WHERE'S PLAN B?

Former Syracuse Auditor Minch Lewis recently joined other local and
national leaders who have wisely acknowledged the need to reassess how
we fight the drug problem, and he has called for alternative solutions.

Lewis' report says the Syracuse Police Department is spending an
inordinate amount of time and money addressing the drug problem with
meager results when a change in approach would be more effective. He
could be right.

Lewis is a respected political figure who brings important credibility
to the debate on drugs. He also asks officials to consider
decriminalizing drugs. That may not be a politically acceptable
solution, but Lewis deserves credit for attempting to open an honest
debate on such issues. Others appear ready to join in.

Onondaga County District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick recently
endorsed the idea of reforming the Rockefeller-era drug laws. And city
police Inspector Mike Kerwin also called for a statewide and national
debate on drugs and the present drug laws.

Lewis, forced by term limits to leave office after completing eight
years in office, said he would ask the Common Council to consider
alternatives such as decriminalizing the sale of illegal drugs; "harm
reduction," which would provide safe and clean equipment such as
needles; and treatment and prevention programs.

The council and all other county and state officials would be wise to
listen. At the least, they should support reform of laws that result
in wasted resources, disproportionate incarceration of blacks and
Latinos statewide and excessive mandatory sentences - all without
denting the problem.

Greater resources must be devoted to drug treatment programs, which
have proven effective. Also, judges should be granted more discretion
in sentencing to fairly and more effectively deal with individual
cases and circumstances.

Lewis said the prohibition of alcohol should have taught society that
making substances illegal leads to bootlegging, violence, organized
crime, robberies and homicides. Once the criminal element disappeared,
Lewis noted, "the violence connected with the distribution system
disappeared."

Maybe that would work here, maybe not. What's more and more certain is
that neither the state nor the city can afford to maintain the current
approach.

Reform attempts keep stalling, mostly likely because many politicians
fear they will look soft on crime to their constituents if they change
the system. We all must be smarter than that.

It's time to stop talking tough on crime and start acting smarter on
crime. Considering the voices of Lewis, Fitzpatrick and others is a
start.