Pubdate: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 Source: Huntsville Times (AL) Copyright: 1999 The Huntsville Times Contact: P.O. Box 1487, Huntsville AL 35807 Fax: (256) 532-4213 Website: http://www.al.com/huntsville/news.html Forum: http://www.al.com/forums/huntsville/ Author: David Prathers WHERE ARE WINS IN OUR NATIONAL BATTLE TO KEEP KIDS OFF DRUGS? Are we winning the War on Drugs? I've been thinking about this lately, starting with George W. Bush. Lets suppose, though he hasn't officially admitted it, that Bush, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, has used cocaine as many have speculated (and he won't deny.) That means that somehow the message to just say no didn't get through in a family whose values are publicly on display, whose material needs were more than met, whose opposition to drugs has been voiced openly and often. If the Bushes couldn't do it, what makes us think we can convince our kids not to? I have been reading critical studies of the DARE program. Some of them say it not only doesn't work, it increases the possibility of experimentation by making drugs dangerously alluring. (To be fair, other studies say differently. But they have been mostly done by DARE supporters.) Some detractors raise what I find to be esoteric points, such as whether cops should be teaching courses any more than teachers should be arresting muggers. But, in general, the criticism centers on whether DARE oversimplifies the drug problem and wastes resources that could be spent on identifying and helping at-risk kids. I find that argument fairly compelling. And Ive been listening to New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson - a Republican, mind you - who says legalization would virtually end the crime that has become part and parcel of illegal drug trafficking, would reduce the exorbitant cost of tracking down drug users and putting them in prison, and would let us redirect our tax money toward more pressing needs. Besides, he says, we're losing the war anyway. When you have questions about drugs and crime, its good to go to an expert - - and I did: Huntsville Police Chief Compton Owens. Owens won me over initially by his response to my first question: Are we winning the war on drugs? "Its not a war," he said. "We don't make war on our own folks." Owens agrees that if we continue to focus most of our anti-drug efforts on enforcement that "were booking a loser. We can't keep up. I can't hire enough officers to stop it." And, he said, "throwing everybody in jail isn't the answer, either." But that doesn't mean Owens is throwing in the towel on reducing drug use and the crime and destruction of human lives he says goes with it. Rather, he thinks we need to do more on the front end, before kids make drugs an integral, then all-consuming, part of their lives. Thats going to involve communities, churches, families and, yes, programs that educate everyone about the consequences of drug use, he said. But Owens acknowledges the problem is more complex than most people realize. While overall drug use in the nation appears to be down a little - and how can anyone know for sure? - more young people are experimenting with drugs despite the efforts to deter them. Why? Owens isnt sure; thats part of the complexity. However, legalization of drugs doesn't appeal to the police chief. "If you make assault not a crime," he asked, "are you going to have more or fewer assaults?" More kids would try legal drugs, he said, making things worse. Compton Owens knows a lot more about crime and crime prevention than I do, but I'm wrestling with that last part. After a half-century of viewing human nature, I'm convinced some people will do things and some people won't - and its a small percentage of folks who stand on the dividing line and could go either way. I don't think we can preach our way out of this problem. And I have sympathy with the argument that we've filled our prisons with people who don't need to be there and are costing us a bundle. I have sympathy with the the argument that millions that finance gang activity would dry up if drugs were legal; prohibition taught us that lesson. What I don't have is a better answer than Owens - or anyone else - on exactly what to do. What I do have is a strong feeling that Owens is right, our current policy is "booking a loser." And what I see when it comes to the War on Drugs are precious few victories. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake