FREEPORT'S RESPONSE TO THE METH PROBLEM

How should Freeport respond to the growing use of methamphetamine?
During the crack epidemic of the 80's New York City chose the zero-
tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders
as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was
smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder
rate in the country.

Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. Simply put, the
younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing to their older
brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that crack was bad
news. This is not to say nothing can be done about methamphetamine.
Access to drug treatment is critical for the current generation of
meth users. Diverting resources away from prisons and into
cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives.

Robert Sharpe,

Policy Analyst,

Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.