Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN) Copyright: 2001 St. Paul Pioneer Press Contact: 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101 Website: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/ Forum: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/watercooler/ Author: Robert L. Maginnis Note: Maginnis is vice president of the Family Research Council and a member of the National Parents' Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, which advises the nation's drug czar. THE DAMAGE DONE The anti-drug effort finds a surprising ally in a movie's graphic depiction of the real cost of addiction to users, families and the community. Hollywood is rarely helpful when it comes to formulating policy for a new administration, but President-elect George W. Bush could glean some important ideas about America's 30-year-old drug war from the hit movie, ``Traffic.'' The movie's three interlocking stories provide a realistic indictment of the drug war and cry out for action. An early scene in the movie portrays a Georgetown cocktail party with real politicians -- Sens. Orrin Hatch, Barbara Boxer and Don Nickles -- discussing the drug war. What the politicos don't explain, but ``Traffic'' exposes, is that we are losing that war. Although the number of current drug users has declined from 25 million to 4.8 million since 1979, many Americans understand that these numbers hide sobering realities. Illegal drugs are widely available today at all-time low prices. Meanwhile, drug purity and selection are unsurpassed. In spite of a growing federal anti-drug budget ($19.2 billion in fiscal 2001), traffickers are better organized and equipped than ever before, and there is no shortage of willing street dealers. One of ``Traffic's'' plots gives the viewer a realistic glimpse inside a Mexican drug cartel. The Tijuana cartel, as depicted, is representative of many organized crime operations around the world. Today, drugs are pushed by vicious crime groups from Colombia, Mexico, China, Russia and elsewhere. The worst drug cartel problem is at our back door in Colombia. Although the U.S. government recently committed $1.3 billion to help finance Plan Colombia, which focuses on crushing that country's narcotics civil war, we have been slow coming to the battle. The annual worldwide $500 billion narco-market fuels these sophisticated, well-equipped groups. Drug money corrupts many political, financial and law-and-order institutions. Meanwhile, our anti-drug efforts have taken a back seat to finance, trade, political alliances and foreign policy. Yet the most poignant part of the movie is the plot line that approaches the drug crisis from a personal angle. Michael Douglas, ``Traffic's'' drug czar, discovers after only a couple of weeks in the job that his 16-year-old daughter, Carolyn, has a substance-abuse problem. Tragically and all too typically, Carolyn's problem is first exposed when she is arrested for drug use. Douglas' character offers a familiar parental denial: ``My daughter is one of the leading students in her school.'' Translation: She can't be involved in drugs. During a family discussion, Carolyn's mom admits to having known for six months that her daughter was a user, but, having experimented with drugs herself as a youth, she thought such behavior to be expected. Carolyn slides from social drinking through marijuana and eventually to heroin. This bright young woman steals from her family and sells her body to feed her habit. His family tragedy forces Douglas' character to resign as drug czar and ask rhetorically, ``How can I wage war on my own family?'' The movie's drug use and treatment scenes are realistic. Carolyn's first treatment experience fails, and she flees to a crack house. During her second treatment attempt, Carolyn soberly confesses to fellow addicts and her parents, ``I hope to make it through today.'' In real life, effective treatment can take years, and America has only half the treatment programs needed for its 5 million addicts. There are too many Carolyns in America, and many families are devastated as a result. A recent Gallup Survey found that 22 percent of Americans believe drugs cause trouble in their families. Those same Americans believe drugs are a ``very'' or ``extremely'' serious problem. Legalization is not the answer. Drug users and libertarians call for wrong-headed change. They promote the myth that legalization will reduce crime, bring more addicts into treatment and make economic sense. Actually, legalizing drugs will cause social costs to skyrocket, with increases in homelessness, unemployment, lost productivity, medical care costs, accidents, crime, school dropouts, chronic mental illness and child neglect. President-elect Bush must change attitudes about drugs, starting with White House staff and then across this country. Too many parents are in denial about drug use. Too many politicians consider the crisis merely a nuisance rather than a national crisis. Additionally, the Bush administration must assess the threat of illegal drug trafficking and international organized crime. This assessment should lead to a national strategy that attacks the problem at its roots, with emphasis on the Colombian and Mexican drug quagmire. ``Traffic'' is different from most Hollywood movies. It does not glamorize drugs and should frighten every American. If the new residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. take its message to heart, they will take action to save our kids. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck