UNFAIR DRUG CHARGES

Florida is one of many states grappling with overcrowded prisons.
States with budget shortfalls are seeking alternatives to imprisoning
nonviolent drug offenders. A study conducted by the RAND Corp. found
that every additional dollar invested in substance-abuse treatment
saves taxpayers $7.48. There is far more at stake than tax dollars.

The drug war does not promote family values. Inmates' children are at
risk of academic failure, joblessness, addiction and delinquency. Not
only do the children lose out, but society as a whole does, too.

Imprisoning nonviolent drug offenders with hardened criminals gives
them a taxpayer-funded education in anti-social behavior. Turning
drug users into unemployable ex-cons is a senseless waste of taxes.

It's time to declare peace in the failed drug war and begin treating
the abuse of drugs, legal or otherwise, as the public-health problem
that it is. Destroying the futures and families of people who make
unhealthy choices doesn't benefit anyone.

ROBERT SHARPE, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington, D.C.