EDUCATION IS BEST WAY TO REDUCE DRUG USE

I'm delighted to read that even a small increase in spending on substance
abuse recovery and prevention has had a positive effect on lowering the
consumption of drugs by Hawaii's school children (Star-Bulletin, June 19).
This is proof that monies spent in these areas are much more effective than
those spent on arrest, interdiction and incarceration.

The most important lesson we can learn is from the success in the reduction
of alcohol and tobacco use. While there has been no effort to interdict
patches of illegally grown tobacco and no money spent on the arrest and
incarceration of tobacco dealers, tobacco use has plummeted nationwide
during the last 10 years.

How could this have happened? Why has the use of these legal drugs dropped
so significantly while the use of illegal drugs remains relatively steady
or, in the case of potentially very harmful drugs like ecstasy and ice,
skyrocketed? The answer is both simple and obvious: education.

According to a study by the Rand Institute, every dollar spent on education
and prevention is 15 times more effective at reducing the societal costs of
drug abuse than increased law enforcement efforts. If we really want to
rescue this country from the blight of drug abuse, we need to stop
exacerbating what is essentially a curable medical problem with criminal
penalties. Our children's futures are at stake.

Quinn C. Hoyer

Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii