Pubdate: Sat, 27 Jul 2002
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.starbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/196
Author: Rev. Mike Young

IT'S TIME FOR NEW TACTICS IN FAILED 'WAR ON DRUGS'

Every voice raised against the "War on Drugs" is made to sound like a voice 
in favor of using drugs. And yet, many of the problems of drug use are the 
consequence of our misguided drug policies. Respectable people like judges, 
governors and people in law enforcement, as well as the voters in several 
states, are publicly coming to that conclusion.

Two years ago the Unitarian Universalist denomination launched a study of 
U.S. drug policies. What have decades of prohibition, heavy jail sentences, 
militarized enforcement, eradication programs in Third World countries and 
massive demonization programs produced? Drug use has continued. Drug entry 
points have multiplied. The huge amounts of money involved have distorted 
our own political process and social institutions as well as those of the 
source countries. We have the largest percentage of our population 
incarcerated of any country on the planet. We have spent billions of 
dollars on the so-called war on drugs. And drug use and abuse continues 
unabated.

In June, the Unitarian Universalist denomination issued its report in the 
form of a Statement of Conscience, passed overwhelmingly by its General 
Assembly meeting in Quebec City, Canada. The statement acknowledges the 
failure of current drug policy and calls for drastic change. The 
alternatives to the drug war called for are based on three principles:

1) Drug abuse is a community health problem. Treating it as a law 
enforcement problem has proven not to work. We recommend treatment on 
demand for otherwise non-criminal drug use.

2) Get the money out of the business. Pursue policies aimed at lowering, 
not raising, drug prices. This is the only way to seriously dent the drug 
trade. A number of methods are worth trying. It might ultimately cost less 
to simply buy up the product at the source and put the dealers out of 
business. Those determined to use could be supplied from government stores 
as many states now do with hard liquor. But this is the single most 
important target of serious drug policy -- the obscene profits. And they 
are entirely the result of prohibition.

3) Take the ideology out of drug policy. Try many things. Keep doing what 
works. Stop doing what doesn't work.

Opponents say that these alternative responses "send the wrong message to 
our children." Well, the numbers show that the message received has not 
been the message drug warriors think they are sending. It is time to end 
the farce of doing more and more of what clearly doesn't work. That is one 
message we REALLY don't want to send our children.

The Rev. Mike Young, pastor of First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, attended 
the June conference in Quebec.
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