This is proving true in some of the most drug-torn and dilapidated areas of Maryland, The Royal Gazette health columnist Dr. Neil Solomon said yesterday.

Dr. Solomon, who is here on vacation, was asked by Maryland Governor Mr.

William Donald Schaefer to chair the state's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission.

And after seven months on the job, the former Maryland health secretary told of how several communities in Maryland have taken back control of their neighbourhoods, and ultimately their future.

Dr. Solomon said crime and drug abuse has decreased more than 20 percent in some neighbourhoods in Baltimore city and in Frederick and Somerset counties.

He attributed this to residents empowering themselves and networking with government departments and the private sector.

But he said residents were able to do this after he and more than 200 volunteer citizen leaders asked the people of Maryland's 23 counties and the city of Baltimore what the problems were in their communities and what needed to be done.

"The theory in the past was government knows what's best,'' Dr. Solomon said.

"But each community is different. Each community must determine what their problems are and get involved in solving them by setting up a plan, giving that plan to government for evaluation, sharpening it up where necessary and sending it back to government who will fund it.'' "When communities submit a plan it must also have the signature of persons in all the various disciplines in government that are in that area,'' he said adding that this is to ensure that the plan has community and government support.

He said Maryland is beginning to do this with drug abuse.

Some communities in Maryland recommended, and have, an anonymous Police hot line to report any signs of drug use or trafficking in their areas, Dr.

Solomon said.

"Police respond immediately to that,'' he added. "And they enforce the law 100 percent.'' Community policing has also worked to residents' advantage, he said, explaining that Police from the area are used because they know the people, befriend the residents, particularly the children to many of whom they become a father figure, and look out for them.

In some counties, Dr. Solomon said, Police visit the classroom as a part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (or DARE) programme, perform as a rock band, and play ball with children.

"Now he becomes the friend of the community, rather than the enemy,'' he said, adding that Police presence in the neighbourhood also disrupts or drives out business for drug buyers and sellers.

However, Dr. Solomon said a change in attitude will not happen overnight. Dr.

Solomon said Maryland in January passed the Equity Sharing Bill which allows drug pushers' assets to be seized and the money from this is used to pay for the pusher's jail term and drug treatment and prevention programmes.

He said drug kingpins are given 10-20 years in prison with no chance of plea bargaining.

"We have also hired special investigators to find out if these people have money in foreign banks, Swiss bank accounts, in other companies that they've hidden it, and if so we're going after that,'' Dr. Solomon said, adding that this money will be used to help further investigations and drug programmes.

In addition to cutting supply, Dr. Solomon said much of the demand can also be eliminated by educating the young, training them, providing jobs, adequate health care, and adequate housing.

"There is a great demand because a lot of these people have lost hope and are in total despair,'' he said. "They feel no one cares about them. They feel the government doesn't look after them at all. They don't have an education and therefore can't get jobs.

"And even if they have education, jobs aren't there for them or jobs pay such a menial wage they can do better just selling drugs. Many of them make more than their parents and their parents, for the most part, are good, law-abiding citizens.'' However, he said, government cannot do this alone.

"The private sector has to help too, and most importantly bring in the kids' community.

"Citizens are the driving force.'' Dr. Solomon said communities can identify drug abuse risks such as: A family which takes drugs; Poor education and therefore inability to get a job and low self-esteem; and A community that is disorganised.

And he said they can implement protective factors such as: Ensuring that families know what they are doing to their children by taking drugs; Educating -- start programmes for children and something that will give them training for a job; and Ensuring that there are jobs for these children.

"This gives the individual empowerment, the family empowerment, and the community empowerment,'' Dr. Solomon said. "Once you've done that then you have something that can really change attitudes and can make some sense.

"And the kid that does not take drugs becomes the kid emulated and the kid that does take drugs is the outcast. But right now in most of our cities it is the other way around.'' However, Dr. Solomon said the federal government -- which calls this the "weed and seed'' programme -- needs to put new money into such programmes.

"I believe if we are straight with citizens and say this is what your bucks is going for, they're going to go for this weed and seed programme,'' he said.

Dr. Solomon, who has a copy of Bermuda's National Drug Strategy Report and promised to send Maryland's National Drug Strategy Report to Bermuda, plans to present Maryland's drug scheme as a national model to whoever becomes President in the US general election.

Dr. Neil Solomon -- fighting the drug war.