DRUG, ALCOHOL ADDICTS NEED AFFORDABLE TREATMENT

Last week, Josh Hamilton became the new golden boy of baseball. His
record-breaking performance in Major League Baseball's All-Star Home
Run Derby at Yankee Stadium was a living testament to the fact that
people who struggled with drugs in the past can change their lives in
a positive way. A few years ago, Hamilton, who developed an addiction
to alcohol and drugs - primarily crack cocaine - was at a lowest
point of his life when he was suspended from baseball for three years.

But instead of giving in to the downward spiral of drug addiction, he
made an effort to turn his life around through his love of baseball.
After eight stints in rehab, Hamilton was finally able to kick his
addiction and return to the sport. While he may not have won the Home
Run Derby crown last week, his battle with and victory over the
monster of addiction make him a winner.

Hamilton was fortunate that his addiction wasn't handled as a
criminal manner. He didn't have to deal with his demons behind bars
because his addiction was treated as a medical problem. That helped
him get his life back on track. Hamilton's story sends a powerful
message: People who have drug addictions can become productive
citizens, if given the chance.

A realistic way to help those who cycle in and out of addiction is to
increase community-based treatment. Studies have shown this to be a
cost-effective method of reducing drug abuse. Successful programs
focus on the principle of one recovering person helping another with
hope, life-affirming accomplishments and self-respect.

Hamilton was able to afford treatment and get access to it right
away. Most people aren't so lucky. Even if they can afford treatment,
they are usually forced to compete for available treatment slots.
Recent developments in criminal justice indicate the emergence of a
national movement in favor of treating, rather than incarcerating
people charged with nonviolent drug possession offenses. These
developments include growing numbers of drug courts, local policies
that favor treatment, and statewide ballot initiatives that divert
nonviolent drug offenders to treatment instead of incarceration.

The most successful of these, California's Substance Abuse and Crime
Prevention Act of 2000 (better known as Proposition 36), funded a
wide array of treatment and vocational training options using funds
saved by reducing the nonviolent prison population and eliminating
the need to build new prison facilities.

But instead of following this trend, the federal government continues
to steadfastly stick to zero-tolerance when it comes to illegal
drugs. Witness the get-tough policies of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, under the direction of John P. Walters. In fact, the
agency is so hellbent on controlling the so-called drug plague that
its policies have turned from overly intrusive to downright warlike at times.

From suspicionless student drug testing to mandatory
minimum-sentencing laws that dish out extraordinarily long sentences
for small amounts of drugs, the drug war continues to be the
government's moral obsession. But while it's one thing to try to
shield society from the harms associated with drugs, it's another
when solutions become worse than the original problems.

We need to implement sensible drug policies that uphold the
sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies, policies that
are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. We need
policies that can give everyday folks - not just sports stars like
Hamilton - another chance to make good on their potential.