TREATMENT THE BEST WAY TO DRY UP METH SUPPLY

How should Wisconsin respond to illegal methamphetamine use? During
the crack epidemic of The '80s, New York City chose the zero tolerance
approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible.

Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and
America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in the country.

Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. The decline was
not due to a government anti-drug campaign or the passage of mandatory
minimum sentencing laws.

Simply put, the younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing
to their older brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that
crack was bad news.

This is not to say nothing can be done about meth. Access to drug
treatment is critical for the current generation of users.

A study conducted by the RAND Corporation found that every additional
dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.48 in
societal costs. Diverting resources away from prisons and into
treatment would save both tax dollars and lives.

To protect future generations from hard drugs like meth, politicians
are going to have to come up with a common sense drug policy that
doesn't involve subsidizing organized crime.

Right now we're throwing good money after bad. Attempts to limit the
supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase
the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like meth,
a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal
activity to feed desperate habits.

The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Don't expect a radical drug policy rethink anytime soon.
Tough-on-drugs politicians have built careers on confusing drug
prohibition's collateral damage with drugs themselves.

Hazardous meth labs are reminiscent of the exploding liquor stills
that sprang up during alcohol prohibition. Drug policies modeled after
alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market.
Drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to
adult sentences. So much for protecting the children.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with addictive drugs like
meth.

This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.
Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes no
sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized
crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like
to think the children are more important than the message.