EX-DRUG USER NOT HIGH ON THE FUTURE

A man who has what he considers an average circle of 15 close friends
said that eight -- more than half -- of them are users or former
users of marijuana.

He said among those eight are a couple of bankers, a lawyer, a
marketing executive, a nurse, a priest and a psychiatrist. While this
man said he has "for the most part, put pot-using behind me," he does
not chastise any of his user friends nor does he consider them to be
criminals.

He said that while his friends' usage is in violation of drug laws,
none has ever been collared for it. And he believes the mathematics
represented by his circle of friends would be similar to the
percentage of users and former users and nonusers throughout the
entire population across This Great Land.

That means, he said, if the warriors ever declare actual victory in
the war on drugs, "probably half of us will be in jail, on probation,
or unable to work. Then, who's won what?"

His lengthy e-mail message was one of many to comment on a recent
column about a schoolteacher who defined himself as a marijuana
addict, and who said he had smoked it regularly for 25 years without
getting caught.

Look At Past To Predict Future

Noteworthy about this response is how the writer, who preferred
anonymity, stepped back from the schoolteacher's self-portrait to try
to see where it fits in the big picture. He is trying to understand
the roles that drugs and drug policies play in our collective
behavior. He draws from history as a means of predicting the future.

"Americans are unhappy or bored with their lives," he wrote. "We're a
society of users, be it drugs, alcohol, petroleum, 180-plus TV
channels, or whatever."

And in looking at our many excesses and ennui, this fellow becomes
quite pessimistic and predicts that, "Like ancient Rome, we are
destined to fall."

He mentions several aspects of our society that fuel his pessimism.
Foremost among them, he points out how we build huge costly sports
Colosseums where team owners can pit their highly paid professional
athletes against each other. But we fail to provide adequate
facilities and activities and programs to keep our kids from
overdosing on TV or keep them off the streets.

"If we're such a great society," he asks, "why do we have teachers
who go to class high because their lives seem lacking; councilmen
arrested for DUI and leaving the scene; cops running drug rings or
worse; millionaire sports heroes on their second, third, or fourth
rehab chances; Fortune 500 companies pushing the two worst drugs of
all (alcohol and tobacco). ... Who are we fooling?"

In drawing his comparison to Rome, he said that history tells us "it
was a slow agonizing slide. I feel we are on the downslope now,
though, unless we change our priorities."

And then he arrived at what might be the essence of the dispute that
divides into opposing sides those of us who otherwise agree it is
best not to use drugs.

Punishment Carries High Price

Those who support the drug war believe that police and punishment in
sufficient amounts can reverse our society's descending skid. Those
of us who oppose it side with the man who e-mailed me: "Filling our
prisons with unfortunately ruined lives is not the answer, no more
than (alcohol) Prohibition was 70 years ago."

He said that according to his research, "The price tag for housing
just nonviolent drug users in the USA is estimated at $9.4 billion
annually." And as evidence that the war on drugs is failing, "A
recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
indicated that while the incarceration rate for drug possession
increased 1,040 percent (almost elevenfold) over the last decade, the
percentage of high school age kids who admitted to using drugs
doubled."

He said the punishment-based drug policies have not changed the
direction or velocity of that segment of our affluent society whose
members seek escape from their boredom with mind-altering substances.

He said, "This is the saddest part of all: We casually throw the most
unfortunate dupes in jail, black mark them for life and expect them
to come out rehabilitated. All we are doing is throwing gasoline on
the fire."