Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 Source: Hattiesburg American (MS) Copyright: 2003 Hattiesburg American Contact: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1646 Author: Robert Sharpe DRUG COURTS ARE BEING MISUSED The Hinds County Drug Court Diversion program is definitely a step in the right direction ("Our Views: Testimonies show value of drug court," March 22). For non-violent offenders with chronic substance abuse problems, drug treatment is a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. Unfortunately, drug courts are being misused for political purposes. Record numbers of Americans arrested for marijuana possession have been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting distortion of treatment statistics is then used by drug czar John Walters to make the claim that marijuana is "addictive." Zero tolerance drug laws do not distinguish between occasional use and chronic abuse. The coercion of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis into taxpayer-funded treatment centers says a lot about U.S. government priorities, but absolutely nothing about the relative harms of marijuana. For an objective take on marijuana, look to Canada. In the words of Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue." Robert Sharpe, program officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom