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WRONG PRIORITIES HANDICAP DRUG COURT SYSTEM

Letter writer Robert Sharpe's astute comments about the drug court system are laudable ( Public Forum, Sept.  15 ).

However, I'd like to add that problems with adequate funding for your drug courts are assured, given the experience we've had here in Florida, where the drug court system was first introduced.

The system's fatal flaw is the failure to make any distinction between the use and the abuse of any drug, most notably marijuana.  Thus the well-intentioned drug court model is now jammed with thousands of marijuana clients, whose need for drug treatment is no more than an alcohol user's who drinks a six-pack on the weekend or enjoys wine with his meals.

Treating the majority of marijuana use, and in many cases occasional use of other illegal substances, as something in need of a state-funded "cure" is a disaster in the making.

Taxpayers are forced to watch millions of dollars go into "curing" someone who smokes small amounts of pot at home.

Then, as the number of clients rises, drug warriors use that data to perpetuate the myth of marijuana addiction.

It's a never-ending rodent wheel, and we, the taxpayers, are getting the shaft.

Most important, far too many real drug abusers are left waiting for needed help behind otherwise law-abiding citizens whose only crime was possessing small amounts of drugs and being caught by authorities.

Stephen Heath

Public Relations Director

Drug Policy Forum of Florida

Clearwater, Fla.