Drug problem requires more prevention

By Henry Tatum / The Dallas Morning News

Texas Attorney General Dan Morales recalled his days as a crimefighting
state legislator.

"I served on a legislative committee that was trying to project how many
prison cells we would need in the year 2010," Mr. Morales said. "Suddenly,
it dawned on me that we were preparing to build cells for kids who were in
the fourth grade right now. We were saying, 'We can't help you now, but
we'll have a room waiting for you later.' That's a heck of a note, isn't it?"

The attorney general had plenty of heads nodding when he made his remarks
in Dallas on Friday. He was talking to a packed room at the Texas Summit on
Model Drug Laws. And most of the audience was on the same wavelength when
it came to prevention vs. incarceration.

An estimated 70 percent of the inmates in the Texas prison system have been
involved in one way or another with drugs. And for most of them, the crimes
that put them behind bars were directly related to their addictions.

"We spend $50,000 per cell to build these prisons," Mr. Morales said. "And
then another $15,000 to $25,000 a year to house each inmate. Think what we
could achieve if we spent that much on education and treatment."

Believe me, Mr. Morales, the folks in my workshop at the drug laws summit
discussed little else. One drug treatment counselor said she knows an
associate who advises teenagers what crimes to commit so they can get state
help to kick their habits. The waiting list for statefunded drug programs
is so long that it is easier to get help by getting into trouble.

That sentiment was echoed by others, who said the state still is recovering
from the financial scandals that rocked the Texas Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse a couple of years ago.

In 1995, a state investigation found spending abuses among public and
nonprofit groups funded by the agency's grants. The probe raised serious
questions about mismanagement in Texas drug treatment programs.

Dallas businessman James Oberwetter was brought in as chairman of the TCADA
board to clean up the mess. And in December, the Texas Sunset Advisory
Commission gave TCADA a clean bill of health.

But the damage was immense to drug counseling and treatment organizations.
Many had difficulty getting state financial support during the
investigation. Some closed their doors. Others scaled back significantly.

During the past few years, the proportion of grade school students in Texas
who have tried marijuana has grown to 10 percent. And the number of
heroinrelated deaths in Plano this past year has shocked that community
into action.

A special police task force has been formed to crack down on drug dealers.
And state Sen. Florence Shapiro, RPlano, has scheduled a hearing on drug
usage.

The reaction is notable. But the goal of the Texas Summit on Model Drug
Laws is to create policies and laws that will address this state's drug
problems year in and year out.

Some of the recommendations from my workshop will be difficult for the
Texas Legislature to swallow:

* For every state dollar spent on the construction of prison cells, spend a
dollar on drug treatment and prevention.

* Establish stronger state requirements for insurance companies to cover
longterm drug treatment.

* Retool Medicaid programs to address the growing problem of drug addiction.

Yet the real veterans in the War on Drugs know that strong measures are
needed in desperate times. And they are convinced these are desperate times.

Deb Beck, a drug counselor on Philadelphia's skid row since the early
1970s, said she has seen enough excons to know that prison isn't the
answer to drug addiction.

"Lock up addicts, and you put them close to the best drugs in America," Ms.
Beck said. "You can find anything in prison today. I've had addicts come
straight out of prison and have seizures in my office."

The only solution is early prevention programs in the schools and solid
treatment programs for those who can't afford costly private care clinics,
she said.

"There's no such thing as cheap treatment or quick fixes," Ms. Beck said.

That may not set well with a state that already has heavy financial
commitments elsewhere. But just look at the alternatives. If Texas doesn't
address its drug crisis among young people today, it is going to be
investing a lot more in their care and upkeep behind bars later.