The nation's drug czar on Wednesday unveiled a new tool in the war against alcohol and other drugs — patriotism.

        John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the Pride World Drug Prevention Conference that illegal drug trafficking is helping fund at least 12 terrorist groups.

        “Drugs are not only dangerous for you and your friends,” he said. “It's bad for your country and bad for people who want to live in peace and democracy.”

        Mr. Walters spoke to 4,500 teens and adults attending the opening day of the four-day conference at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center. Pride, the sponsoring organization, takes its name from the acronym for Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education.

        The 25th anniversary event provides training to prevent use of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs among adolescents.

        As drug czar, Mr. Walters promises to reduce drug use among adults and teens by 10 percent in two years and by 25 percent in five years.

        “It begins with prevention,” he said. “We know if you don't become involved in drug use as a teen-ager, you're very unlikely to have abuse or addiction problems later.”

        Today, an estimated 4.7 million people are drug-dependent. Of those, 23 percent are estimated to be teen-agers.

        Marijuana is the most misunderstood drug, Mr. Walters said, because it's peddled as harmless. Sixty-five percent of drug-dependent people have a primary or secondary dependence on marijuana.

        “Marijuana is two-thirds of the addiction problem in America today .... We have too many people trapped in addiction to marijuana because they thought it couldn't happen, or they were told it couldn't happen. That's the lie you have to help us change.”

        Latoya Keith, a 16-year-old Taft High School junior, has already made the decision to stay drug-free.

        “I don't want anything to go wrong with my body. I already have heart problems. I don't want to die at any early age. I have a lot of things I want to do.”

        Carl McMullen, 16, of Madisonville is learning ways to deal with peer pressure. The junior at Purcell Marian High School has chosen to stay clean because he plays sports.

        “I just want to be drug- and alcohol-free so I can play to the best of my ability.”

        The conference, which continues through Saturday, will bring $4.2 million into the local economy.

        Conventioneers are here from all 50 states and 10 other countries as far away as India.

        “I had a tremendous amount of pressure (from boycott organizers) to cancel,” said Jay DeWispelaere, president and chief executive officer of Pride Youth Programs, the conference sponsor.

        “We think, frankly, that youth are part of the process of healing. By seeing all these young people from all races and all backgrounds come together, what better example for Cincinnati?”

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