THE "WAR ON DRUGS" AND THE DEATH OF COMPASSION

First In A Series

In 1980 the Federal government spent $4 billion on the drug war. This year
we are spending over four times that much, and the saddest part is that
most of that money goes not to help people stop using drugs or get help for
their addictions, but simply to throw them in prison.

Drug arrests have now pushed the U.S. jail and prison population to over
1.8 million people, almost the highest in the world, of whom an estimated
1.2 million are alcohol or drug abusers. In addition, 2.3 million are on
probation and parole. Few of these people are violent, high-level dealers.
In fact, more than 90% of all drug arrests are of nonviolent offenders
guilty only of possession or of dealing small quantities to support their
own habits.

Our lack of an intelligent social policy and the fear that plagues elected
leaders of being branded as "soft on drugs" has led to a crisis in America
that should embarrass and shame us all with its cruelty and lack of both
compassion and plain common sense.

Consider this - the annual cost to incarcerate one addict in prison is
about $25,900. The annual cost to provide long-term residential treatment
for one addict is about $6,800. The cost to decrease cocaine consumption 1%
by eradicating the sources of supply is about $783 million. The cost to
decrease cocaine consumption 1% by increasing drug treatment is about $34
million. Even someone as bad in math as I can instantly see how foolishly
we are wasting our precious financial resources that could be eradicating
illiteracy and providing parenting classes to reduce child abuse and family
violence instead of this misguided war.

It is time to reassess the monumental waste of public funds that is
destroying millions of families needlessly, incarcerating and taking
fathers and mothers who pose no real threat to society away from their
children every day.

Instead we need to look seriously at how other countries have dealt in a
compassionate way with addictions of all kinds, including drugs, and stop
punishing the very people who are most in need of our help.