WRONG DRUG WAR

COLVILLE, Wash. -- Our nation is second now only to Russia in the race
to be the world's leading jailer. The latest report by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics revealed that by mid-1998 the U.S. held an
estimated 1.8 million prisoners. And still our leaders continue to
promote their political "War on Drugs."

Billions of taxpayer dollars have been diverted from health care and
education into the drug war. A huge law enforcement army has been
assembled to arrest millions of Americans and seize their assets. They
have reformulated our judicial system, sometimes gutting
constitutional rights in the rush to administer draconian prison
sentences. But to what end?

This drug war must be stopped and we must address the real issue: drug
use as a public health concern. Prevention and treatment are the only
answers. That would help those affected and curb the growing police
state brought about by the war on drugs.