WASHINGTON -- Church -based youth groups are being enlisted in the Bush administration's latest effort to battle drug use, The Associated Press reported.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy began offering guides, brochures and Web sites July 10 to help religious youth group leaders teach members to avoid marijuana and other drugs.
"Faith plays an important role when it comes to teen marijuana prevention," said John P. Walters, director of the office. "Faith communities can help influence a teen's decision not to use marijuana and other drugs."
The initiative comes following a March study published by the American Psychological Association that teenagers were less likely to use marijuana when they thought religion was important to their lives, the news service reported.
Critics of the administration's faith-based initiatives said religious groups already are fighting drug abuse and don't need the government involved.
"It's another example of how the Bush administration is obsessed with finding a faith-based solution to every social and medical problem," said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
