By Janie Carter
The Dr. Robert DuPont in this message below is one who endorses the One Choice message about not using any substances before the age of 21 because of the developing brain. Some of you have told me that you see that message as ineffective as the Nancy Reagan “Just Say No” effort. Nevertheless, the email has some nice flyers that our teachers might use. Or not.
The reason I say it is a coincidence is that Dr. DuPont also endorsed a book I got delivered today just after receiving this One Choice email. The book by Kevin Saget is entitled, One Nation Under the Influence. It is copyrighted 2026, so it must have just come out. Anyway, I scanned the cover and a few pages of the introduction to say, “WOW!”, this Sabet guy is saying a lot of what I hear us saying about addiction, prison not being the answer, addiction is getting worse instead of better, etc. Another email I got today is about “Wasping” or “Wasp Dope.” You guessed it — spraying the insecticide on metal, scraping the residue, then snorting or injecting it. Duh, it shuts down organs. Crazy.
Dr. Robert DuPont founded the National Institute on Drug Abuse and served as director under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter. That is not magical, but interesting, and he is a nice guy with whom I talked on the phone when we got started on this incredible journey. He was very encouraging about our intent to help our youth and our community through the Coalition.
IBH One Choice – Making a Lasting Positive Impact on Youth Substance Use Prevention