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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom