DRUG USE

To The Editor:

As you know, drugs are freely available in Ogdensburg and everywhere else
in America right now. Will Rogers was asked what he thought of alcohol
prohibition back in the 1930's. "Well", he said, "It's better than no
liquor at all!" America didn't repeal alcohol prohibition because they
wanted to drink alcohol.

They were doing that just fine, thank you. They repealed it because of the
terrible violence that came with the prohibition. Terrible violence like
the drowning of 16 year old Andrew O'Marah.

While the facts of the case are still being discovered it seems clear that
robbery was the motive.

Thousands of dollars were stolen.

Where would a sixteen year-old get that kind of money?

Illegal drug sales probably.

He certainly didn't get it selling beer to his friends. (He could have made
a large amount of money selling beer in the 1930's but today beer is legal).

In spite of this tragedy and the ever-increasing availability of drugs on
the streets of your town you call for a redoubling of our efforts to keep
drugs from our kids. Been there=85done that. In his first eighteen months
in office former president Clinton spent more on the drug war than his
predecessors Reagan and Bush combined in their twelve years in office!

What were the results?

According to 2000 Annual Report, National Drug Control Strategy issued by
the Office of National Drug Control Policy, disclosed proudly under the
signatures of President Clinton and the then Director of National Drug
Control Policy, "Czar" Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the following is the
achievement of this nation's drug war for the past 10 years:

For the period 1991-1999: The percentage of households reporting the use of
any illegal drug during the previous month was UP. Eighth graders, tenth
graders and 12th graders reporting the use of any drug during the previous
month was UP. Marijuana use was UP. First time marijuana use almost doubled
from 1991 to 1998. The average age for first time marijuana use dropped
from 17.8 years to 17.1 years.

Meanwhile, the price of marijuana has fallen significantly during the same
period.

Federal marijuana seizures during the same period are up several thousand
percent First time cocaine users for the period 1991 to 1997 nearly doubled.

The average age of a first time cocaine user dropped from 21.5 years to
20.3 years of age. Current cocaine use shows a slight decrease.

The average price for cocaine has dropped significantly. Of particular note
is that cocaine purity has also diminished which shows the singular impact
of the drug war. It also accounts for the increase in emergency room visits.

Federal cocaine seizures during the same period of time were up slightly.

Heroin use reports a huge jump in use from 1991 to 1998. First time users
went up 60% and the average age for a first time heroin user dropped from
24.6 years of age in 1991 to 17.6 years of age in 1997. The average price
of heroin has dropped and the purity levels are growing.

Meanwhile, federal heroin seizures have dropped since 1991.

To the credit of public education and not the criminal justice system,
attitudes toward cigarettes are changing.

Eighth and tenth graders show a slight decrease in cigarette use while 12th
grader's use remained constant.

It seems obvious that simply "redoubling our efforts" will not pay off. We
need to reconsider our drug policy if we want to keep our kids off drugs.

Nicolas Eyle, Executive Director

Reconsider: Forum on Drug Policy

PRO DRUG USE

To The Editor:

With reference to the various articles by the editor(s) of the Ogdensburg
Journal and Advance that consistently refers to a group called the
"Pro-Drug Group". I have tried and tried to figure out who this group
is. We all know that they are not speaking of the group CAID, because that
group keeps DA Richards, the Judicial and Corrections System thriving. I
can only assume that "editors" are referring to the group "ReconsiDer" (a
forum or group whose objective is to create awareness towards
"reconsideration" by our lawmakers of the current drug policies and laws).

First, I would like to explain how I found out about ReconsiDer. Twice in
one week in Mr. Kelly's newspapers I read about this group called
ReconsiDer ("founded" in 1991 by judges, lawyers, teachers, psychologists,
ex-police chiefs, and ex-state troopers), that was speaking to Rotary
Clubs, Chambers of Commerces, and other community minded groups, where
people were leaving these meetings saying to each other, "I never thought
about it like this before."

I was impressed with who the founders were and decided to attend a
meeting. I found that this group is merely asking the lawmaking
powers-to-be of this state and country to reconsider their thinking and to
consider the "regulation" of drugs. That can not happen without "policy
change" because we all know, you can not regulate something that is
illegal. Regulation is exactly what they did when they got rid of the
"Numbers Game" and started up the "Lottery". A problem solved by
regulation and revenues created, i.e. the STAR program.

Once again, because I know how important "titles" are in the political
arena...and, after all, that is what got me to my first ReconsiDer
meeting...for you information listed below are ReconsiDer's Board of
Directors and Board of Advisor, with their titles:

ReconsiDer Board of Directors: Peter Christ, retied police captain; Roger
LaTour, supervisor of probation, Madison county, NY; Antony Malvenda,
president, Duke's; James Schofield, attorney and philosophy
professor; Michael Smithson, air-traffic controller, Hancock
Airport; Jack Wildinson, retired reverend.

ReconsiDer Board of Advisors:Dr. Jennifer Daniels, M.D., MBA; William
Kinne, Onondaga County legislature; Minch Lewis, city auditor,
Syracuse: J.F.X. Mannion, retired CEO, Unity Life Insurance; Patrick
Murphy, retired chief of police, Syracuse and New York City; Van Robinson,
councilor-at-large, Syracuse: Carol Shepperd, Housing Authority,
Syracuse; Dr. Gene Tinelli, M.D.,Ph.D.' Patricia Waelder, retired
president, school board, Syracuse,;

To better understand ReconsiDer, you may also want to pick up a copy of the
winter 2000-2001 edition of "ReconsiDer Quarterly-The Police Issue" which
contains excellent articles written by Joseph D. McNamara, former police
chief; Jack A Cole, retired undercover narcotics cop; Nicholas Pastore,
former police chief of New Haven, Conn.' Stanton Peele, Ph.D. Esq.; Mary
Barr, recovered crack addict; Hon. James P. Gray, California judge; John
T. Curtin U.S. Federal Judge; Tom O'Connell, M.D. and Gil Puder,
Vancouver, B.C. police officer.

This issue and other ReconsiDer literature is available "free at Bob's
Country Cabin, 938 Ford St., Ogdensburg.

Footnote to our D.A.: Do any of the people mentioned in this article seem
like people that "are either on drugs or looking to make money from drugs"?

ReconsiDer meets the first Monday of each month at the Ogdensburg Public
Library, 312 Washington St., second floor, 7 p.m.

I will vote for political candidates who support a change in current drug
policy.

Sheila Cipriani, ReconsiDer Member Ogdensburg, New York