Young people, including the 4,000 who will come to Cincinnati this week for the Pride 2002 conference, are some of the most effective soldiers in the war on drugs, U.S. Rep. Rob Portman said Monday.

        “Reducing the demand for drugs is one of the most important things that can be done,” said Mr. Portman, who is Ohio co-chair for the four-day Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education World Drug Prevention Conference at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center.

        Junior and senior high school students from around the country are expected to attend the drug prevention conference sponsored by Pride 2002, a nonprofit agency based in Michigan.

        Mr. Portman, who founded the Coalition for a Drug-Free Cincinnati, said that drug prevention programs should be as high a priority for the federal government as treatment and drug interdiction.

        “If we can reduce the de mand by convincing young people that drug use is a self-destructive path, we've won half the battle,” Mr. Portman said.

        All the young people attending the four-day event have signed pledges to be drug, alcohol and tobacco free and will attend sessions on how to spread the anti-drug message to fellow students.

        More than 400 Cincinnati area students will attend on scholarships provided by the Cincinnati Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

        More than 170 workshops will provide training for professionals, educators, parents, volunteers and youth. Six general sessions will feature nationally recognized speakers in the field of drug and violence prevention.

        John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, tops the list of speakers, which includes Mr. Portman, author of several anti-drug bills, and Ohio first lady Hope Taft, co-founder of Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth.

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