A USEFUL DEBATE OVER ILLEGAL DRUG POLICIES

Here's an interesting parallel. At the time that La Crosse judges are
considering changing the way they deal with first-offender marijuana users,
a similar debate is going on nationally.

The trigger for this debate is the selection by President George W. Bush of
John P. Walters to be the federal "drug czar."

Walters advocates jail time coupled with mandatory drug treatment. He is
being criticized by those who seek treatment rather than jail time. And,
like similar national debates over energy policy or flooding, the argument
is in danger of getting bogged down in needless "either or" rhetoric,
rather than recognize that there is a place for a variety of strategies.

Walters, who previously ran anti-drug programs in the Department of
Education, has advocated tough prison sentences for violent felons, repeat
offenders and marijuana smugglers. But he has expressed more lenience
toward first-time offenders.

How nuanced his approach will turn out to be remains to be seen. Former
Gov. Tommy Thompson, now Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services, has defended Walters.

Meanwhile, in La Crosse, there is also a drug debate going on. In an
attempt to take a different approach, which might reduce the jail
population, judges here have suggested changing first-time marijuana
possession from a misdemeanor crime to a county ordinance violation.

The goal is to emphasize treatment and a fine rather than jail time. And
that makes sense, given the growing jail population and the need for more
jail space. Onalaska already treats first-time marijuana use as an
ordinance violation, and La Crosse is considering it.

District Attorney Scott Horne does not like the idea of going to an
ordinance violation. He favors charging the individuals and then expunging
their records after successful completion of a treatment program.

Either way, we can keep people out of jail and keep them geared toward
treatment.

The federal debate will continue. Bush has asked Thompson to make a
state-by-state survey of treatment needs and capacity.

It is a debate that deserves to be heard on both the national and the local
level.