Pubdate: Thu, 23 Feb 2012
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2012 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Joy Strickland
Note: Excerpted from a column by Joy Strickland, CEO of the local 
chapter of Mothers Against Teen Violence.

PRIORITIES OUT OF WHACK

TCU's Zero Tolerance Hurts Students

A six-month investigation of drug trafficking at TCU ended last week 
with 22 arrests. Considering the prevalence of drugs throughout 
society, one wonders whether any campus, community or profession 
could withstand the hot light of such scrutiny and emerge unscathed.

The Fort Worth story also chips away at the spectacular myth that 
white students must drive to the seamy side of town to buy their 
drugs from thuggish black or brown drug dealers. Although this 
stereotype is regularly reinforced by the media, the truth is that 
all races use illegal drugs at similar rates. In fact, young white 
males are somewhat more likely to sell and use drugs than their counterparts.

Also not surprising is the fact that the drug buys included 
prescription painkillers. Not only are these opiates extremely 
addictive, when combined with alcohol they are also deadlier than any 
street drug. Opiates account for the fastest-growing category of U.S. 
drug addiction. According to the American Society of Interventional 
Pain Physicians, about 120,000 Americans annually end up in the 
emergency room after overdosing on them. The drugs also account for 
13,800 of the 26,000 overdose deaths recorded annually, surpassing 
heroin and cocaine.

Zero tolerance policies of the sort in place at TCU are punitive in 
nature. They may offer instant gratification to the parent within us, 
but in the end, such policies are patently ineffective at reducing 
the demand for drugs.

"Harm-reduction" strategies are far more effective. The term refers 
to reality-based public health strategies aimed at reducing the harms 
caused by drug use and the harms caused by drug prohibition. An 
example of this approach on a college campus would be replacing zero 
tolerance with a progressive sanctions model wherein students could 
be placed on probation and counseled for a first offense, then 
expelled only as a last resort. This model also would afford 
sufferers of addiction the same care, concern and privacy as students 
suffering from other diseases.

Soon the spotlight will dim and business as usual will return to the 
campus. But for the students involved, academic standings and 
athletic careers have been dealt a possibly insurmountable blow. The 
expulsions and prosecutions come at a time when tuition is more 
costly than ever, and education remains the greatest single predictor 
of earnings and success. Perhaps all involved could have been better 
served by policies that are less punitive and more compassionate.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom