DRUG WAR MUST REACH NEIGHBORHOODS

The mother of a Marsh Middle School student in Dallas wondered why
school officials and the police weren't doing more to stop a
drug-pushing pimp from cruising the neighborhood.

The dealer had picked up her 13-year-old daughter outside school and
supplied the girl with all of the marijuana and money she wanted until
her parents figured out what was going on. The daughter now is in
another school, but the angry mother contends the drug dealer still
cruises the area.

The smart parents are the angry ones, the ones who know what is
happening in their children's lives. And a lot is happening. More than
half of American youths have tried an illegal drug before they finish
high school, and between a quarter and a third have tried a drug other
than marijuana.

But the young kids aren't the worst drug abusers. The highest rates of
regular drug use can be found among 18- to 25-year-olds. Illegal drug
use knows few age or socioeconomic boundaries.

The problem is costing America ? dearly. Thirty-three percent of state
prisoners and 22 percent of federal prisoners say they committed their
current offense while under the influence of drugs. More than 500,000
drug-related episodes plague hospital emergency rooms each year.

Despite the billions spent by government fighting this scourge every
year, drugs remain very much available and utilized in America.

A new national discussion on drug policies is needed. The
Academy-Award-winning movie Traffic provides a timely prompt. As the
drug czar pleads in the movie, let's think outside the box here. Any
ideas, anyone?

The federal government now focuses on catching drug kingpins. It spent
about $13 billion on interdiction, eradication and the criminal
justice system last year. Yet those efforts too often are in vain. The
kids on the street still are getting supplied. When one source of
drugs is disrupted, another supplier or another drug takes its place.

Donnie Marshall, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in
a recent interview that his agency has been able to harass the
criminal organizations bringing in the drugs, but he admitted it can't
stop them: "We can ensure prices are kept at a high level, but law
enforcement cannot eliminate the drug problem."

So what can be done?

First, the law enforcement approach should be modified to focus more
on the neighborhood pushers. The kingpins always will be there ? the
local dealers need not be.

The goal of making drugs costly may be easier to achieve at the street
level than at the manufacturer's level. If a pusher is at risk of
being arrested and sanctioned by the courts, he has to raise prices to
compensate for his potential legal costs.

Of course, this new grass-roots approach will require an increased
investment in community policing and greater cooperation between local
law enforcement agencies and federal authorities.

Second, and more important, the demand side of the drug problem must
be addressed. Although going after local dealers will disrupt
supplies, established addictions aren't going to be discouraged by
higher prices. Supply always will be available as long as demand persists.

While the federal government has focused some on drug prevention and
treatment (more than $5 billion last year), it hasn't done enough. The
2001 report on national drug control strategy notes, "A million
offenders under criminal justice supervision need, and are not
getting, drug treatment."

Finding effective prevention and treatment methods will be a
challenge. Many approaches have shown limited success at best. That is
partly because the problem really is about more than just drugs; it is
about the widespread prevalence of addictive and destructive behaviors
in our society, including alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking.

Perhaps, in the end, the issue requires a broader mental health
approach that addresses not just addictions but also the sense of
isolation and alienation that many people feel nowadays. To be
successful, it must embrace family, business and community.

After years of losing battles, we have to rethink our drug war if we
are to keep our children out of harm's way.