BECAUSE SO MANY lives are changed by chemical dependency, a great effort is being made to prevent new cases from occurring. In order to do this, authorities are taking a two-pronged approach. First, they are educating young people about the dangers of chemical dependency in an effort to keep them from trying chemicals. At the same time, federal, state, and local governments are passing strict laws to punish people involved in selling or abusing illegal drugs. The threat of going to prison, experts say, will prevent people from trying illegal drugs and, by arresting people selling illegal drugs, make it harder for people to obtain them.

Educating young people

There are a number of different programs sponsored by schools, the police, local communities, and various nonprofit organizations that focus on preventing young people from using harmful chemicals. Some of these programs concentrate on making young people...