DEAL WITH DRUG HABITS THAT RUIN FAMILIES, SOCIETY

Drug addiction, multiple abortions, an addicted baby and grandparents who
are now the guardians of the child: Are these the problems of a poor,
single mother in public housing? Not this time. The young mother here is
from a good, white, middle-class family. Drugs and drug trafficking: For
too long, we have let this scourge ravage our minority communities. Now the
plague threatens our whole society. Drugs are no longer someone else's
problem. Every family is touched in some way by illegal drugs and the
narcotics trade. Grandparents are called into service to help raise
addicted babies.

IF WE HAVE BEEN in a war on drugs, we are losing that war. Our jails are
full, and our courts clogged with drug offenders. Drug addiction and
drug-related crimes increase. We, as a society, need to change how we look
at drug addiction and the effects those addictions have on families. Laws
need to be changed. Some drugs, such as marijuana, need to be
decriminalized to take some of the profit margin away from drug dealers.
More drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities need to be instituted. We
also need to take a hard look at ourselves as a society.

Why is the illegal drug trade so lucrative in the United States? Is it
something in the American psyche that makes us love narcotics so much? Are
drugs part of America's development as a world power? I don't know the
answers to those questions, but I do know this: Drugs are the No. 1 threat
to family development and cohesion. An addicted family member can cause
havoc throughout the family unit.

We are losing the war on drugs because we are using incarceration as the
answer. Incarceration alone will not turn the drug tide. Drug offenders
eventually get out. If their addictions are not treated, they will go back
to the drug and the dysfunctions that go with that lifestyle.

In today's world, there are many stresses in life. Perhaps it seems easy to
find peace and joy in a pill or a bottle. But there is a cost; that cost is
addiction.

I didn't know what to tell my friend who told me the story of the addicted
mother. Maybe I should have been more compassionate, but I've heard these
stories before. I've hardened to their message.

We need a frank discussion about drugs in this country. We need to put all
our cards on the table. Drugs are destroying our family units. Without
strong families, our society will fail.

The drugs that are causing so much dysfunction are cocaine and heroin.
These drugs turn the user into a virtual slave to the drug. People can't
manage such powerful drugs. Their worlds begin to crumble. If we are to
save our families and our children, our lawmakers must be told to get
realistic drug policies in place. We need to deal with why people become
addicted to heroin and cocaine. Our politicians must know that while we
want some decriminalization, we also want more education about and more
help for those afflicted by addiction to heroin and cocaine. And we need
harsher measures enacted for those who traffic in these life-destroying
drugs. Our families are at stake. So is our society.