerous years. is that correct? >> it's a dangerous divide. and we think it shows the move from middle school to high school. because if you look at the middle school about 20% of the middle schools have -- drugs are used, kept and sold and more than 50% of the high schools are schools where drugs are used, kept and

sold. that's a big jump. when your kid goes high school, he is entering an entirely different world and if you're a parent, you have to be engaged with your kid during that transition. >> what would you council parents with regard to allowing their children to attend parties put on by teens of their age at other snoms. >> i council parents to call-up the other home and say, are you going to be there? are you parents going to be there are you going to watch what is going to? and be there? i mean be there. but these parents are so out of touch. john, one of the things, 80% of the parents we surveyed said that neither alcohol nor marijuana was available at the parties their teens went to. 50% of the teens issues these are the teens of this these parents said critical and marijuana are available. readily available. they don't know what's going

on or don't want to know. >> your survey terms age 17 a time of route rude awakening. why do you say that? >> because by 17 you're almost certain to be offered drugs. we were stunned to find out that a quarter of the 17 year-olds in these united states knew someone their own age who had been the victim of gun violence personally. a quarter of 17 year-olds had seen drugs dealt in their neighborhood. i think risk goes up over the years but 17 is an age in which alcohol and drugs are everywhere in your life. >> how many teens or what percentage of teens have been offered illegal drugs by the time they reach 18 years of age? >> 18 i would say almost 100%. >> 17? >> 17, survey shows about 70%. but our guess is that by-and-large, you want to

figure that you can't get out of high school in the united states without being offered illegal drugs. >> but that doesn't mean it necessarily accepts them? >> that's right. that's why i say parents are important. they are the guys that have to help give these kids the values not to take or not to say yes. nancy reagan took a lot of ridicule for just say no campaign. just say no is the right message. >> what about a racial component? >> the racial thing that disturbs us most in the survey was that 12 and 13 year-olds hispanic and black kids are 3 times likelier, 12 and 13 year-olds, to be offered drugs than 12 and 13-year-old white kids. 20% of black and hispanic kids we surveyed said they had been offered drugs at age 12-13. nonly 7% of white kids said that. now that says those drugs are widely available, and it also says something about

law enforcement. we tolerate here in washington in south central l.a., and in new york and harlem, and in california and california south central and here in washington in the southeast, drug czars that would be wiped out in 5 minu did you get into the issue of who should prescribe antidepressants and other psychopharmacological medications for mood-altering drugs? should it be psychiatrists only or mds or -- what are you doing with regard to that? >> it should be mds but shay should be much better fland how to do it. and there should be more controls now. most drugs come out through mail ordered houses and we know when a doctor is over prescribing or prescribing too much for a patient. but there is a problem. you talked about oxycontin.

oxycontin is incredibly effective pain killer. it's incredibly addictive and should only be used in the worst pain. but what happens is the family doctor has 40 people sitting in his room every day. gives it to somebody and they say, i feel fine. and he says god, i have a drug that works and then he puts it out there. and the other thing, parents have got to start thinking about locking their medicine cabinets the way 50 years ago they would have locked their liquor cabinet. because kids get these drugs from their parents. >> i understand. you made progress in that regard. >>. >> we are making progress. not making progress in the availability of illegal drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs by kids is going up. but a program like t what's the larger issue behind this? >> the larger issue is, and i have a new book coming out

next year, high society. we have a country in which we increasingly think there is a drug for every ill. if we feel lousy we get a drug to make us feel better. if we can't sleep, we have a drug to help us sleep. if we ache we have a drug to ease our pain. if our kids are a little scattered and need discipline it's easier to give them ritalin and adder ol than discipline and the worst part about it is we don't -- these drugs are valuable. they can be very helpful to people but we don't use them to help us just when we are really sick or really need them. we use them to push the envelope. the baseball player who takes steroids because he wants to get the extra home run. the guy cutting the deal on wall street takes a little cocaine or takes -- >> amphetamine. >> so he can work around the clock and make the deal go. we use them to further abuse ourselves and --

>> it's a value question. >> there is a values question and we are besieged. turn on your television set. you have arthritis, pop this pill and you can dance like fred estair and ginger rogers. you can't sleep, here is a pill guaranteed. no problems. i mean -- >> what's the correction. >> the corrective goes deep. i think the corrective is self discipline, i think it's we have lost a lot of spiritual values in this country and i really think that affects this. we are full of instant gratification. got to have it right now. lives are so bizy and wild. >> the tempo. >> the tempo. we want to do more and more and more. >> where is leisure? >> leisure -- >> anywhere in our societiy? >> leisure may not be there for guys like you and me but it's there for a lot of people who take tame off.

but it's not what it used to be. >> i arrange for my reading time, joe. but the tempo is fierce. >> the tempo is fierce. >> and the add junks that assist the tempo, like the technology, cell phones, and the other ways of staying in touch and staying on top and working around the clock. >> go to an airport and you see these guys on their black berries. >> what is the corrective, joe? we are almost out of time? >> i think we have people, people have to count to 10 before they start taking substances and ask themselves questions about their life. are there other things they can do? >> so it's a matter of the spirit? >> spirit is very important, john. very important. >> words to live by. thank you very much, joe. good luck with the book. >> thank you. >> high society. >> high society. >> thank you. if. for such a small if i live to a hundred. if social security isn't enough.

if my heart gets broken. if she says yes. we believe if should never hold you back. if should be managed with a plan that builds on what you already have. together we can create a personal safety net, a launching pad, for all those brilliant ifs in the middle of life. you can call on our expertise and get guarantees for the if in life. after all, we're metlife.