LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN MASSACHUSETTS DODGED A BULLET

LAW ENFORCEMENT officials in Massachusetts dodged a bullet when
voters rejected a recent ballot initiative that would have stripped
police and district attorneys of $4 million in assets from drug
forfeiture cases and given the money to drug treatment centers. The
ballot initiative deserved to fail because it was a guileful effort
to decriminalize dangerous drugs. But the need for more and better
drug treatment remains genuine.

Roughly 75,000 men and women receive publicly funded treatment for
addictions in Massachusetts. Dr. Howard Koh, state commissioner of
Public Health, estimates that five times that number regularly abuse
drugs or alcohol. Advances in the field, he says, depend on greater
public awareness of addiction.

"Fundamentally, addiction is a brain disease," says Koh. "But it's
still widely viewed as a criminal issue or a character flaw."

Efforts to change those perceptions are picking up important
supporters in law enforcement. Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph
Martin led the effort to defeat the flawed ballot initiative. But he
favors expanding drug treatment. Typically, he says, addicts will buy
heroin in a 10-bag "bundle" and sell a few bags to support their next
purchase.

"That's not a person who we have any interest in sending to prison,"
says Martin. "That person ought to get treatment."

Public health officials and law enforcement officers could form a
powerful partnership toward that end. But first, skeptical law
officers need to accept that treatment has progressed beyond that
offered in infamous Room 5 at the former Boston City Hospital, where
drug addicts seemed to sleepwalk the halls in search of methadone.

Much is now known about relapse prevention and the operation of
residential treatment centers that maximize abstinence and minimize
criminal involvement. A variety of medications and procedures,
including acupuncture, now ease addicts back to health.

One disturbing trend, however, is the growing number of addicts who
opt for jail time rather than supervised probation that includes drug
treatment. Future efforts to control the disease may demand mandatory
treatment rather than voluntary options.

The state Bureau of Substance Abuse Services will also need to
sharpen the administration of its $45 million treatment programs. In
fiscal year 1998, $3 million was returned to the Public Health
Department when program vendors failed to manage their caseloads
adequately. If health officials hope to increase their reach, they
must prepare for efficient expansions in both inpatient and
outpatient care.

Effective drug treatment can lead to lower health care costs, higher
productivity, and redeemed lives. Treatment works and is worthy of
increased investment.