A SOFTER WAY TO FIGHT DRUG ABUSE

To the Editor:

Re "Antidrug Program Says It Will Adopt a New Strategy" (front page, Feb. 15):

The new antidrug strategy of DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) should
consider an idea that I presented to the Glen Cove, N.Y., Board of
Education recently: granting academic credit to any high school student who
remains drug-free. Testing would be through the same non-invasive hair test
already used by more than 1,600 companies.

What better way for parents, schools and students to overcome peer pressure
and discourage drug use?

Phil Enright, Glen Cove, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2001, The writer is a member of the
Glen Cove Board of Education.

To the Editor:

In California, whenever a draconian initiative is passed, the police,
judges and district attorneys jump on it with vigor. Their feeling is that
such laws, despite any warts, must be zealously enforced because they
represent "the will of the people."

Yet the same people are now criticizing Proposition 36, overwhelmingly
approved by California voters to provide treatment instead of prison for
drug users (news article, Feb. 12). While these law enforcement officials
assert that the law lacks financing, their real agenda is to undermine
Proposition 36 because it eliminates the coercion they cherish.

Proposition 36, though not perfect, provides millions of dollars to finance
treatment programs. It is a clear reflection of the voters' dismay with the
failed "war on drugs." If those in the justice system devote their energies
to making Proposition 36 work, the will of the people to reduce the scourge
of drugs will be advanced.

Kenneth I. Clayman, Public Defender, Ventura County Ventura, Calif., Feb.
14, 2001

To the Editor:

Re "California Lacks Resources for Law on Drug Offenders, Officials Say"
(news article, Feb. 12):

Drug treatment professionals have long asserted that coercion is a
necessary part of addiction care. But research shows that coercion does not
improve outcomes.

If we were really serious about treating addiction as a disease, the idea
that any type of coercion was needed would be abhorrent. And if providers
based their treatment on the research, they would find that empathy,
respect and support lead to far better outcomes and greater engagement in
treatment than do the traditional humiliation and confrontation.

Maia Szalavitz, New York, Feb. 13, 2001