OUR DRUG PROBLEM

The Path Least Taken, Most Needed

It's the path least often taken and the one that could make the most
difference: Treatment of drug abusers appears to be a much better solution
to America's substance abuse problem than trying to seal off our borders
and throwing even more drug offenders in jail.

While no one expects law enforcement to completely ignore drug dealers and
the flow of illegal drugs into America, the conventional approach to
battling the problem has not worked effectively for 30 years. Yes, vast
amounts of drugs are confiscated each year and yes, drug offenders are
sentenced to lengthy sentences. But for every kilo of cocaine seized and
for every drug defendant jailed, there are more and more to take their place.

If the country wants to fight drug abuse we don't have to take an
all-or-nothing approach but we definitely should shift the emphasis to
treatment. We should continue to interdict drugs and prose cute those
responsible for importing and selling them. But the biggest return may come
with putting more resources into better treatment for the people who use drugs.

John Walters, if confirmed for the post of the nation's next drug czar,
should emphasize the treatment approach. It's not as glamorous or
tough-sounding as waging war on the drug trade. Correcting the problem will
be incremental. But eventually the treatment approach will pay off more
than the prosecution approach. The threat or imposition of criminal
sanctions has prompted few users to give up drugs. And as long as there are
millions of Americans who cannot break their addictions, there will be a
huge drug trade.

We are eager to tell Colombia and other drug-producing countries how to
crack down on drug growers and sellers. But we are far less aggressive when
it comes to taking a hard look at our own failings.