WAR ON TAXPAYERS

The war against drugs is against citizens and taxpayers, not drugs. The
drugs are not going away, but hundreds of citizens and taxpayers are going
away for long periods of time behind bars.

A majority of elected officials, the correctional system, and much of
society share an attitude of locking up drug abusers and throwing away the
key. Building new prisons will eliminate the drug problem.

They should read a recent study by Columbia University on the success of
drug courts and drug-treatment alternatives to prison programs that have
been going on since the 1980s. The study's contents clearly conclude that
tax money spent on treatment of drug abuse can substantially reduce drug
use and crime and is considerably less expensive to the taxpayer than
building new prisons to house those addicted to drugs who have not
committed a violent crime.

There is a lack of interest and lack of funding in Iowa for the treatment
of those ill with an addiction. There is a serious lack of communication
between the judicial system and the treatment centers.

Treatment and rehabilitation can help addicts regain control of their
lives, keep them working and paying child support. This will help to
eliminate drug usage and reduce crime while saving the taxpayers money.
Incarceration does none of this.

Citizens and taxpayers need to start fighting the war against us. Demand
that our tax dollars be spent on saving, instead of ruining, lives.

- -Sheila Sadler, Grinnell