DRUG DEALERS AND THEIR WAR ON PEOPLE

The release of the movie ``Traffic,'' which was nominated for an Academy
Award, has generated much discussion about how the nation deals with its
drug problem. It connects three subplots to tell how we are losing the war
on drugs. While many Americans are questioning the nation's ongoing effort
against drugs, the situation in east Tampa, as described by Tribune
reporter Laura Kinsler, reveals why there must be a strong law enforcement
component if victory is to be achieved.

East Tampa community activist Vivian Heyward, riding with a Tampa Police
Department narcotics officer, pointed out the area's drug-dealing hot spots.

Her concern, along with that of her neighbors, makes it clear that these
so-called nonviolent drug offenders, often called ``victims'' of the drug
war, can be dealt with only by the police.

The fact is that drug peddlers, along with other street criminals, can
choke the life out of a neighborhood. Fearful residents become prisoners in
their homes. The sense of lawlessness leads to burglaries, assaults and
other crimes. No businesses will invest in the area. Residents who can,
move out. Those who cannot are trapped victims.

So even though many dealers can be classified as nonviolent, they are still
the source of much physical harm.

Capt. Mike George, commander of the police department's Quick Uniform
Attack on Drugs (QUAD) squad, told Kinsler why getting rid of drug dealers
is so difficult.

``Drug dealers are different from every other type of crime,'' said George.
``What they do affects everybody in the neighborhood. And we arrest them,
but they make bail. It takes a year, sometimes a year and a half before
they go to trial, and we may arrest them five or six times before they
plead out.''

Talk about a revolving door.

THE HIGH-PROFILE CASES of celebrities like actor Robert Downey Jr. and
baseball player Darryl Strawberry have reignited the debate about targeting
drug users. Few of their supporters, however, offer any solutions about
what to do about those who supplied them.

But we must not give up. To believe that the war against drug dealers is
futile is also to believe the communities they terrorize have no future.