WAGING WAR THE RIGHT WAY

One thing we can all bow our heads and give thanks for this Thursday is the
light shining at the end of the tunnel, all the way from California. With
the passage of Proposition 36, the citizens of California have finally given
their state government permission to open up a new front in the war on
drugs.

Anyone who has ever watched a loved one go through the nightmare of drug
addiction can testify that most addicts are not hardened criminals. A great
many of the addicts who waste their days in prison cells would be far better
served with treatment for their addiction.

Evidently someone has gotten this message through to the citizens of
California, a state that imprisons more drug users per capita than any other
state in the country. The rest of us can thank God for a chance to see, once
again, that there is more than one way to fight a war. Especially a drug
war.

Ironically, the wrong turn in the so-called War on Drugs came early on, just
when we were winning the fight. When Richard Nixon realized that the ugly
issue of skyrocketing drug abuse in the aftermath of Vietnam could well cost
him the election, he commissioned his staff to search out the quickest and
most efficient way to combat the problem.

It turns out that the fastest, cheapest, and most effective way to fight
drugs is right where the problem begins: in the mind and heart of the user.
It's the old law of supply and demand. Stop the user from wanting drugs, and
you stop the problem. The solid infrastructure of substance abuse treatment
programs that came into being as a result of Nixon's farsighted
determination to wage an all-out War on Drugs was one of Nixon's most
valuable legacies.

Thanks to HMOs, most of these programs no longer exist. The maddening
problem with treatment programs is there is no guarantee. Insurance
companies and taxpayers do not like the idea of footing the bills for what
many of them consider someone else's problem, without some sort of assurance
that their efforts are actually going to pay off.

In an age of microwave dinners and drive-through banking, few people want to
be told that treatment takes time. Substance abusers do not become addicted
overnight, and they are not magically cured overnight either. Most addicts
will suffer through several relapses and several courses of treatment before
they are finally able to stay away from drugs completely.

And if the truth must be told, many will never get better. Many do not want
to get better. Just as many people would rather die with a cigarette in
their hand than go through the misery of quitting. Addiction is more deadly
than most of us realize.

The sad truth is that we have sent our young people some very confusing
messages about substance abuse. On one hand we tell them it's OK to drink,
but only socially and never when you drive. Meanwhile, all kinds of bars and
restaurants serve alcohol to people who must get back into their cars to
drive home.

Until recently the production of cigarettes was federally subsidized, while
the same government jailed people for smoking another plant, marijuana.
Doctors legally prescribe controlled substances to the parents of young
people who must buy those same drugs illegally on the street if they want to
see what these drugs are doing for their parents. Is it any wonder that our
young people are confused?

California has given its counties until July 1, 2001, to come up with
workable plans and operational facilities. Not much time, especially for the
magnitude of what's involved. Hopefully California will not subscribe to the
all-or-nothing-at-all approach to problem solving. We did not get into the
mess we are in overnight. It will take time and patience to fix it. And
treatment programs are not the be-all and end-all of substance abuse
prevention.

There is a legitimate place for imprisonment. Offenders who traffic in
illegal drugs must realize that they have committed a crime. More than a few
would be better off spending a while in jail thinking about what they've
done than being placed in treatment before they ask for it. Treatment is so
much more effective when you want it.

We must refuse to limit ourselves to a one-horse show when it comes to
fighting one of the most important wars we have ever fought. Holding the
government of Mexico accountable for the tons of illegal drugs that come
through our borders every year is another important step in fighting this
war. No amount of "good-will trading" is worth the flower of our nation's
youth.

Education remains one of the most effective strategies for substance abuse
prevention. And always, example is transcendent. Parents who drink and smoke
and rush to the medicine cabinet at the first hint of pain need not be
surprised when their sons and daughters smoke pot and experiment with harder
drugs.

A realistic and well-rounded program to address substance abuse must be
carefully constructed, based on every tool at our disposal. To limit
ourselves to treatment only defeats the purpose of treatment. Let us make
1.) education an ongoing commitment, 2.) treatment a privilege we are
willing to pay for, for those who will value it and take it seriously, 3.)
imprisonment an option for the hardened few who refuse to be rehabilitated,
and 4.) nations who will not cooperate with U. S. drug prevention policies
need not apply for trading status. Period.

Yes, it is harsh and cold and thorough. So is addiction. And so is death.