DRUG TREATMENT WON'T COST

Even when it appears the sky is falling -- and the prospect of the state
budget hole deepening by as much as a couple hundred million dollars fits
that bill -- the Legislature must do more than make sure the state operates
in the black.

It must make progressive policy decisions that last beyond the two- year
budget cycle.

Such is the challenge that confronts the House, possibly as early as today,
as representatives decide whether to shift strategies in a domestic war
that many have come to believe is a lost cause -- the war on drugs.

A vote for HB2338, which is similar to legislation adopted by the Senate
last year, would create a new funding stream for local drug treatment
programs at a critical time. Courtesy of Initiatives 695 and 747 and the
recent economic downturn, the counties have exactly zero dollars to expand
treatment. Even as drug addiction continues unabated, the counties will
count themselves fortunate to be able to offer the slots they now have.

They can't expect help from the state, which is so broke that the T- word
(taxes) is starting to gain currency.

It will require a stiff spine and a judicious eye toward the long term --
not the near-term fall elections -- for some members of the House to
support this sensible course correction. Why? Because the dedicated fund
for treatment -- part and parcel of the novel but already proven drug court
approach -- would come from savings generated by reduced prison terms for
certain non-violent drug offenders.

Last session the "soft on crime" tag almost sank this progressive
legislation in the Senate; undoubtedly it's why the bill wasn't debated by
the full House.

What reluctant House members must consider, as they weigh doing what's
right against the chance some of their more conservative constituents will
retaliate at the ballot box, is that sentences for the possession and sale
of cocaine and heroin are already more severe here than in many other
states, thanks to a botched late '80s attempt to reform drug policy.

Then, while doubling penalties for offenses involving these drugs, the
Legislature implemented a special tax on bottled beverages; the proceeds
were to build local treatment centers. The next year, legislators repealed
the tax, essentially gutting the treatment component.

It's payback time. If legislators pass up this opportunity to redirect the
war on drugs to emphasize treatment, they risk a citizen initiative that
could be much more unpalatable than losing a few votes come September.