Pubdate: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 Source: Hendersonville Times-News (NC) Copyright: 2000 Hendersonville Newspaper Corporation Contact: 828-692-2319 Address: P.O. Box 490, Hendersonville, NC 28793 Website: http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/ Author: Susan Hanley Lane Bookmark: For Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act items: http://www.mapinc.org/prop36.htm WAGING WAR THE RIGHT WAY One thing we can all bow our heads and give thanks for this Thursday is the light shining at the end of the tunnel, all the way from California. With the passage of Proposition 36, the citizens of California have finally given their state government permission to open up a new front in the war on drugs. Anyone who has ever watched a loved one go through the nightmare of drug addiction can testify that most addicts are not hardened criminals. A great many of the addicts who waste their days in prison cells would be far better served with treatment for their addiction. Evidently someone has gotten this message through to the citizens of California, a state that imprisons more drug users per capita than any other state in the country. The rest of us can thank God for a chance to see, once again, that there is more than one way to fight a war. Especially a drug war. Ironically, the wrong turn in the so-called War on Drugs came early on, just when we were winning the fight. When Richard Nixon realized that the ugly issue of skyrocketing drug abuse in the aftermath of Vietnam could well cost him the election, he commissioned his staff to search out the quickest and most efficient way to combat the problem. It turns out that the fastest, cheapest, and most effective way to fight drugs is right where the problem begins: in the mind and heart of the user. It's the old law of supply and demand. Stop the user from wanting drugs, and you stop the problem. The solid infrastructure of substance abuse treatment programs that came into being as a result of Nixon's farsighted determination to wage an all-out War on Drugs was one of Nixon's most valuable legacies. Thanks to HMOs, most of these programs no longer exist. The maddening problem with treatment programs is there is no guarantee. Insurance companies and taxpayers do not like the idea of footing the bills for what many of them consider someone else's problem, without some sort of assurance that their efforts are actually going to pay off. In an age of microwave dinners and drive-through banking, few people want to be told that treatment takes time. Substance abusers do not become addicted overnight, and they are not magically cured overnight either. Most addicts will suffer through several relapses and several courses of treatment before they are finally able to stay away from drugs completely. And if the truth must be told, many will never get better. Many do not want to get better. Just as many people would rather die with a cigarette in their hand than go through the misery of quitting. Addiction is more deadly than most of us realize. The sad truth is that we have sent our young people some very confusing messages about substance abuse. On one hand we tell them it's OK to drink, but only socially and never when you drive. Meanwhile, all kinds of bars and restaurants serve alcohol to people who must get back into their cars to drive home. Until recently the production of cigarettes was federally subsidized, while the same government jailed people for smoking another plant, marijuana. Doctors legally prescribe controlled substances to the parents of young people who must buy those same drugs illegally on the street if they want to see what these drugs are doing for their parents. Is it any wonder that our young people are confused? California has given its counties until July 1, 2001, to come up with workable plans and operational facilities. Not much time, especially for the magnitude of what's involved. Hopefully California will not subscribe to the all-or-nothing-at-all approach to problem solving. We did not get into the mess we are in overnight. It will take time and patience to fix it. And treatment programs are not the be-all and end-all of substance abuse prevention. There is a legitimate place for imprisonment. Offenders who traffic in illegal drugs must realize that they have committed a crime. More than a few would be better off spending a while in jail thinking about what they've done than being placed in treatment before they ask for it. Treatment is so much more effective when you want it. We must refuse to limit ourselves to a one-horse show when it comes to fighting one of the most important wars we have ever fought. Holding the government of Mexico accountable for the tons of illegal drugs that come through our borders every year is another important step in fighting this war. No amount of "good-will trading" is worth the flower of our nation's youth. Education remains one of the most effective strategies for substance abuse prevention. And always, example is transcendent. Parents who drink and smoke and rush to the medicine cabinet at the first hint of pain need not be surprised when their sons and daughters smoke pot and experiment with harder drugs. A realistic and well-rounded program to address substance abuse must be carefully constructed, based on every tool at our disposal. To limit ourselves to treatment only defeats the purpose of treatment. Let us make 1.) education an ongoing commitment, 2.) treatment a privilege we are willing to pay for, for those who will value it and take it seriously, 3.) imprisonment an option for the hardened few who refuse to be rehabilitated, and 4.) nations who will not cooperate with U. S. drug prevention policies need not apply for trading status. Period. Yes, it is harsh and cold and thorough. So is addiction. And so is death. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk