NOT ALL USERS CRIMINALS

Nationally, we have a new president. Locally, we have a new sheriff
and district attorney, and we soon will have a new police chief. Can
we expect to have some new, and perhaps creative, policies to help us
deal with some specific problems? I hope so.

I would hope that our lawmakers take steps to rethink and even redo
some of the ways we have been dealing with citizens who may be
suffering from alcoholism or other drug addiction.

I hope, too, that our justice system makes a sincere effort to
distinguish between those who deal in large amounts of illegal
substances and those who become physically and mentally dependent on
these substances. The mandatory minimum sentence, for instance, was
designed to stem the illegal activity of big drug dealers. Instead,
it has been keeping in jail first-time offenders who used and
trafficked in small amounts of illegal drugs or people who became
addicted.

Some legislatures, courts and law enforcement agencies are trying to
be more creative and realistic on how to treat those with addictions.
First, they are working together in trying to discern whether the
person is caught up in an addictive process or is selling these
substances for profit. Does this person have a serious medical
problem or a serious criminal problem? Lawmakers, courts, judicial
systems, law enforcement agencies have been getting together in order
to sort this all out.

Then, there are degrees of dependence. Some, perhaps, like our new
president, can find some inner strength to overcome an alcohol or
other drug problem. Others, however, need a more specialized and
intense treatment because their alcohol or other drug problem may be
more advanced, perhaps, such as the deputy sheriff who needed
specialized treatment and who was caught up in a criminal process.

Professionals in the addiction field know that proper treatment does
work, if only we recognize that in the majority of cases we are
dealing more with a medical problem than a criminal one.

The sooner we all have this attitude, the sooner we will be returning
these sick people to health and a productive lifestyle.

- -- FRANK X. BRENTINE, Topeka.