SHOOTING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS IN DRUG WAR

On one day in the paper last week, we ran a nice feature story on Orange
County teens involved in an anti-drug program run by the Sheriff's
Department. Many who read it may have felt hopeful about the proverbial war
on drugs.

The next day, we ran a story on 20 Irvine High School students who'd been
suspended for getting high the night of the prom. Five of the students were
repeat offenders and will not be allowed to take part in graduation
ceremonies. Most people probably read that story and felt dispirited about
the war on drugs.

War is like that, especially the ones where the generals aren't quite sure
what to do. One day the report from the front seems uplifting; the next day
it's the same old, same old.

The one constant is that, as with all wars, casualties lie everywhere. The
latest are the Irvine students--not to mention their parents and
relatives--who after all these years won't be taking part in Graduation
Night, one of life's milestones.

I feel sorry for the students, but I'm not picking up the cudgel for them.
They knew there's a war going on out there, and they knew the rules of
engagement: if you get caught, you'll face potentially dire consequences.

And that will be the case as long as the reflexive response to drug use is
punishment. If drug use doesn't warrant automatic punishment, then a wider
range of options is available for things like school infractions. And that
brings us to yet another drug-related event of last week.

Let's rephrase that. It was a fund-raiser in Newport Beach for Republican
U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell. The event drew a number of Orange County
Republican donors, and even though Campbell is considered a moderate
candidate, the room wasn't exactly filled with hippies.

Intelligent Debate May Yet Come

So, some may have been surprised to hear from Arianna Huffington, a
nationally syndicated columnist and former wife of California Senate
candidate Michael Huffington.

She has been outspoken in her belief that the drug war, with its emphasis on
punishment instead of treatment, is a waste of time and money. She urged
Campbell, who also has spoken publicly about the need to change national
drug policy, to make that one of the cornerstones of his campaign.

I know where he could probably find 20 student volunteers.

It's interesting that Campbell isn't afraid to speak on the issue, even in
front of potential Republican donors. For obvious reasons, it probably will
take prominent Republicans to carry the ball on drug-policy reform.
Democrats who argue the case will be dismissed as "peace and love" leftovers
from the drug-loving '60s; no matter how much sense they make on the issue,
too many people will tune them out.

But as people like Campbell do occasional solos for the expanding national
chorus of voices, the issue may yet be debated intelligently.

More than 500 clergymen have formed a national group called Religious
Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy. The group has focused
its attention on the criminal justice system's handling of drug users, at
both the arrest and sentencing stages.

None of these efforts will come in time to rescue the local seniors who'll
miss the ceremony with their class. I'd guess they rue their decision to go
for the temporary high.

I sense that Irvine school officials didn't want to lower the boom on them,
but rules are rules. And in a way, the students have simply added their
names (however anonymously) to the ongoing debate over what to do with drug
users in our society.

Even if the day comes when drug use is decriminalized, it'll still be
against the rules at school functions.

But if the Huffingtons and Campbells of the world can convince society that
drug use shouldn't automatically warrant criminal punishments, maybe school
officials will be free to think of more creative sanctions for students. But
for now, as the Irvine students learned, this is still a war that takes no
prisoners.

Dana Parsons' column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach
Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com