Pubdate: Wed, 01 Nov 2000 Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) Copyright: 2000 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Contact: P.O. Box 15012, Worcester, MA 01615-0012 Fax: (508) 793-9313 Website: http://www.telegram.com/ A PASS FOR PUSHERS The well-financed advocates of Question 8 portray it as a progressive measure to reduce drug crime by making treatment more readily available to addicts. If that were all the ballot initiative would do, we likely would be among its supporters. Almost certainly it also would be backed by many of the community groups and law enforcement agencies that vehemently oppose it. But Question 8 is anything but a compassionate call for more drug treatment. Rather, it is part of a nationwide campaign for drug legalization, led and funded by millionaires George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling. Much mischief has been written into this convoluted ballot question, which fills almost two pages of fine print in the state's voter information guide. In keeping with the veiled drug-legalization agenda, the measure would open a giant escape hatch for defendants, including repeat offenders, charged with possessing, manufacturing or distributing controlled substances and other drug crimes. Such defendants could secure a dismissal of charges by persuading a judge they were drug dependent -- or even at risk of becoming drug dependent -- and entering a court-monitored treatment program. The loophole would be available to dealers caught trafficking as much as 28 grams of cocaine, returning to the streets neighborhood pushers who are responsible for much of the spread of illegal drug use. Such defendants would avoid fines, jail time and even penalties for dealers who carry guns. William Breault, chairman of the Main South Alliance for Public Safety in Worcester, aptly called Question 8 "window dressing for ... an attempt to derail current, effective drug laws using treatment as the 'hook'." While abetting traffickers, the initiative would undercut anti-drug efforts of law enforcement agencies. It would rewrite the criminal forfeiture laws, drying up funding that is vital in complex investigations targeting illicit drug distribution networks. We believe treatment for addicts must play an integral role in efforts to curtail the scourge of illegal drugs. But a policy that hobbles anti-drug enforcement while giving street pushers a free pass -- the model proposed in the initiative petition -- would be a recipe for disaster. Vote "no" on Question 8. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom