Re: "Don't surrender to drugs" (Editorial, Dec. 21):
First, I would agree that there is no problem that is more
important to solve in San Diego County than that of drug abuse
and the related costs. But does the solution lie in putting more
money into the current system? No.

Currently, we have a highly dysfunctional, county-funded drug and
alcohol treatment system. It must be changed before spending more
and more money.

Treatment providers need to be monitored for effective treatment
outcomes - not for simply filling beds. The county needs a
nonprofit agency to test the clients of the current providers of
such services, at random, post-treatment intervals, to verify and
evaluate their efficiency. We need to find out what kind of
treatment is working best.

Spending more money on the present system will simply guarantee
the continuance of expensive automobiles and salaries for several
executive directors and the maintenance of a dysfunctional
treatment system that will guarantee to increase the population
of homeless, jail and prison inmates and judiciary, probation and
parole cases.

We must look at our past mistakes. We must hire professionals to
critically evaluate and assess our problems, and look closely at
the large numbers of clients who do not complete the traditional,
county-funded programs.

Most important, we must spend wisely on prevention. Prevention
dollars must be backed with critical and evaluative research -
not two or three individuals' thoughts, aspirations and biases
sewn into a proposal that is bought by the county.

Patrick Keith
Imperial Beach, CA