FOCUS ON TREATMENT AND DRUG PREVENTION

While the United Nations drug summit last week produced a lot of bickering
and finger-pointing between drug-producing and drug-consuming nations, one
positive theme emerged:

All countries agreed we must attack the demand for drugs as well as the
supply of drugs. We must reduce drug abuse and drug addiction if we want to
reduce drug trafficking.

The problem is global, but the solution is local.

Unfortunatley, while the world is beginning to recognize that treatment and
prevention are crucial to fighting drug trafficking, federal and state
governments don't adequately fund these efforts, and many local governments
remain hostile to them.

While past U.N. drug summits focused mostly on interdiction, this conference
took a turn when French President Jacques Chirac, Britain's Deputy Prime
Minister John Prescott and others insisted that big consumers of illegal
drugs - America and Europe - must reduce demand.

Ultimately, the conference produced a joint declaration pledging to
drastically reduce demand for drugs worldwide within the next ten years.
That's going to be a very tough goal to reach, unless policy-makers truly
embrace treatment and prevention.

President Clinton pledged more than $17 billion in the next federal budget
to fight drugs, but only $6 billion will go to fight demand. Congress has
shown little interest in treatment and prevention. If reducing the demand
is as important as reducing the supply, more money should be spent fighting
both.

But the real problem for drug treatment and prevention is on the state and
local levels. Government funding for more treatment beds at recovery
centers must increase if the U.N. pledge to reduce the demand for drugs is
to have any meaning at all.

And local leaders must embrace treatment and prevention if they want to
reduce the scourge of drug abuse and the crime and violence it brings.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett