REFORMING DRUG LAWS

To the Editor:

"Signs of a Drug War Thaw" (news article, Jan. 21) notes that harsh
drug law penalties are now being relaxed because there is less crime
and, as a result, less fear of crime.

At least as important in prompting drug law reform has been mounting
evidence that compared with prison, treatment is a far more effective
and far less expensive means of reducing drug-related crime. In New
York, nonviolent offenders who complete treatment are twice as likely
to stay out of trouble than nonviolent offenders sent to prison.

Drug law reform is long overdue. No one should be punished for using
drugs. But society should reserve the right to punish nonviolent
offenders whose drug use persists, who refuse treatment or who refuse
to comply with the demands of treatment.

MITCHELL S. ROSENTHAL, M.D.
President, Phoenix House
New York, Jan. 23, 2001