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Straight, Incorporated was a controversial non-profit drug rehabilitation program in the United States that existed from 1976 to 1993 and served clients ranging in age from 13 to 20. Over the course of its existence, it is unknown how many people graduated from Straight's programs, and the organization operated treatment centers in California, Virginia, Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio and Florida. Founded by Florida businessmen Mel Sembler and his wife Betty Schlesinger Sembler, along with Joseph Zappala, the program was praised by prominent figures such as former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan, but was also subject to multiple accusations of abusive practices.〔 Straight has been the subject of numerous allegations of abuse. In every state that Straight had a facility, abuse was documented either by state investigators or was alleged in civil suits. ==History== Straight was established in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1976, following the closure the previous year of a program called Seed, Inc. When announcing its establishment, organizers said it would enroll youth ages as young as 10 to 18 who had a history of drug abuses or offenses, ranging from youth whose parents had noted "minor drug trouble" to those referred by courts, but would not treat "addicts or those with a physical dependence on narcotics."〔 James Hartz, a clinical psychologist, was announced as its first director.〔〔 In 1981, Dr. Robert DuPont, the founding director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse visited Straight to encourage the organization to expand by creating new facilities nationwide and by training counselors in Straight's methodology.〔 DuPont noted that many American communities lacked drug treatment centers that served young people. By 1982, the program had expanded to enroll youth up to age 20. First Lady Nancy Reagan visited a Straight facility in Florida in 1982.〔 Prior to the visit, she said she did not specifically endorse the program, but an aide told news media that Reagan was impressed with Straight because it was one of the few drug programs that enrolled adolescents, it did not receive government funding, and it was "drug-free." In 1985, Reagan and Princess Diana visited Straight's facility in Springfield, Virginia. The two women attended a group "rap session", where Straight clients described their drug use and its sometimes violent consequences. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Straight, Incorporated」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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