EDITORIAL: DRUG TRADE'S SOFT SPOT

LOCAL AUTHORITIES can't stop the flow of illegal drugs into this country
from Mexico, Colombia or other nations. They also can't eliminate the
individual demand for crack, cocaine, marijuana or other illicit substances.

But police departments aren't helpless. They can disrupt the relationship
between local buyers and sellers, much like a bucket of sand poured into
the right places can slow down or stop well-oiled machinery.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team sounds like it is trying to do
exactly that.

Last Friday, the local drug agency announced that its plainclothed officers
have been working Savannah's street corners, taking some of them over from
street-level dealers and then selling drugs to unwary buyers as part of a
reverse sting operation.

During the past two weeks, 21 buyers have been arrested on felony charges
of attempting to obtain controlled substances. In other words, they aren't
messing around. Neither are the courts and the district attorney, who are
prepared to deal with the influx of cases that this operation could bring.

The drug trade in any community is like a cancer. It eats away at people,
families and whole neighborhoods. It fuels anger and despair. No wonder
that House Speaker Newt Gingrich has advocated the use of the death penalty
for certain drug-trafficking offenses.

What the local drug squad seems to be doing is hitting the drug trade where
it is most vulnerable -- at the point where drug transactions are made.
Neither the seller nor the buyer wants an officer around when sales occur.
But when officers are doing the buying or the selling, and they interfere
with the normal course of this sordid business, then the system breaks down.

Local police know that when they bust street-level dealers, there's no
shortage of other people who take their place. Thus, part of the solution
must address the demand side.

Arresting people who buy drugs, charging them with felonies and then making
those names public by publishing them in the newspaper -- something we are
prepared to do -- won't make the drug cancer go away. Indeed, it may force
some drug users to go outside Savannah and Chatham County to buy their
drugs. But that's not a bad thing.

It simply means that surrounding counties will have to step up their
policing efforts. If enough communities can disrupt drug sales, then buyers
won't feel comfortable buying drugs anywhere. That's progress.

Actually, the key to stopping the drug trade is eliminating demand. If
people stop buying drugs, the supply dries up. Street-level dealers
disappear from the corners. Education and treatment are two ways to reduce
the demand for drugs. So is busting buyers. A felony conviction and public
embarrassment or scorn that follow these arrests can be powerful tools.

Years ago, most drug users were easy to spot, particularly the junkies.
Today, many drug users are recreational users. They don't rob or steal to
buy drugs. They have jobs and earn their own money.

The dirty little secret, known to many who work local drug investigations,
is that much of the local drug trade is not fueled by people who live in
the inner city, where much of the selling takes place. Instead, the demand
is partially driven by people who live in nicer neighborhoods where dealers
don't stand on street corners.

These buyers aren't committing crimes to buy drugs. However, their money
contributes to the profits that suppliers make. Take away these casual
users, and the drug problem should become more manageable.

By going public with their reverse sting operation, the Chatham-Savannah
Counter Narcotics Team is tipping off buyers that some dealers may be
undercover officers. So what? The goal is to cut demand, not fill the jail.

The real question is how often the drug squad will use the reverse sting
technique. If the current operation is just a one-time splash, then it will
have no lasting effect.

What local police departments can do to disrupt the drug trade is to create
uncertainty. Make dealers worry whether the person who's making the buy is
a cop. Make buyers wonder if that person who's selling drugs is a lawman.
And for that matter, having uniformed officers park their cars in front of
crack houses or shadow some of the known dealers can serve as deterrents.

After all, neither the person who buys drugs nor the person who sells drugs
wants police anywhere near the transaction. It's encouraging that the drug
squad is exploiting this soft spot.

Checked-by: Richard Lake