Pubdate: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 Source: Asheville Citizen-Times (NC) 0307/1039 Copyright: 2005 Asheville Citizen-Times Contact: http://www.citizen-times.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/863 NEW CITY DRUG PANEL'S DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVE IS ITS BEST ASSET Historically, America's "war on drugs" isn't known for ambiguity or variety of perspective. "Just Say No" leaves little room for context, and the mandatory-sentencing laws and zero-tolerance policies left in that vintage slogan's wake do little to address the underlying causes and wide-ranging effects of drug abuse. Even as local policymakers focus on enforcement, other community members have taken a front-row seat to the fallout of the local and national drug problem. Leaders of community and faith-based organizations have seen neighborhoods and families decimated by drug use, while public educators and social service workers observe the day-to-day effect of drugs on the communities and programs they serve. Now for the first time, an Asheville Drug Commission has formed to design and implement a wider-ranging approach to drug abuse prevention and treatment. With the inclusion of representatives from a spectrum of local social services and community groups, the commission championed by Vice Mayor Carl Mumpower may present the most effective strategy yet for Asheville's drug wars - which is to say, no single strategy at all. Gene Bell, of the Asheville Housing Authority, aptly noted that past initiatives have focused on police at the front line of the city's drug battles, prioritizing punishment of lawbreakers over education and social programs addressing the underlying roots and wide-ranging impact of drug use. When such initiatives are included, they have taken a separate and secondary role to that of enforcement. As Bell sees it, "Nothing has worked because we haven't tried using all these approaches simultaneously." We hope this diversity of perspective and method can prove the Asheville Drug Commission's greatest tactical advantage in the war on drugs. While enforcement may keep one mental illness sufferer from self-medicating, it will never address the link between access to mental health treatment for low-income citizens and subsequent drug use. Likewise, removing children from a home in which drugs and domestic violence feed on one another - while helpful in the short run - does nothing to prevent the next family from falling into this tragic pattern. These problems cannot be addressed out of proper context, wherein drug abuse prevention and treatment are inextricably linked to child welfare, education, urban renewal and public health. The new commission takes a commendable long-range view of the situation, in which the drug war is not merely a means to one particular end, but takes its rightful place in the big picture toward a better community for the future. Indeed, Mumpower sees the initiative as part of a larger vision for Asheville: "I came to believe that if we couldn't succeed with drugs, we couldn't move forward with other things we need to do." DRUG COMMISSION MEMBERS: Gene Bell, Asheville Housing Authority Judge Gary S. Cash, Chief District Court judge Valerie Collins, Helpmate Dr. Buddy Corbin, Calvary Baptist Church Joe Damore, Mission St. Joseph's Hospital Cliff Dodson, superintendent, Buncombe County Schools Chief Bill Hogan, Asheville Police Department Beverly Jeter, Housing Resident Association Robert Logan, superintendent, Asheville City Schools Rick Lutovsky, Asheville Chamber of Commerce Sheriff Bobby Medford, Buncombe County Sheriff's Dept. Ron Moore, district attorney Dr. Carl Mumpower, vice mayor, City of Asheville Nathan Ramsey, chairman, Buncombe County Commissioners Bob Smith, Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council Virgil Smith, publisher, Asheville Citizen Times Mandy Stone, Buncombe County DSS Jerry Vehaun, director, Buncombe County Emergency Management Paul Vest, director, YMCA - --- MAP posted-by: Josh